Culture on a Shoestring #5 - A North by Northwest Special by Blaze

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NORTH BY NORTHWEST SPECIAL

CONTENTS 2

Editor’s Note

3-4

Meet the Team

5-6

The Harris Museum & Art Gallery

Mid Pennine Arts

Grundy Art Gallery

9-10

In Certain Places

11-12

Live at LICA

Abbot Hall Art Gallery

The Brewery Arts Centre

Green Close Studios

Art Gene

Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery

Eden Arts

Grizedale Arts

What’s On

North By NorthWest Directory

Write for Culture On A Shoestring

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to Issue #5 of Culture on a Shoestring! It’s been a busy few months for us since we brought out the ARTIST ROOMS issue back in the spring. It was a real success, with many of you telling us how much you enjoyed reading Hannah’s introduction to contemporary art. The behind-the-scenes interviews with the organisations behind the Nauman exhibition at The Harris Museum & Art Gallery also went down well – and Anthony d’Offay even picked up a copy! This time, we’ve brought you an issue full of articles about exciting arts organisations from across Lancashire and Cumbria. They form North by NorthWest, a network we’re going to be working with to inspire young people across the region to pick up a pen and start writing about art in all its forms. The team has travelled far and wide to bring you the lowdown on the North by NorthWest community, and I’m confident there’s something for everyone. As ever, I’m keen to hear your thoughts, so please do spare a minute to visit www.cultureonashoestring.co.uk and leave your feedback so we can make Issue #6 even better. See you soon,

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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MEET THE TEAM

Anthony Price

Shona Thompson

Editor

Media Officer

Ollie Briggs

Laura Haddick

Designer

Project Manager

@AManNamedPrice

@OllieBriggs

3 MEET THE TEAM

@shona_blaze

@MissHaddick

Jakub Jezierski Contributor

Alice Hughes Contributor

Sophie-Marie Merryweather Contributor

Joanna Embley Contributor

Lucy Smalley Contributor

Sophie Heppell Contributor

@jakub_jezierski

@soapymerry

@joanna_embley

@sophheppell

MEET THE TEAM

SPOTLIGHT ON:

The Harris Museum & Art Gallery “The mental riches you may here acquire abide with you always,” reads the founder’s inscription. In the heart of Preston, a bustling City where brand new shops pop up every day like Whack-a-Mole, there stands a grade one listed building that’s bursting with history and character. That building is the Harris Museum & Art Gallery. ‘The foundation stone was laid in Preston Guild week 1882, and the Harris officially opened eleven years later on 19 October 1893,’ says Sam Mason, the museum’s Audience Development Officer. Sam says that the museum ‘has always collected work by artists of the day… Prestonians could see work by artists on their doorstep without the need to travel to London.’ I think that’s brilliant; art should be accessible wherever you live. For over 120 years, the Harris Museum & Art Gallery has had a goal that’s always been about ‘making great art, literature and history available to everyone, stimulating learning and celebrating creativity - something that never goes out of fashion.’ Sam adds, ‘We want local people to feel proud of their Harris.’ What’s unique about the Harris Museum & Art Gallery? ‘Where else can you find 13,500 year-old elk bones and cutting edge digital art under one roof?’ Touché.

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The museum also offers young people (over 16) a limited number of work placements to help them gain valuable experience. To get involved, you need to write to them at least six months in advance with details of when you would like to start and giving them a run down of the work you are interested in. The Harris also offers Arts Award up to Silver level through the Young Harris group. Targeted at 12-18 year olds, Young Harris meets monthly on a Saturday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested, contact Kyra Milnes on either 01772 905412 or via K.Milnes@preston.gov.uk and say hello! Each visit to the Harris Museum & Art Gallery gives you something new to explore and it will continue to attract people for years to come. @HarrisPreston www.harrismuseum.org.uk

by Sophie Heppell

PRESTON

‘1966, when England won the World Cup’ was the answer to the first question that I asked Creative Director Nick Hunt of Mid Pennine Arts. He went on to add that Mid Pennine Arts (MPA) has always been based in Burnley, but does collaborate with other surrounding areas. Their aim is to make a difference to people’s lives through art and culture and to change the way they think about their local community. MPA works towards creating original contemporary artwork, engaging directly with communities and providing learning opportunities. MPA also try and achieve work of the highest quality, which results in unique, inspiring work in each of their projects.

