Plus Tate Network 1
The partners share a common vision and ambition to inspire people about art.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate is a network of visual arts organisations that share ideas, experiences, practices and programmes to increase public value and to broaden and deepen engagement in art.
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This network is designed to enable some of the liveliest visual arts organisations in the UK with a focus on modern and contemporary art to share ideas and expertise, as well as programmes and collections, with the intention of broadening and deepening public engagement in the visual arts.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate network
From Nottingham Contemporary to the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney; from The Hepworth Wakefield and Cornerhouse, Manchester to the recently reopened Mostyn in Llandudno; from Wysing to Grizedale; from the University of Cambridge (Kettle’s Yard) to the University of Manchester (The Whitworth); from Margate and Eastbourne to Gateshead and Swansea, the visual arts are making a huge difference to the cultural and socio-economic regeneration of regions. The UK is known internationally for the ambition and quality of its artists, cultural leaders and its visual arts ecology. The partners share a common vision and ambition to inspire people about art. Each organisation, including Tate, is undergoing organisational development and change, often involving a capital project. All are committed to expanding participation in the visual arts and to collaboration and exchange with the network as a whole. This will be more vital than ever at a time of constrained public funding. The Plus Tate initiative allows Tate to contribute to public knowledge and enjoyment of art beyond our own galleries by collaborating closely with imaginative organisations that have national and international profiles and strong links with their local communities. We will use our scale, profile, resources and Collection to respond to and support other organisations and individuals, not to become Tate or Tate satellites nor to be beholden to Tate – but to be themselves. Increasingly, we hope that the network will grow, adapt and take on a life of its own. This is a reciprocal process and Tate may be leader, follower, participant, recipient, catalyst or background presence, depending on the situation of individuals and the network, as an entity. Caroline Collier Director, Tate National Nicholas Serota Director, Tate
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Plus Tate Network 5
• A space for dialogue; enabling artists and audiences to engage in critical debate around issues of contemporary culture. •
A space for contemplation, allowing room for personal reflection, as well as reflection upon our own individual relationship to wider social conventions.
• A space for subjective experience; for pleasure and for strong emotions. • A space for making meaning, a social space, and, thus, a force for change.
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Arnolfini provides Bristol and the West of England with a centre for the contemporary arts of international significance. It aims to create the conditions for experimentation and engagement across the contemporary arts for the widest possible range of people. Arnolfini’s move to Narrow Quay in 1975 proved a catalyst in attracting other businesses to the then neglected docks, and the revitalised Harbourside is now a focal point for Bristol’s social and cultural life.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
OUR VISION: A SPACE FOR IDEAS
Arnolfini’s move to Narrow Quay in 1975 proved a catalyst in attracting other businesses to the then neglected docks, and the revitalised Harbourside is now a focal point for Bristol’s social and cultural life. Left: Arnolfini building, Bristol Harbourside, photo Jamie Woodley Right: The Big Draw, Arnolfini galleries, photo Adam Faraday Below: Family day event, Arnolfini, photo Adam Faraday
Our strategic priorities are: Experimentation, Interdisciplinarity, Interaction, Social Context and Internationalism. Seeds of Change: a Ballast Seed Garden for Bristol is an example of how Arnolfini approaches these priorities. As part of the 2007 Arnolfini exhibition Port City, artist Maria Thereza Alves uncovered possible ballast sites and seeds around Bristol’s Harbourside. Working with different communities, these ballast seeds were germinated and grown. The project re-establishes the histories of ballast flora, the potential of individual histories that these plants were witness to, and the connection to the economic and social history of Bristol. An actual Ballast Seed Garden is planned, working in partnership with organisations such as the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council. www.arnolfini.org.uk/ballastseedgarden We want to be part of Plus Tate in order to build longer-term partnerships, and to develop collaborative practice through networks. Our involvement would facilitate closer relationships with peer organisations, enable training and professional development opportunities for staff and encourage knowledge sharing. 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA +44 (0)117 9172300 / 01 www.arnolfini.org.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Bristol City Council
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A PLACE TO LEARN, CREATE AND PLAY
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Learning and engagement are central to the visitor experience at BALTIC. Located in the heart of the gallery is Quay; a place to learn, create and play for children, young people and families. Each year BALTIC provides formal education for over 15,000 school children, during nearly 400 sessions ranging from art clubs, photography courses, artist talks and artist-led workshops. However, BALTIC’s education offer transcends its landmark building through a vast array of community-led activities encouraging more people, young and old, to interact and experience contemporary art.
Since opening in 2002, the BALTIC has welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors from across the world. Left: BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, photo Colin Davison
Located in a converted flour mill, BALTIC has played a significant role within the regeneration of Gateshead Quayside alongside its architecturally acclaimed neighbours the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and The Sage Gateshead. Since opening in 2002, it has welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors from across the world to see exhibitions from artists such as Antony Gormley, Jenny Holzer, Ed and Nancy Kienholz, Yoko Ono, Spencer Tunick and Sam Taylor-Wood.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
BALTIC is a major international centre for contemporary art situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, England. It presents a constantly changing, distinctive and ambitious programme of exhibitions and events, and is a world leader in the presentation, commissioning and communication of contemporary visual art.
