PREVIEWS
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL! I’M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THERE’S LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS MONTH, AND PLENTY TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED WHILE YOU’RE AT HOME. WORDS: CLAIRE DUPREE
If you’d like to be featured in a future edition please get in touch: narcmedia@gmail.com As things seem to be changing on a daily basis at the moment, we apologise for any errors or changes to what's listed here.
STREAMING, VIRTUAL VIEWING, PARTICIPATION & MORE Among the many things we’re missing is a lazy weekend stroll around an art gallery or museum, particularly on rainy days. The region’s galleries and art spaces are adapting with aplomb to the current situation (in fact, many had virtual viewing options way before this all kicked off) and we highly recommend kicking back with a cuppa and checking out some of the weird and wonderful collections at Great North Museum: Hancock, where you can get access to their biology and ethnographic stores; get your dose of arty goodness with a jaunt around Laing Art Gallery’s rooms; keep the kids amused via Google Arts & Culture’s virtual tour of Discovery Museum; and there’s a host of interesting artefacts to
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discover in Tyne & Wear Museums & Archives’ online stores; view the landscapes and culture of North East England as documented by Side Gallery’s Amber Collective; explore several of the exhibitions at BALTIC’s website, including Abel Rodriguez, Imran Perretta, Judy Chicago and more; the Biscuit Factory’s collection is also available to browse (and buy) online; John and Dorothy Cornish, the son and daughter-in-law of painter Norman Cornish, create a virtual gallery tour of the exhibition at Barnard Castle’s Bowes Museum; the collections from Middlesbrough’s MIMA gallery are available to view online; and Shieldfield Art Works are currently displaying work created by members of their Painting For Fun group on their website. Looking to brush up on your artistic knowledge during lockdown? Look no
further than a recent blog post courtesy of Hatton Gallery’s Keeper of Art Lizzie Jacklin, who has pulled together an eye-opening list of intriguing artworks by female artists that reside within the Hatton’s permanent collection. It’s a diverse and interesting list! Create some artistic masterpieces of your own thanks to a variety of classes and studio events now hosted online. Top amongst these recently has been Newcastle-based Chilli Studios’ live interactive workshops programme, where you can learn about everything from gardening to art journaling, creative writing and self-care, plus create ceramic artwork, watercolours and much more. Also worth checking out is North Tyneside Art Studio, who host regular online tutorials via their Facebook page on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; North East