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www.midpenninearts.org.uk

by Joanna Embley

MPA are always active on social media, and work hard to ensure they keep in contact with the public on a daily basis – so for the latest news and to stay in touch, follow them at @TeamMPA

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Another project MPA have worked on is ‘Panopticans’, which Nick explained as ‘an installation of sculptures put together to create a body of work with real lasting impact’. MPA also deliver bronze Arts Awards, so that young people who get involved in projects come away with accreditation for their work.

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Within MPA, Nick revealed that one of their highlights came from their opportunity to work with other organisations on the project ‘Fields of Vision’. ‘Fields of Vision’ comprises a series of huge, grass-based land art installations forming a trail through the stunning South Pennines G N A T U M SI E landscape. Nick disclosed that MPA is also a partner in a project D called ‘Super Slow Way’, which is a project aiming to transform the canal corridor in Pennine Lancashire into a hub of creative activity – it’s currently in the planning stage, and will have concluded in 2016.

B LACKP OOL As someone whose knowledge of art stretches to pretty colours, Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery is a place of wonder and beauty whose constantly changing exhibits gives me an excuse to make it a monthly visit. And with the contrast and variety of each event hosted, it will never be a trip wasted. The Grundy Art Gallery isn’t just oil paintings and watercolours, but showcases a whole range of art forms sure to capture you, no matter your interest. From ceramics to jewellery and video to oriental ivories, this Blackpool Gallery is one of the most culturally exciting in the North West. Described as a ‘contemporary visual arts’ venue by the Gallery’s website, Grundy engages with communities of all ages to produce a ‘unique and important cultural environment’ – and it’s fair to say it certainly lives up to its claims! The current exhibition opened on June 28th and will run ‘til 6th September. Visitors can expect to find the awesome looking (and confusingly titled) “Yes, surprising is existence in the post-vegetal cosmorama”, created by Heather Phillipson, a London-based contemporary artist. Said to be ‘the most technically challenging exhibition’ to be staged at the Grundy, you don’t have to be an art nut to appreciate how this can be true. The exhibit has transformed the Art Gallery into a palace of treasures, including vehicles, sculptures, videos and even a giant banana! Visitors will be able to clamber through multi-layered, multi-coloured rooms to explore the works, and the promise of ‘everyday meets the fantastical’ is something that I am eager to experience. This exhibit is definitely the time to immerse yourself into the new wave of artists that are redefining the term “strange” – and it’s beautiful.

by Sophie -Marie Merryweather

BLACKPOOL

In Certain Places ‘What artwork do you see in your city? Who created it? Well, if you’re in and around Preston there’s a pretty high chance that its been created whilst working in partnership with In Certain Places.’ In Certain Places are a very interesting and unique arts organisation based in Preston, with the city being their focus. Based at the University of Central Lancashire, In Certain Places is a programme of temporary public artworks and events, and I was lucky enough to interview Charles Quick who is one of the founding members of the organisation. ‘It’s definitely temporary rather than public artwork, which examines how artists contribute to the development of the city or how the artist works within a city.’ In Certain Places was founded in 2003 by James Green and Charles himself. In Certain Places are focused on ‘working with artists - we always like to invite artists to work with the city, and we don’t give them a brief.’ Charles also described the organisation’s aim of ‘empowering artists to make work about the city and to engage with the city’. The team supports artists from within the region who haven’t made public work before. In Certain Places find it extremely important to work with early-career artists to give them the experience of making work with the public for the first time. ‘We’re very passionate about entering into debates with the city around any issues or concerns we have and the city has. One example was ‘Revisiting Utopia’, which looked at Preston bus station.’ To find out what the public think, In Certain Places have set up ‘Critical Friends’, a group where people can come and talk to the organisation once every couple of months to give them feedback about their

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projects – to be critically supportive! Critical Friends can be people from the community, other organisations or artists. This highlights the fact that In Certain Places like to work in partnership with other people, and Charles describes forming ‘lots of partnerships with lots of people, not just arts organisations.’ The community plays a key role in the creation of the public art pieces. Although the creation of the art is very much down to the artist’s take on the city, the community are given the opportunity to get involved because the city is their space; they know it well. The people who work on In Certain Places projects tend to understand the artwork, as they’ve been working on the project and have ‘a strong sense of ownership over what has been created.’ I asked Charles what the wider public makes of the artwork, and he replied, ‘pieces of work are about place, how artists respond to the place with the audience having invested interest in the place. People are not going to like all of the work all the time, but they still engage with it when they see it.’ Charles has seen many highlights of working with In Certain Places, his standout moment being ‘The Arcade’, a sound piece created by artist Magda Stawarska-Beavan. This project brought the soundscape of Rynek Główny, the main square in Kraków, Poland, to the Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston. After the project, they then went on to work with Magda to present that work in a museum in Vienna! It’s important to stress that when you think of art, it doesn’t only cover a painting in an art gallery; sound installations are one of many other pieces of work created through In Certain Places. If you’d like to get involved and be part of the conversation, why not check out the website? And remember, you don’t have to be an artist yourself to get involved, because as Charles put it, ‘it’s more about people taking part in the project, rather than being producers of art.’