THE TURNER PRIZE GOES TO BALTIC In 2009, BALTIC collaborated with Tate for the first time to bring Damien Hirst’s Pharmacy to the North East. Since then the relationship has continued to grow enabling BALTIC to be the first non-Tate venue to host the prestigious Turner Prize in 2011. The Plus Tate partnership has also been beneficial by assisting BALTIC to benchmark its plans and practices; fundamentally, the wider collaboration has created a forum in which individual and group issues can be shared, and constructive ideas can be embedded across the sector more quickly.
Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3BA +44 (0)191 478 1810 www.balticmill.com Funders: Arts Council England, Gateshead Council
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Cornerhouse is Manchester’s international centre for contemporary visual art and independent film and is one of the leading multi-disciplinary arts organisations in the UK. Now entering our 25th year, we have a strong track record in ambitious programming and innovative engagement activities, and we hold a unique and valued position at the heart of the cultural and economic resurgence of Manchester.
Our unique approach to working with artists, curators and audiences embraces principles of open source and collective intelligence. Alongside our international curatorial advisers Michael Connor and Henriette Huldisch, we collaborate with young people, artists, freelance curators and universities to create our adventurous visual arts programme. It has proved hugely successful; almost 500,000 people visited us in 2009 and our visual arts audience has doubled. We provide a launch pad for emerging international and national artists, and present new commissions and major projects from mid-career and more established artists. Our programme is international in focus and prioritises participation and film and video; we investigate specific social and political concerns through regular thematic group exhibitions. Recent critically acclaimed exhibitions and projects include Procession by Jeremy Deller (with Manchester International Festival), Contemporary Art Iraq, Unrealised Potential, and Artur Zmijewski, the last two currently touring the UK.
Left: Cornerhouse Exterior, photo Brian Slater 2010 Below Unrealised Potential preview, photo Paul Greenwood
In 2009, over 9,800 people of all ages and backgrounds took part in our engagement programme, which includes our Projector programme for schools, and LiveWire for young people aged 14-19. We also offer a wide range of unique courses and an extensive programme of artists’ talks, Q&As and gallery tours, as well as operating an international distribution service for contemporary visual arts books and catalogues.
Cornerhouse is proud to be a partner in the Plus Tate network. We look forward to learning from our new partners, sharing knowledge of emerging artists and trends and working together to create exciting programme opportunities and new ways of engaging audiences. 70 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5NH +44 (0)161 228 7621 www.cornerhouse.org Funders: Arts Council England, Manchester City Council AGMA, North West Regional Development Agency, UK Film Council, Vision+Media, Europa Cinemas
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network 11
COLLABORATION KEY TO PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
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firstsite commissions new work and collaborates with nationally recognised partners to deliver an ambitious programme of exhibitions, performances, publications and installations from regional, national and international artists. It runs an extensive artist support programme and delivers a varied learning programme. In 2011, firstsite will move into a state-ofthe-art building designed by internationally renowned architect Rafael Viñoly. This capital project is in partnership with Arts Council England, Essex County Council, Colchester Borough Council, East of England Development Agency and the University of Essex. firstsite works closely with the University of Essex to showcase its work in the town, to widen opportunities through its Knowledge Transfer Programme and to present its internationally important collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA). firstsite’s new programme will consider the significance of its location exploring themes of landscape, military history, archaeology and its Latin American connections. The new building will house flexible exhibition spaces, a 200-seat auditorium, learning, eating, shopping and social spaces. As a partner of the Plus Tate network, firstsite has benefitted from Tate’s expertise and profile at this key time in its development. It has been especially valuable to be part of a peer network which is engaged in new building and capital programmes. The network has provided a ‘fast track’ platform to share experience and test new models and ways of working - vital in these challenging times.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
firstsite was based at the Minories Art Gallery in Colchester for over 12 years where it presented a mix of work by established and emerging artists including Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois, Garrett Phelan and Leo Fitzmaurice. It has consistently presented work outside the gallery space including a programme of new commissions which celebrate the distinctive Essex landscape – by artists such as Masaki Fujihata and Nathan Coley. firstsite works extensively with many different communities to achieve its vision: to make contemporary art relevant and life changing. Most recently, it has initiated a new creative hub in Colchester supporting the work of emerging creative industries in the area and spearheading the regeneration of Colchester’s new cultural quarter.
OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS FIRSTSITE’S NEW HOME IS EXPECTED TO: • contribute £20 million to the region’s economy • attract 1.5 million visitors
The network has provided a ‘fast track’ platform to share experience and test new models and ways of working - vital in these challenging times. 4 – 6 Short Wyre Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1LN +44 (0)1206 577067 www.firstsite.uk.net
Left: Emma Cameron, 15 Artists, 15 Days, December 2009, photo Douglas Atfield Right: firstsite, under construction, photo Douglas Atfield
Funders: Arts Council England, Essex County Council, Colchester Borough Council
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An active learning programme is integral to our work and recent initiatives have focused on meeting the needs of diverse audiences across the city with an open, engaging and transformative approach to participation. Our redevelopment plans will bring tangible benefits for our local economy, with the Gallery forming a cultural hub for the city’s regeneration strategy in this part of Swansea.
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A NEW NETWORK BRINGS NEW THINKING Joining Plus Tate will strengthen these initiatives and enable us to extend our networks to enhance programmes and collaborations. Being a Plus Tate partner will support future research, whilst enabling us to borrow artworks for displays and exhibitions. This long-term transformative partnership will also benefit the Gallery team through exchanges with Tate, bringing the stimulus of new thinking across all of our programmes.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
Our exhibitions programme has been distinguished by artists in Wales as well as from elsewhere. Notable projects include Shimabuku, Mark Wallinger, Peter Finnemore, Displaced – Contemporary Art from Colombia, Tim Davies, and a forthcoming exchange between Swansea and Xiamen in China.
