Leisure & Culture

This new exhibition area presents an excellent opportunity for practitioners to demonstrate their talent to the Museum & Art gallery's broad range of visitors and contribute to raising the profile of the Museum & Art Gallery.

The space occupies a premier position in the building, through it being the first of the gallery spaces all visitors see on arrival.

The dimensions are: 14 feet (L) x 2.5 feet (W) x 7.5 feet (H). The gallery itself is a self contained viewing area, behind a glass facade, through which the artworks can be seen but the public cannot enter. It is for this reason why this space is ideal in displaying 'objects' and wall based works, as opposed to smaller items such as jewellery. Any such smaller items can be displayed in 'The Crafts Cabinet'.

All artwork must be available for a minimum duration of 12 weeks. The Museum & Art Gallery applies a commission rate of 25% (+ VAT) on all sales.

If you are an Artist interested in exhibiting within this space, there is no formal application form. What we do request is that you send up to 5 images of your work, an Artists Statement (if applicable) and CV to Tina Ball (full staff details on the 'Contact Us' webpage)

Artists currently being exhibited:

Particle Article:

Imaginary Winged Creatures From Abandoned, Reclaimed and Recycled Object.

Amy Nightingale and Claire Benson, known as 'Particle Article',  create intricate, quirky sculptures of winged creatures from abandoned and reclaimed materials, both organic and manmade. Their fragile figurines often resemble insects, fairies, angels, or hybrids of these. Each creature is mounted in a simple white box frame labelled with a unique name. They often contain a short narrative describing their secret activities and mischievous nature, giving the piece a humorous twist. They draw inspiration from the insects they observe in their own surroundings, and the displays in natural history collections. They fuse this with memories from their imaginative play as children, and ideas from popular mythology and legend.

They imagine their creatures to be members of an unclassified species; the protectors and preservers of common everyday objects, the value of which has diminished in our modern age. They come to life when humans are absent, scurrying through the mundane and unused items people keep but never use. Their work is linked to nostalgia and memory, as the materials they use have had past lives; the man-made items are now without purpose due to changes in social practices and fashion. The wings symbolise transformation, where new life force is breathed into the items people discard. They believe that our work helps to focus the observer on the beauty of everyday objects and forces them to reconsider the notion that ‘new equals beautiful’, and to make a statement about the throwaway society in which we live.

They combine unusual materials such as skeletal leaves and scraps of plastic. These are obtained as they go through their everyday lives, in the garden or park, on beaches, as they empty their bins. By using personal items they imbue their creatures with their own essence. They use their imagination to manipulate the function of everyday objects; a pen nib becomes a beak; watch cogs, ornate keys and lightbulbs become fragile bodies; fragments of silk scarves become delicate wings. They fuse traditional and contemporary techniques. Conventional stitching and beading is then burned and distressed; welded wire is partly covered in tiny scraps of newspaper. They work together allowing their creatures to evolve in response to the shape and texture of their materials.

Gifted Gallery & Crafts Cabinet – Frequently Asked Questions

If you are interested in exhibiting with us, in either of the above mentioned spaces, here are some FAQ’s to help:

Q1:      What information do I need to provide to apply for this exhibition opportunity?

A1:      We do not use a formal application form for either of these spaces but do ask for an Artists Statement, up to 5 images of your work (please do not send images larger than 2mb each), a list of artwork you hope to exhibit with us, complete with prices (inclusive of our M&AG commission & VAT, which is 25% + VAT).

Q2:      Do we exhibit with you on a Sale or Return basis?

A2:      We accept work on a Sale or Return basis for the ‘Crafts Cabinet’ but not for the ‘Gifted Gallery’. If you wish to exhibit with us in the Gifted Gallery, it is the artists responsibility to deliver and collect any unsold artworks after the exhibition has ended.

Q3:      How long do artists exhibit with you?

A3:      We exhibit between 2 – 4 artists at the same time in the ‘Gifted Gallery’ and these exhibitions are for, on average, last 10 – 12 weeks. We exhibit multiple artists in the ‘Crafts Cabinet’ for up to 6 months at a time.

Q4:      What is your Gallery Commission rate?

A4:      We apply a 25% (+ VAT) commission on all art sales

General points we would like to add:

• If you do exhibit with us in the Crafts Cabinet, we will need to know how much it will cost to post / courier your artwork back to you. We would also need to know the weight, size and number of the box/es.
• We also ask whether artists (in either spaces) are providing their own gift boxes / bags for their works.
• Please ensure that all artworks are properly and individually labeled.
• All artworks are checked when being signed in. Artists will retain their copy of the signing in sheet for their records.

• Gifted Gallery Artists: September - November 2009 (PDF file 164kb)
• Gifted Gallery Artists: November 09 - February 2010 (PDF File 874kb)

• To view and print PDF files Download Adobe Acrobat.
• To convert PDF files to plain text use the Adobe Online Conversion tools.