by Shona Thompson

@InCertainPlaces www.incertainplaces.org

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Live at LICA is a single interdisciplinary contemporary arts organisation based on the campus of Lancaster University. Comprising of the Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster International Concert Series and Peter Scott Gallery, Live at LICA hosts an incredible artistic and cultural resource for the campus, the city and the region. Live at LICA offers a wide range of events around professional arts activity, performances and exhibitions for not only students, but the community as a whole. As Live at LICA is based at Lancaster University, they are also responsible for the university’s contemporary arts programme, which is hosted at the Peter Scott Gallery. Live at LICA’s work also reaches far and wide – they offer opportunities in performing and visual arts for the public to get involved in, creating site specific installations and performance art across Lancashire. Live at LICA aims to bring about excellence and engagement across the performing and visual arts. To achieve this they offer artist support such as workshops, summer schools, networking, mentoring and advice. They even hosted a summer school at the start of August! Richard Smith, who is the Curator at Live at LICA, gave us an insight into Live at LICA’s role in helping young people become creative professionals:

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‘Live at LICA works with young artists and producers in a number of ways. Our role supporting artists and producers make the transition from training to professional is especially important to us. As part of the art sector and the community it serves, Live at LICA is keen to give young people a voice within our work and the circles we operate in. We aim to provide an environment where that can happen in a meaningful way - and to perhaps be the point where formal and informal learning meet through our unique situation of being a public arts organisation based at Lancaster University.’ There’s always lots of exciting up and coming events that Live at LICA are involved in. The great work they’ve produced can be seen in their partnership project ‘Light Up Lancaster’. Another exciting project that’s coming up is ‘Sea Breeze’, which is back after a successful event in 2013. September 23rd- 27th will see a site specific performance inspired and hosted by Morecambe’s cultural landmark The Winter Gardens. The performance will feature arranged music, a choir of local singers and image projection. ‘Sea Breeze’ was produced by Live at LICA, supported by the Arts Council England, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster University and The Creative Exchange, whilst being created by Raisin and Willow. This show is definitely not to be missed! Keep up with the latest at @liveatlica, and don’t forget to visit Live at LICA’s café bar situated in the Great Hall foyer for coffee and cake!

Interviewed by Shona Thompson

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“Inspire all to explore and enjoy arts, heritage and the outstanding places we care for by visiting our museums and participating in a wide range of activities.” That’s the mission statement of Lakeland Arts Trust, one of whose arts organisations is Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal. The gallery is working hard to develop young people’s involvement in their work, and Helen Watson, director of exhibitions and collections, said that Abbot Hall is engaging a young audience through ‘opportunities for children and young people to take part in and use the culture that we hold in our collections, and through our exhibition programme.’ Educating children and young people about the exhibitions held at Abbot Hall is important to them, and collaboration is a key part of their success. Come the autumn, Abbot Hall will be working with students from Lancaster University, as they join the gallery team to contribute to visitors’ experiences at exhibition through the presentation of live interpretations. As well as this exciting work with children and young people, Abbot Hall Art Gallery works towards five overall priorities. Helen outlined them for us: • Excellence - Deliver excellent artistic, heritage, learning and engagement programmes of national and international significance. • Rewarding - Create rewarding experiences for all our visitors and users. • Resilience - Ensure the resilience and sustainability of Lakeland Arts and support Cumbria’s economy. • Leadership - Invest in our staff and develop Lakeland Arts through inspirational leadership and management. • For All - Involve all in arts and heritage in new and inspiring ways and contribute to the development of local communities.