We are looking forward to establishing new relations with Plus Tate partners, so that creative projects can be realised in a collective process, and to working with Tate in ways which will strengthen our current developmental work at the Gallery. This reciprocal approach will introduce exciting new possibilities for our programmes, our audiences and for artists in Wales. 16
Left: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery – Atrium, Mark Wallinger, Ecce Homo, Courtesy Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London Below: Gwen John (1876-1939), The Nun, c1910s, photo Graham Matthews
Transformation is a thread that runs throughout our work at the Gallery and our support for the visual arts in today’s local and global context. The Gallery is currently planning a major redevelopment, which will offer a transformed visitor experience, working with a new synergy between our exhibitions, collections and learning programmes. Founded in 1911 by the original bequest of Richard Glynn Vivian (1835-1910), this handsome Edwardian gallery belongs to the City & County of Swansea, and houses a distinctive collection formed over the last century.
An active learning programme is integral to our work and recent initiatives have focused on meeting the needs of diverse audiences across the city with an open, engaging and transformative approach to participation. Alexandra Road, Swansea, SA1 5DZ +44 (0)1792 516900 www.glynnviviangallery.org Funders: Arts Council of Wales, City & County of Swansea
The ambitious development of this farm provides the organisation with a new headquarters for its unique and highly influential artistic programme. Grizedale Arts works on social and cultural development locally and internationally, ranging from international projects such as the Sao Paulo Bienal, Romantic Detachment at PS1/ MoMA, New York; the Seven Samurai, Japan; Virtual Grizedale at the Liverpool Biennial; Happystacking, China, 2008; to local initiatives such as a regeneration strategy for the West Cumbrian town of Egremont, The Coniston Water Festival, and the redevelopment of the Coniston Institute, as well as broadcast projects on Grizedale TV.
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FROM AGRICULTURE TO SUPERCULTURE Grizedale Arts is a curatorial project in a continuous state of development. Over the last 30 years it has evolved in response to its particular context; from its origins as a sculpture park to its current form as a complex network of international alliances, affinities and programmes emanating from and flowing into its particular location in the heart of the Lake District.
Left: Lawson Park Farm, headquarters of Grizedale Arts, photo Grizedale Arts Below: Harold Offeh as Kerry Stewart’s Crow at Late at Tate Grizedale Arts, Adding Complexity to Confusion, Tate Britain, June 2010, photo Karen Guthrie
AN AGENT OF CHANGE, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Linking the global and the local and engaging with issues that are particularly relevant to the 21st century, Grizedale has experimented with a range of strategies to support artists to produce extraordinary work and to replenish their practices. Grizedale Arts promotes a new vision of art and life, working across geographical and cultural zones that challenge the conventions and dominance of metropolitan culture.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
It has recently taken a step change in its ambitions, through the capital development of Lawson Park as a new model arts institution.
At the heart of Grizedale Arts is a philosophy that promotes the use of art and artists as agents of change, education and social development. As all our projects are collaborative, becoming a partner in the Plus Tate network allows us to formalise our relationship with similar organisations and increase the opportunities to show the work we produce to a wider audience.
Grizedale Arts promotes a new vision of art and life, working across geographical and cultural zones that challenge the conventions and dominance of metropolitan culture. Lawson Park, East of Lake, Coniston, Cumbria. LA21 8AD +44 (0)15394 41050 www.grizedale.org Funders: Arts Council England, South Lakeland District Council
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Top right: School children taking part in the Building Bridges Programme, 2010, photo THW Learning Team Bottom right: Photo Mark Hemingway Below: The Hepworth Wakefield building
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YORKSHIRE’S MAJOR NEW ART GALLERY Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the ten superb gallery spaces make this one of the UK’s largest purpose-built galleries. The Hepworth Wakefield will display historic and modern art, alongside changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Facilities include an auditorium, learning studios, garden, café and shop, completed by stunning views over the River Calder. The £35 million gallery is the jewel in Wakefield’s Waterfront redevelopment. A highlight of the displays will be an unknown and unique collection of forty sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, gifted by the Hepworth Estate. The collection displays will provide a fascinating context with works by Hepworth’s contemporaries including Ben Nicholson, Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Patrick Heron, and international artists such as Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti, through the support of Tate loans. The Hepworth Wakefield will present an ambitious temporary exhibition programme of work by leading UK and international artists. The gallery’s inaugural exhibition will be work by the sculptor, Eva Rothschild. Forthcoming projects include work by Haroon Mirza, Luke Fowler, Ben Rivers and Clare Woods among others.
The Hepworth Wakefield will be a leading force in the artistic, educational, economic and social life of the region, establishing Yorkshire as one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
The Hepworth Wakefield will be Yorkshire’s inspiring new art gallery opening in May 2011. Celebrating the area’s unique artistic legacy, it will provide access to world-class art for the residents of Yorkshire and beyond. Our association with Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore – who were both born in the Wakefield District – features strongly in our nationally significant collection.
AN INSPIRATIONAL PLACE FOR ALL Ambitious learning, outreach and events programmes will engage visitors of all ages, supporting the development of new skills through workshops and seminars with artists and educators. The Hepworth Wakefield will be a leading force in the artistic, educational, economic and social life of the region, establishing Yorkshire as one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations. Plus Tate is a vital part of our offer. It enables and supports an important peer group of nationally significant galleries to share ideas and expertise, and collaborate in new ways. Crucially it allows audiences in Yorkshire to have greater access to key works in Tate’s collection and the benefit of its curatorial knowledge and research.
