About BIF
Hello! Welcome to the online home of The Brighton Illustration Foundation.
You might previously know us as the Brighton Illustration fair; which began in 2016 running an annual event focusing on the medium in all its forms through exhibitors, guests, talks, screenings and more.
We've been really lucky to have run some really fun events with amazing names and amazing work over the years but we now think it's time for a little shift in what we do. The name change has occurred as we shift our focus beyond (but very much still to include!) the fair, to hosting further events in Brighton that encompass illustration in all its wonderful styles.
Our plan is to help shine a light on what we can of the winding landscape of illustration as an art form, look at what purpose it serves in the modern world and hopefully help foster and encourage new and existing talent through these BIF events.We think it’s super important to know there's a community out there to be a part of. Whatever your connection to illustration is we want BIF to be a place for you to feel welcome, explore and feel inspired.
So hopefully the name change in time will make sense and you can join on building the foundation towards a big, lovely illustrated wall that we can all climb together!
BIF Team
Andrew Garnett
I’m Andrew, owner of Family Store a shop in Brighton that champions Illustration. I’m also a keen record collector, hat wearer, glasses wearer, plate-spinner. I co-founded BIF back in 2015 when at the time it felt like the Illustration scene in Brighton didn’t have a place for fellow creatives to meet-up/ show their work off and for the public to see why it’s such a wonderful medium. So we started BIF. I’ve been working with and commissioning illustrators for t-shirts, prints and more for over 12 years and still love the creativity the form brings. Although we’re 7 years in it’s exciting to feel like we’re at the beginning of the next step! Oh, and I also have a thing for clowns.
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Tom Mountford
Hi, I’m Tom. I’ve been with BIF from the start, working with Andrew on the overall running and also doing a lot of the design work. After a start/stop career in illustration did a final stop I joined in with BIF to help shine a light on a practice that I’ve loved since I was a nipper and in doing so have found a pretty lovely community of people too. See you at the fairs!
Zara Wilkins
Starting out as a keen volunteer I now work for BIF helping out with any bits and bobs need doing - including making this shiny new website! I started working for BIF around autumn 2022 and am super excited to see how it develops over the next few years. Outside of BIF I have many roles, including running two creative businesses 'Zara Wilkins' and 'Ginger Green', as well as working in graphic design, events, and in a secondary school as a TA.
Disability Access
Each event space we work with will have different disability access - however when we set up an event we make sure to space the tables apart so wheelchairs can get through. Please get in contact if you have any questions or if there's anything we can do to accommodate any needs.
Privacy Policy
We do not hold exhibitors information once we have finished an event. Your private information will never be shared with another party.