Fancy a visit? The summer exhibition, ‘Barbara Hepworth: Within the Landscape’, is open until 28th September.

by Anthony Price 13 KENDAL

Brewery Arts Centre Set up in 1972, the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal has been part of the community for over forty years. Originally an arts and community centre with a strong emphasis on theatre, the organisation has grown to encompass all elements of the arts under one roof. With daily cinema viewings and over two hundred live performances throughout the year, the Brewery is committed to serving the local area by offering a wide range of cultural events. With outreach programmes that bring up to five hundred young people to Brewery Arts a week, the organisation is dedicated to developing arts experience within the local community; they offer a wealth of opportunities for young people to be involved in, including workshops and classes. The sense of community at the Brewery is demonstrated in the Warehouse café, a social area that doubles as a space for screenings and performances. Recognised as a key arts venue in the North West, Brewery Arts has attracted numerous high-profile performers. They recently hosted the ‘Freerange Comedy Festival’, with performances from stars including Lee Evans and Omid Djalili alongside up-and-coming local talents. Alongside a huge amount of work directed towards the public, Brewery Arts is also involved in a great deal of behind the scenes development, including collaborations and projects with other arts institutions and emerging artists. Brewery Arts is involved with strengthening the links between tourism and culture in the face of the arts cuts, which is one of their main aims. Kendal is remarkably easy to access by train from major cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and London whilst being nestled in the picturesque landscape of the Lakes – a place worth visiting and supporting.

by Lucy Smalley www.breweryartscentre.co.uk

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Originally established by artist directors Sue and Pete Flowers in 1996 to provide affordable studio space for artists, Green Close has now moved beyond its studios to showcase the richness of rural arts to local communities. Coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the Lancashire witches’ trial and execution, Green Close’s Lancashire Witches 400 programme explored local heritage to expose the endurance of persecution cases, such as current child ‘witches’ in Nigeria. Lancashire Witches 400 invited audiences to realise how history continues to resurface, through activities including the creation of a walking trail across Lancashire adorned with professionally and locally created art works, history talks, workshops in schools, commissioned installations and site-specific performances. There were many creative responses including Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s poem based on the tragic witches’ story, which audiences can trace along the 50-plus mile Witches Walk route. Green Close is continuing such interactivity in the new Global Arts Village project, which has secured seed funding from Arts Council England. This will strive towards a dynamic exchange network for rural communities, professional companies and artists from around the world that live, work and create great art in the rural and global context. The aim is to generate the creation of creative projects, which encourage social development through focus on environmental and cross-cultural issues. They are employing directors for specific projects across art, heritage and environmental issues to strengthen their connectivity with wider audiences. Based in Melling village, Green Close is accessible by public transport: there is the 81B bus from Lancaster bus station, or alternatively it is a mile’s walk from Carnforth train station. Green Close prompts intimacy with landscape and heritage in a way unique to their organisation. The attention of many is focused on cities, where many quality projects are happening on their doorstep. www.greenclose.org

by Alice Hughes 15 MELLING

Conveniently located within walking distance from the station in Barrow-in-Furness, Art Gene is just a train ride away from Lancaster where I currently reside. It is quite unique when comparing it to other arts organisations that I’ve previously visited; by itself it’s not a venue, and it’s not usually open to the public day-to-day. The venue is used to facilitate some of the artwork, as well as hosting the studios where work is created for the projects. Speaking of projects the studios housed within Art Gene reflect the three main strands of projects they’re currently working on: • ‘Fort Walney Uncovered’ looks at the interpretation of the infrastructure of the first and second World War, which is based around a gun range and a practical trench. • ‘Seldom Seen Mapping the Bay’ is a series of artist-designed maps and mobile phone applications that draw together the hidden assets of Morecambe Bay. • ‘Shed’ is the development of a self-managed allotment group on Walney Island in Barrow-in-Furness. Artists and architects will collaborate to design bespoke sheds for the site.

Working with people on projects is the essence of Art Gene’s work. They believe that collaboration adds value to their work and to the lives of the participants and audience members. By involving the community and creating a connection with them they create a lasting effect that won’t cease to exist when the project comes to an end. Art Gene itself was officially established in 2002 with funding from Arts Council England, Cumbria County Council and Barrow Borough Council. However, for Art Gene these funding sources don’t cover all the projects and they often fundraise to run their programme. Jakub had a great day at Art Gene – for the writer’s cut of his article, head over to the Culture on a Shoestring website: www.cultureonashoestring.co.uk For Further information on Art Gene, their projects and even their merchandise, visit: www.art-gene.co.uk