1 Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield, WF1 3QW +44 (0)1924 305796 www.hepworthwakefield.org Funders: Wakefield Council, Arts Council England
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Since 2000, Ikon has delivered off-site programmes, reflecting a commitment to the regeneration of inner city areas and communities in Birmingham. For the past five years Ikon Eastside - based in Digbeth, a district earmarked by the city for regeneration, with an emphasis on culture, digital and learning – has been a catalyst for the establishment of other creative companies and artist-led initiatives in the area. 21
Ikon exhibits, initiates and supports new and innovative contemporary art from Britain and abroad, playing a vital role in the cultural life of Birmingham and the West Midlands. Ikon’s international programme can be seen not only in gallery exhibitions but also in off-site work, Ikon Eastside, touring and collaborations (including international biennials) and educational outreach, and is exemplified by recent notable shows including Kitagawa Utamaro, Carmen Herrera, Matias Faldbakken, On Kawara, Steven Shearer, Martin Boyce, Ryan Gander and Giuseppe Penone.
Ikon has been championing a proposal for a new museum of contemporary art for Birmingham and is currently delivering a feasibility study funded by the City Council, Arts Council England and the regional development agency. The City Council has established ambitions and plans for Birmingham for the next 10-30 years and Ikon 2, the new museum of contemporary art, is an essential part of such long-term vision.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
Ikon’s Learning team aims to develop dynamic relationships with a wide range of audiences, enabling visitors to engage with, discuss and reflect on exhibited work. Ikon’s learning programme often involves working with artists who are exhibiting or making projects with the galley and is wide and varied, encompassing talks, tours, off-site projects, workshops, seminars and symposia.
Above: Family Saturdays at Ikon, photo Ikon Gallery Left: Ikon Gallery, photo Stuart Whipps Bottom: Carmen Herrera (2009), installation view, photo Stuart Whipps
For the past five years Ikon Eastside - based in Digbeth, a district earmarked by the city for regeneration, with an emphasis on culture, digital and learning – has been a catalyst for the establishment of other creative companies and artist-led initiatives in the area. 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS +44 (0)121 248 0708 www.ikon-gallery.co.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council
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Over the years Kettle’s Yard has grown. The original cottages were given a fine modernist extension by the architect Sir Leslie Martin and an exhibition gallery presents an international programme of contemporary and 20 th century art.
Plus Tate Network
Kettle’s Yard was founded in 1957 by Jim Ede, Tate’s first curator of modern art, and became part of Cambridge University in 1966. Ede’s vision was to show that the art of our time could be an integral part of everyday life. He created a house where modern art combines with furniture, ceramics, glass and natural objects, and where visitors are encouraged to relax and contemplate.
Plus Tate Network
ART AS ‘A WAY OF LIFE’
With the house and collection as a sounding board, the gallery programme combines one person and group exhibitions of new work – Helena Almeida, Callum Innes and Edmund de Waal in recent times – with exhibitions revisiting the recent past such as Starting from Zero: Black Mountain College 1933-57, WE the moderns: Gaudier-Brzeska and his European contemporaries and Roger Hilton.
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For the 2010 exhibition Modern Times: responding to chaos, film-maker and artist Lutz Becker took a personal journey through the 20th century from Russian Constructivism to American Minimalism. The exhibition provided the context for films, new music, symposia and talks across a range of disciplines. Education has always been central to Kettle’s Yard’s mission, working with formal education, community development and the health sector. There are now plans to complete Kettle’s Yard with a new wing, designed by Jamie Fobert, providing two education spaces and a café to encourage regular use. A project gallery, an extended art library and proper collection storage are included in the scheme. Tate has been a vital partner as a major lender to many Kettle’s Yard exhibitions. With the new development, we envisage a strong partnership with Plus Tate in extending our programmes to an ever widening community.
Left: Michael Craig-Martin, the ‘dancer’ room, from the exhibition Upside Down/Inside Out 2009, photo Paul Allitt
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Education has always been central to Kettle’s Yard’s mission, working with formal education, community development and the health sector. Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQ +44 (0)1223 748100 www.kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council, The Friends of Kettle’s Yard, The Higher Education Funding Council
Its artistic achievements to date include: Ellsworth Kelly a solo exhibition in direct collaboration with the artist and Art Fund International, Gerhard Richter exhibition in partnership with ARTIST ROOMS and an innovative ceramics show Possibilities and Losses looking at the position of the craft maker today. These exhibitions created opportunities to tour internationally, receive high level media coverage and ultimately acquire new works for mima’s collection. 25
mima – A BEACON OF LONG-TERM REGENERATION OF MIDDLESBROUGH
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) is a new art museum, which produces and delivers exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, alongside developing its collection of fine and applied art particularly drawing (British and American) ceramics and jewellery.
Since opening in 2007, mima has received over half a million visitors, and is a key attraction at the core of Middlesbrough’s cultural offer. It has a significant impact on the local economy through attracting visitors and students to the region, inward investment and an improved perception of the town. As one of the town’s biggest success stories of recent years, mima is a beacon of the long-term regeneration of Middlesbrough. Education is integral to all things mima. mima has recruited and nurtured a group of enthusiastic young people aged 14-21 to form The Modern Times (TMT). The group takes part in all areas of the institution including decision-making and programming. mima education delivers an inspiring programme of school activities, facilitating workshops and tours for 20,000 pupils since opening. Our talks programme brings regional, national and international figures to Middlesbrough, with recent high profile talks by Anish Kapoor & Cecil Balmond and Michael Craig-Martin & Matthew Collings.
