EARLIER this week we published this open letter from Manchester artists concerning their belief that they're being excluded from the main Manchester public galleries. This is the full reponse from the curatorial teams of Manchester City Galleries and Whitworth Art Gallery and their Director, Maria Balshaw.
AS curators we are constantly considering the balance in our programme and how we can represent the best work by great artists, whether they are Manchester-based, UK-based or international as well as showing our historic collections.
Our programme is increasingly dynamic and mixed, is reaching more and more people and is gaining a high national and international profile. All these things are good for the city and for the artists based here. We have Manchester-based artists in our programme currently, and we are discussing ideas for working with others in future. We acquire work by Manchester based artists regularly and will continue to do so whenever we can raise the funds to do so.
We welcome conversation, debate and discussion about our programme and don’t see a great divide between artists in the city and ourselves as curators, so we’re always happy to talk to artists about their work and about our exhibitions programme – and we frequently do.
We all visit studios and art spaces of all sizes across the city and enjoy participating in the varied arts ecology of our city. Some of us are artists as well as curators and we have friends, colleagues and partners who are artists working in the city or region. We know that there are always questions to be asked about the role of artists in any city’s arts scene, and consider ourselves part of that discussion.
Maria Balshaw with Raqib Shaw
We have worked with artists based in the city in a number of ways, from co-curation projects, to new commissions, solo shows, group shows and as part of our learning and public programmes as well as acquiring work for the collections. We purchase work by Manchester artists for the Patrons Loan Scheme at Manchester Art Gallery and have introduced patrons and supporters to artists, taken them to studios and encouraged them to support the artists in our city.
We also play a key role in the annual Manchester Contemporary art fair, which aims to grow and develop a collecting culture in Manchester and the north-west. As curators we work hard to make sure collectors come to the fair, we lead tours and do all we can to promote the Manchester artists and Northern galleries that show at the fair. It has included Manchester-based artists and artist-led organisations in its programme since year one, and includes collectors’ tours to Manchester artist’ studios each year.
The open letter raises the important point about how the whole arts ecology can support the development of artists in our city and region. This is what we have contributed over the past 4 years. We look forward to the continuing conversation.
Manchester City Galleries
2014
Ryan Gander, Make Every Exhibition Like it’s Your Last (not based here now, obviously, but trained here and we wanted to do the show because of this connection).
Andrea Zapp – forthcoming solo exhibition of new fashion work (from October 14)
Dan Dubowitz and Alan Ward (until 22 June)
Beth Johnson - MMU graduate Showcase - Gallery of Craft & Design
Sculptural Forms – A Century of Experiment – Steve Dixon in exhibition
2013
The First Cut – Nicola Dale (new commission and existing works to an exhibition that got great press coverage and toured to Nottingham and Southampton). This group show was the one of most successful shows we have ever done
Alison Erika Forde – solo exhibition (main image, top of the page). This followed a MAG patron supporting Alison’s studio costs in the preceding year.
Do it (MIF) – a number of artists and student artists were selected to interpret the instructions in film, performance, animation and dance.
In Translation: Women Migration and Britishness - co-curation project with UHC using the MCG collection.
Joanne Bowles - MMU graduate Showcase - Gallery of Craft & Design
Lubaina Himid, 2 paintings acquired and exhibited at Platt Hall (Lubaina is based in Preston but has a strong association with Manchester)
Susie MacMurray, Widow, exhibited at Platt Hall and at MAG
2011
11 Rooms - Group Show (MIF)
Manchester based performers and performance artists worked with and re-presented works by Marina Abramovic, Joan Jonas and Laura Lima
Catherine Carr MMU graduate, Showcase - Gallery of Craft & Design
Lazerian - acquisition of Fornax lightshade, displayed in the Gallery of Craft & Design
2010/11
Quarantine, The Soldier’s Song
WeAreTape, High Rise, show as part of Manchester Gallery display.
2010:
Alice Kettle, new work at the Gallery of Costume
2009/10:
Andrew Bracey: Animalation (solo show in ground floor galleries)
Whitworth Art Gallery
2013
Pavel Büchler: Idle Thoughts
5 July - 1 Sept 2013
An exhibition of a recent acquisition and further work, many of which were acquired for the collection.
Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson: Six White Horses
1 Sept 2013
A new commission for the final closing event of the Whitworth, prior to the redevelopment project.
Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson: Fireworks
5 Feb - 30 June
An exhibition of Fireworks, which we acquired for the collection
We also have an edition of Radical Obsolescence, a portfolio of 12 original prints by Pavel Büchler, Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson, Naomi Kashiwagi, David Osbaldeston, David Price and Maeve Rendle.
We also acquired work by Rachel Goodyear (through International 3) in 2013.
Tuesday Talks: although Tuesday Talks is often about bringing new people into the City, we have had talks in recent years from artists Mit Senoj and Tim Machin who are based in Manchester, and Paul Rooney, David Jacques and Juan Cruz from Liverpool.
A major new commission by Brass Art was exhibited in Dark Matters: Art Shadow Technology (2012) as well as several drawings by Pavel Büchler.
We acquired three drawings by Manchester-based artist David Mackintosh and two drawings by Mary Griffiths in 2011.
Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson have also been commissioned to produce a limited edition print for sale exclusively at the gallery.
Lubaina Himid: Kangas from the Lost Sample Book
New commission for COTTON: Global Threads
11 Feb - 13 May 2012
2 works were subsequently acquired for the Whitworth’s collection
Maxine Bristow
29 Jul - 1 Sep 2013
Artist intervention in the Textiles Gallery and entrance hall to the Whitworth
(Maxine is based in Chester but is a graduate of MMU and works regularly in the city)
We also developed an installation with Manchester-based artists Val Murray and Lynn Pilling (TEA) as part of 'Stories of the World', a Cultural Olympiad engagement programme: 'Spinning a Yarn'. 16 October – 12 December 2010.
We also have work in the textile collection by the following:
Alice Kettle (Senior Research Fellow at MIRIAD)
Lesley Mitchison (Senior Lecturer, Textiles, MMU)
Lynn Setterington (Senior Lecturer, Textiles, MMU)
Anne Morrell (Emeritus Professor, MMU and former Head of Embroidery at MMU)
Eleri Mills (based in mid-Wales but an MMU Embroidery graduate)
Vicki Wheeler (work commissioned for TACTILE handling resource – Lecturer in Textiles & Design Management, School of Materials, University of Manchester)
Colette Gilmartin (work commissioned for TACTILE – freelance artist/designer based in Manchester)
Jennifer Harris, Deputy Director, co-chairs the North West Craft Network, which works to raise the profile of craft and craft makers in the NW. Maria Balshaw and Natasha Howes have acted as nominators for the Northern Art Prize, and have nominated Manchester based artists. Mary Griffiths has served on the Arts Council acquisitions panel and has championed a number of North West based artists. Curators are solicited for views by the organisers of the British Art Show, and have been active champions of artists in the city and have suggested studio visits.
Manchester Art Gallery