by Jakub Jezierski O

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Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery is a place you’ll find located in Carlisle. When Catherine Moss, their Young Person Co-ordinator gave us an insight into the Museum and Art Gallery, she described one of her highlights as ‘being able to work with disadvantaged young people on meaningful projects.’ These projects are designed to increase skills and self-esteem, and provide young people with exciting opportunities. A group of ten young people from NACRO, the crime reduction charity, recently spent a week working with local artist Ben Gates to design and create a large-scale automata to go on display alongside the Blockbuster exhibition Mechanical Circus. Catherine also works with the museum’s youth panel Yak Yak who are currently developing a digital map of the city’s cultural venues, and with young people’s group ‘Abstract’ who are about to launch a new online magazine to share articles on youth interests and arts topics. An idea close to our hearts at Culture on a Shoestring! Tullie House is working hard to ensure that young people are a high priority in their aims as an organisation. They offer opportunities to young people across the board, delivering Arts Award from Discover all the way up to Gold so that they gain accreditation for their involvement in Tullie House’s programme. This is an organisation that offers a heap of opportunities for creative young people in Carlisle to get involved in. Marketing themselves through printed avenues such as posters and leaflets, but also digitally, you can always keep up to date with the latest!

by Anthony Price

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@TullieHouse www.tulliehouse.co.uk

Eden Arts is an arts development agency in Penrith. The team works closely with young people on a variety of projects, and they share this proudly on their website. Since Eden Arts began as an arts organisation and charity, the team has run a variety of projects – many of which have been aimed at schools. ‘Canopy’ a BIG participatory visual art projects Eden Arts ran in 2013, saw them exhibit artworks in woodland around the Eden District. Collaborating with Liverpool Art Prize winner Robyn Woolston, they engaged schools, groups and local artists to inspire thousands of visitors. What the aforementioned Canopy project did was allow artwork to be exhibited in diverse locations that included National Trust property. Acorn Bank, Dalemain Historic House & Gardens, Hutton in the Forest, Brough Castle and Ullswater played host to a wide range of artworks including the ‘Woollen Woods’, which is open until 1st September 2014. Picnic Cinema, another project in the Eden Arts catalogue, is the one I’m instantly interested in. What is it? Well, Picnic Cinema presents ‘cinema in scenery, classics in castles, cults in courtyards and film in forests.’ As Eden Arts put it, ‘Picnic cinema does outdoor cinema like no other’ and offers audience members of all ages the chance to take part in an adventure – sometimes complemented with fancy dress. With only 100 tickets available at some screenings, the restricted number puts Picnic Cinema tickets in high demand! If you intend on becoming a ‘picnicker’, there’s a jam-packed schedule at www.picniccinema.co.uk to inspire you! Both ‘Canopy’ and ‘Picnic Cinema’ are just fragments of what Eden Arts offers – why not check out their other projects? www.edenarts.co.uk/raspberry

www.edenarts.co.uk

by Anthony Price

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‘Seeking to make art and artists more useful and work as an integral part of society in quite ordinary ways’ You’ll find Grizedale Arts located within the picturesque Lake District, with its headquarters based in the historic hill farm of Lawson Park. The organisation is a partner of Tate, and exchanges ideas, programmes and skills with them. Driven by a methodology shared by many organisations both small and large, Grizedale Arts works with local communities of Coniston and the Crake Valley to ‘develop the culture and economy.’ The team works hard to make a difference through creativity and to ensure projects aren’t done at arms length. Grizedale Arts undertakes a number of diverse activities that are underpinned by an ethos that’s seeking to make art and artists more useful, working as an integral part of society in quite ordinary ways. This approach is demonstrated in their projects, including CPMU (the Cheese Production Mobile Unit), which saw Grizedale Arts work with an artist named Fernando García-Dory to create a mobile dairy school. Its aim is to relate aspects of food, culture, territory, identity and taste. When we gave them the opportunity to tell us of any standout moments, the team informed us that one of Grizedale Arts’ highlights has been winning the Turner prize, which they did last year with Laure Prouvost. Grizedale Arts is also in the process of becoming a registered Arts Award Supporter. If you’d like to know more about them, head over to www.grizedale.org or follow them at @grizedalearts

by Anthony Price

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WHAT’S ON Creativity Works Creativity Works’ purpose is to raise the profile of and engagement with, the arts in Pennine Lancashire. You might remember their floating sculpture, The Ark, from Issue #2 of Culture on a Shoestring! For the latest on their programmes across Pennine Lancashire, visit www.creativityworks.info

Forestry Commission Grizedale The Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre Closes on 2nd November Picnic Cinema A boutique festival experience combining film, fancy dress and a bit of party thrown in for good measure. For the latest listings, check out www.picniccinema.co.uk

Littoral LITTORAL is an arts research and development Trust which promotes new creative strategies, artistic interventions and cultural partnerships in response to issues about social, cultural and environmental change. Keep up with the latest in their programme at www.littoral.org.uk

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