Above right: Life drawing on mima terrace Below: mima galleries, Bonnie Camplin Railway Mania 2010 Left: mima exterior and centre square, photos Cathal Carey
For mima the partnership through Plus Tate has advanced the institution’s thinking and practice through generating genuine collaboration. Three key themes we have identified through our partnership are: leadership, engagement, and organisational skills, alongside fantastic opportunities to bring works from Tate’s impressive Collection to Middlesbrough. A key project is a collaborative exhibition with Tate St Ives for 2014, which will explore the St Ives School of artists and internationalism.
Since opening in 2007, mima has received over half a million visitors, and is a key attraction at the core of Middlesbrough’s cultural offer. Centre Square, Middlesbrough, TS1 2AZ +44 (0)1642 726 720 www.visitmima.com Funders: Arts Council England, Middlesbrough Council
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Mostyn reopened in May 2010 with a splendid building, part new, part refurbished, designed by the noted architect Dominic Williams in an approach defined by Consultant Artist Lois Williams as ‘simple, smart, sophisticated – with a few surprises’. The result is beautiful exhibition spaces, naturally-lit from above and superbly proportioned, and a dramatic central public area in board-marked concrete. The classic listed terracotta façade has been fully renovated and a brand new rear elevation in black concrete and gold metal gives a striking contrast of old and new. Its regeneration impact has already led to the empty next-door building being turned into artists’ studios.
This special building is home to what The Guardian described as ‘one of the most adventurous contemporary art venues in the country’. That adventure comes from Mostyn’s artistic vision, driven by a love of and belief in excellence, creativity, imaginativeness, the distinctive voice, original thought, seriousness about the human condition – and the accessibility of art based on the hugely diverse yet fundamentally shared nature of human experience. The gallery is thus a showcase for the best contemporary art being produced in Wales and brings to Wales some of the most interesting art being produced overseas. Mounting solo exhibitions by key artists from Africa and Latin America is a distinctive strand within this. The wide range of educational and community activities accompanying the exhibitions makes the gallery a great place of enjoyment and learning for everyone from toddlers to adults, while the exhibitions and artists’ talks provide a focus for north Wales’ artistic community. Mostyn joined Plus Tate for the unique access it offers to ideas and experience at the highest level, and sees it as a means to collaborating with the outstanding galleries and curators working in the UK today.
Plus Tate Network
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ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE, ENJOYMENT AND LEARNING FOR EVERYONE
Above: Oriel 3 gallery with works by David Hastie and David Nash, photo Hélène Binet Left: Photo Hélène Binet
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This special building is home to what The Guardian described as ‘one of the most adventurous contemporary art venues in the country’. 12 Vaughan Street, Llandudno, LL30 1AB +44 (0)1492 879 201 www.mostyn.org Funders: Arts Council of Wales, Conwy County Borough Concil Arts Service, Llandudno Town Council
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
Since 1895, Newlyn Art Gallery has been presenting important exhibitions of contemporary art to audiences in Cornwall from its base in this small fishing village. Better to reflect the changing interests of both artists and audiences, the gallery re-launched in 2007, following a modest capital expansion at its existing site and the acquisition and redevelopment of a new space, The Exchange in Penzance, 15 minutes’ walk away. These two, multiaward-winning, venues now provide artists and visitors with world-class facilities and a programme that celebrates the best of contemporary practice emerging in the region, alongside work by national and international artists.
Above: The Exchange facade, incorporating interactive light work by artist Peter Freeman, photo Peter Freeman Below: New education room, Newlyn Art Gallery, photo Alan Williams
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Since the re-launch, audience figures have grown by approximately 10% year on year, with no sign of that trend diminishing. NEW GALLERY PROMPTS NEW BUSINESSES IN PENZANCE Since redevelopment, the organisation has had a profound impact on the local economy, prompting in particular the regeneration of a previously neglected area close to the centre of Penzance, with many new businesses relocating there. In the first summer after our re-launch, it was calculated that the inaugural exhibition attracted £2.3m to the local economy, equivalent to almost 50% of the capital expenditure on the projects.
LOCAL VOLUNTEERING AND PRIDE LIE AT THE HEART OF THE ORGANISATION The gallery has a very close working relationship with its immediate community, best exemplified by our work with a team of around 50 local volunteers, who lead on our front of house services and support our fundraising, exhibitions and education activities. Our volunteers inform much of our audience development work and play a vital role in embedding the organisation in the local context. Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange’s involvement in the Plus Tate network has had a profound impact on the work of the gallery, in particular supporting our business planning through peer to peer contact, during an exceptionally difficult period for publicly funded organisations. Newlyn, New Road, Newlyn, TR18 5PZ +44 (0)1736 363715, The Exchange, Princes Street, Penzance, TR18 2NL +44 (0)1736 363715, www.newlynartgallery.co.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Cornwall Council
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Nottingham Contemporary opened in November 2009 with the first survey of David Hockney’s formative years, 1960 to 1968, combined with LA artist Frances Stark’s first exhibition at a public gallery in the UK. We often simultaneously present two solo exhibitions of artists from different generations who together make an exciting dialogue. In 2010-2012, these include Diane Arbus and Gert & Uwe Tobias, Jack Goldstein and Anne Collier and Huang Yong Ping and Wael Shawky. We have also held large scale, self-generated group exhibitions - Star City, which looked at how the future was imagined under communism, and Uneven Geographies, which considered artists’ responses to globalisation. Our exhibitions are journeys from the familiar to the unfamiliar.
Our Learning programme (with schools, families and community groups) and our public programme of lectures, conferences, film screenings and performances (delivered in partnership with the two Nottingham universities) aspire to situate the art of today across subject areas and life experiences. We aim to be a contemporary art centre that is locally popular and internationally respected, where people can think things differently. The highly acclaimed building, in the centre of Nottingham, was designed by Caruso St John at a cost of £20 million and funded by Nottingham City Council, Arts Council England, National Lottery, EMDA, ERDF and a private benefactor. The building comprises four gallery spaces, a large space for events, education spaces, a café and a shop. It is one of the largest centres for contemporary art without a collection in England. 240,000 people visited Nottingham Contemporary in its first ten months (the annual target is 200,000). The partnership with Tate has offered invaluable advocacy. It was key to the success of our Hockney exhibition, and has facilitated the development of a strong, collaborative network of leading regional contemporary art spaces.
Plus Tate Network
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LOCALLY POPULAR – INTERNATIONALLY RESPECTED
Above: Nottingham Contemporary Galleries, Gert and Uwe Tobias Exhibition, photo Alan Fletcher Left: Nottingham Contemporary, photo Richard Bryant
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The partnership with Tate has offered invaluable advocacy. It was key to the success of our Hockney exhibition, and has facilitated the development of a strong, collaborative network of leading regional contemporary art spaces. Weekday Cross, Nottingham, NG1 2GB +44 (0)115 948 9750 www.nottinghamcontemporary.org Funders: Arts Council England, Nottingham City Council
Above: Pier Arts Centre gallery spaces showing the Collection, including works by Naum Gabo, Barbara Hepworth, Alfred Wallis and John Wells, photo Ioana Marinescu. Below: The Pier Arts Centre buildings at night following the refurbishment in 2007 by Reiach and Hall Architects, photo Alistair Peebles
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The Centre opened in 1979 to house the collection of Margret Gardiner (1904 – 2005) and occupies historic buildings that were previously used by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Beyond its collection, the gallery presents a broad programme of exhibitions that reflect local and international developments in art. Past exhibitions have profiled work by Sol LeWitt, Victoria Morton, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Julie Roberts and Bill Viola.
Beyond its collection, the gallery presents a broad programme of exhibitions that reflect local and international developments in art.
In 2007, the gallery re-launched itself having undertaken a major renovation that included the addition of a new building, which has unified the Centre and provided significant new exhibition rooms and improved access. The sensitive remodelling of the Pier Arts Centre has enhanced the conservation area of Stromness, which has subsequently undergone its own regeneration. The Centre gained a number of architectural awards including the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Award for the Best New Building in Scotland. Contemporary art works have been added to the new Pier Arts Centre through its participation in the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland and works by Sean Scully, Camilla Løw and Douglas Gordon, among others, now complement and extend the aesthetic legacy of the original collection. Connecting to the network of galleries that make up the Plus Tate partnership offers the Pier Arts Centre an unprecedented opportunity that, besides improving the work of the Centre through access to the experience of its peers, will bring a gallery at the edge of the country into a broader focus.
The Centre’s education programme highlights both the collection and changing exhibitions to deliver activities and support to schools and community groups throughout the islands as well as engaging in national developments with higher educational institutions. Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AA +44 (0)1856 850209 www.pierartscentre.com Funders: Creative Scotland, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Orkney Islands Council
Plus Tate Network
THE GALLERY’S RE-LAUNCH LEADS TO REGENERATION
Plus Tate Network
The Pier Arts Centre is a small gallery on the waterfront of Stromness, the main ferry port for the islands of Orkney off the northern coast of Scotland. The gallery is home to a small but notable collection of British twentieth century art that includes works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis and others.
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Towner, the contemporary art museum, is Eastbourne’s award-winning new gallery and centre for the visual arts in the South East. Towner presents a unique programme of major exhibitions of contemporary and historic visual art, alongside displays from the internationally renowned Towner Collection.
The architecturally acclaimed building occupies a dramatic site set back from the town’s seafront, in the heart of Eastbourne’s vibrant Cultural Quarter, and includes galleries of an international standard, activity rooms, gift shop and a café bar with stunning views over the South Downs.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
In the first year of opening, Towner attracted 92,400 visitors and exhibited the work of 2000 children and young people through Outreach and Learning Programmes.
With award-winning programmes of learning and outreach, and a rich programme of talks, workshops and events for people of all ages, Towner is engaging, inspiring and accessible to all. Art materials and free family packs are available at weekends and throughout school holidays, when families are invited to drop in and create some art of their own.
35 36 All photos, Daniel Clements Photography.
In the first year of opening, Towner attracted 92,400 visitors and 1,000 14-16 yrs have participated in the ‘Wish You Could Hear’ postcard project in partnership with East Sussex Youth Offending Team.
Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne BN21 4JJ +44 (0)1323 434670, www.townereastbourne.org.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council
Turner Contemporary encourages, provokes and inspires audiences through an ambitious programme that encompasses the work of artists from Turner to the present day. As an organisation we are vibrant, warm, welcoming and outward facing, able to take artistic risks, to experiment and support the needs of diverse visitors. We aim to develop the gallery into one of the country’s leading visual arts venues, gaining a reputation for an artistically challenging programme that will appeal to local, regional, national and international audiences. By succeeding in this aim, we will draw new visitors to Margate and support the continued regeneration of the town.
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Left: Turner Contemporary - open in spring 2011, view from Main Sands, photo Imaging Atelier Right: I never stopped loving you by Tracey Emin Below:Learning is at the heart of Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary is a visual arts organisation based in the historic seaside town of Margate, Kent, home for many years to JMW Turner (1775 - 1850). In spring 2011, we will open a spectacular new gallery, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, located on the seafront and inspired by the light and views that Turner would have seen.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
VIBRANT, WARM, WELCOMING AND OUTWARD FACING
LEARNING PROGRAMMES AS A DRIVER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT A commitment to learning lies at the heart of Turner Contemporary. Our Learning and Public Programmes concentrate particularly on engaging harder to reach audiences, creating independent visitors over time and ensuring that local people feel able to participate and engage in all areas of our work. By continuously generating new audiences, Turner Contemporary will drive positive change in our local and regional communities. We see the Plus Tate partnership as a huge support, acting as a platform through which we can share and exchange ideas and information with peer institutions and providing welcome access to Tate’s own expertise, experience and Collection.
Turner Contemporary has attracted 670,000 visitors since 2001 through their Learning and Public Programmes – without a building. Droit House, The Stone Pier, Margate, CT9 1HB +44 (0)1843 294208 www.turnercontemporary.org.uk Funders: Arts Council England, Kent County Council
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Below: Whitworth Art Gallery Right: Family Activities
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Learning is at the heart of all that we do in the special environment a gallery can offer; not a classroom but a creative laboratory. Annually, 12,000 school children come to the Gallery for workshops and formal visits. Some of the poorest wards in the North West – Moss Side, Hulme and Ardwick - are on our doorstep and we place huge emphasis on connecting to these very diverse communities, who value the world collections, the wide range of free activities the Gallery offers and the relaxed environment of a gallery in a park. Going forward, we are expanding the Gallery into the park, through a capital programme supported by our University and the Heritage Lottery Fund. This will create two new wings that embrace the park and the communities that use it, creating beautiful new galleries, learning spaces, an art garden and study centre.
In 2009, we welcomed over 170,000 visitors, with 40% of them coming from outside our region.
Eclectic juxtapositions, from a Flintstones wallpaper to Picasso’s Poverty characterise the Whitworth’s collections. Contemporary art comes into the collection and sparks new ways of seeing old and new. International in outlook, but rooted in Manchester’s history: what matters are the ideas that bring our works to life and the discussions about art we have with our visitors. We aim to present extraordinary art that asks people to think differently about the world and we like to challenge preconceptions about galleries. Marina Abramovic presents, in 2009, emptied the gallery of all its collections to allow 14 live artists to perform 4 hours a day for 17 grueling days. Visitors defied their own - and our - expectations and lasted the duration. This unique experience brought huge acclaim as well as new thinking about what the Whitworth could do. We want to be thought-provoking and irreverent, a gallery that is informed by its rich history but which is excited about the culture around us in Manchester today. We are a green oasis at the heart of our city; open to people, ideas and conversation. Serious in intent, playful in execution. A place where good, odd things happen.
The University of Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER +44 (0)161 275 7450 www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk Funders: HEFCE, Renaissance in the Regions, University of Manchester
Plus Tate Network
NEW WAYS OF EXPERIENCING ART AND GALLERIES
Plus Tate Network
The Whitworth is a public art gallery, founded in 1889 as the first English gallery in a park. It became part of the University of Manchester in 1958. We aim to make our internationally important fine art, textiles and wallpapers accessible to a wide range of visitors, who come to experience our collections and enjoy the art, the building and the green space surrounding us. In 2009, we welcomed over 170,000 visitors, with 40% of them coming from outside our region.
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For Wysing, the chance to join Plus Tate could not have come at a better time and offers a real opportunity both to bring our work to a wider audience and collaborate and exchange with our peers.
Right: Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser Amphis 2008, photo Mike Cameron Below: Wysing Arts Centre 41
ARTISTS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES WORKING TOGETHER Wysing foregrounds artistic research by living artists. This emphasis has enabled artists to test out new ways of working and led to the creation of some extraordinary artworks, created in partnership with visitors to the centre. Notable works include a two storey building, Amphis by artists Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser, made out of donated materials and built with the support of 40 volunteers; artists N55’s lifesize Walking House, developed in collaboration with families of Traveller origin and powered by solar energy; and Feature, Shezad Dawood’s alternative zombie Western filmed with visitors to Wysing improvising parts, and later included in Altermodern, The Tate Triennial 2009. Wysing’s residency programme is the key focus of our work and in recent years has included, amongst others, artists Asli Çavusoglu, Celine Condorelli, Luca Frei, Andy Holden, Christodoulos Panayioutou, Bik van der Pol and Bedwyr Williams.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
Wysing Arts Centre is set in 11 acres of rural Cambridgshire and operates 10 separate buildings including artists’ studios, a gallery, educational and specialist new media facilities, and residential accommodation in its 17th century farmhouse. Wysing operates an international residency programme, supports artists working from studios through professional development programmes and delivers artistic retreats through a formal partnership with the Royal College of Art’s MA in Curating Contemporary Art.
SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS THROUGH MARKETPLACE AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT In 2009, Wysing launched Wysing Arts Contemporary, a programme of curated selling exhibitions that platforms emerging artists and brings works to art fairs. The initiative also develops and provides ongoing support to collectives of collectors. Wysing is the regional lead (Eastern) for Arts Council England’s Turning Point strategy for the visual arts and through it is focussing on audience and marketplace development by delivering a region-wide training programme, leading to a multi-venue art fair The Eastern Pavilions, in 2011. Wysing aims to work with artists at every stage in their careers and recently launched Wysing Young Artists, a talent development programme for young people wishing to pursue an artistic career. For Wysing, the chance to join Plus Tate could not have come at a better time and offers a real opportunity both to bring our work to a wider audience and collaborate and exchange with our peers. The structured network that Tate has developed offers a real opportunity for a genuine two way process that we are very much looking forward to starting.
Fox Road, Cambridge, CB23 2TX +44 (0)1954 718 881 www.wysingartscentre.org Funders: Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation
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−− There are four Tate galleries in England. Tate has been a major public success, with an average of seven million visitors per year to our galleries in London, Liverpool and St Ives.
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
About Tate
−− Tate is now responsible for over 65,000 works of art, with one of the world’s major collections of international 20th and 21st-century art and the world’s leading collection of British Art. −− Tate mounts exhibitions in all our galleries and we regularly tour our loan exhibitions as well as exhibitions drawn from Tate’s Collection in the UK and internationally. −− Tate Online is the UK’s most visited interactive arts entertainment and learning website (www.tate.org.uk), with over 19 million visitors in 2009-10. 100% of Tate’s collection is available online. −− Over ten million additional visitors participate offsite each year – through our loans programme, touring exhibitions and displays. 43
−− 650,000 people each year take part in onsite and offsite learning programmes and activities. 75% of our visitors come to see the permanent Collection. −− The number of Tate Members has more than doubled since 2000, making it the biggest arts membership community in the UK at 200,000 individuals. −− The majority of Tate’s income is self-generated; in 2009-10, 60% of revenues were sourced from sponsorship, donations and commercial activities.
Clockwise from top: Tate St Ives, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate Britain, photo Tate
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The pilot phase of the programme, known as ’Tate Connects’, was made possible through the support of many people. We would like to thank Vivienne Bennett, Director of Visual Art Strategy, Arts Council England, for her encouragement. The Arts Council funding allowed us to begin. The grant from the Cultural Leadership Programme enabled us to bring the network together for a course of organisational and leadership development that made a cohort of our separate institutions. We are grateful to Future Considerations for delivering the programme and to John Holden for keeping a watching brief and coaching us on the characteristics of networks, Noelle Goldman-Jacob, former Head of Tate Connects, helped shape and guide the initiative that has been managed by Marie Bak Mortensen since January 2009. Tate staff members have responded with generosity and, in particular, we wish to thank the founding members of the network, with Tate, Godfrey Worsdale, BALTIC, Gateshead; Kath Wood, firstsite, Colchester; Simon Wallis, The Hepworth Wakefield; Jonathan Watkins and Judith Harry, Ikon, Birmingham; Michael Harrison, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge; Kate Brindley, mima, Middlesbrough; James Green, Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange, Penzance; Alex Farquharson, Nottingham Contemporary; Matthew Rowe, Towner, Eastbourne; Victoria Pomery, Turner Contemporary, Margate. We would also like to thank Mark Osterfield, Executive Director and Martin Clark, Artistic Director, Tate St Ives, for their participation in the Cultural Leadership Programme alongside partners. In expanding the network to Scotland, we have gained from the advice of John Leighton, Director General, National Galleries of Scotland; Simon Groom, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art, National Galleries of Scotland; Phillip Long, Senior Curator, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; and Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts at Creative Scotland. In Wales, we have received guidance from Mike Tooby, Director of Learning, Programmes & Development, National Museums of Wales and David Alston, Arts Director, Arts Council of Wales, who came up with the original name of the initiative. We are delighted to welcome the new partners: Tom Trevor, Arnolfini, Bristol; Dave Moutrey, Cornerhouse, Manchester; Jenni Spencer-Davies, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea; Adam Sutherland and Alistair Hudson, Grizedale Arts, Cumbria; Martin Barlow, Mostyn, Llandudno; Neil Firth, The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney; Maria Balshaw, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; Donna Lynas, Wysing Arts Centre, Bourn (Cambridge).
Plus Tate Network
Acknowledgements
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‘Connecting to the network of galleries that make up the Plus Tate partnership offers The Pier Arts Centre an unprecedented opportunity that, besides improving the work of the Centre through access to the experience of its peers, will bring a gallery at the edge of the country into a broader focus.’
Plus Tate Network
Plus Tate Network
‘The Plus Tate partnership has been beneficial in assisting BALTIC to benchmark its plans and practices; fundamentally, the wider collaboration has created a forum in which individual and group issues can be shared, and constructive ideas can be embedded across the sector more quickly.’
The Pier Arts Centre
BALTIC 47
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‘We see the Plus Tate partnership as a huge support, acting as a platform through which we can share and exchange ideas and information with peer institutions and providing welcome access to Tate’s own expertise, experience and Collection.’ Turner Contemporary
‘We look forward to learning from our new partners, sharing knowledge of emerging artists and trends and working together to create exciting programme opportunities and ways of engaging audiences.’ Cornerhouse
Plus Tate Network 49