This weekend, Globe Gallery is marking the end of its time in Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, where for the past four years it has been hosting exhibitions of regional, national and international artists.
A ticketed party – which will raise funds both for the gallery and the artists involved – will include music, performance, DJs and video installations taking place over three floors.
Curated by electronica musicians Parastatic and featuring invited Globe artists, visuals will be provided by artist Peter McAdam who will be showcasing his interactive iCoda sound/art app that projects montaged images based on the sounds it receives from the immediate surroundings. Party goers will be able to download an Android version of the app to create their own interactive image library.
Also on show will be video works by Stefan Gec, Gareth Hudson, Matt Stokes and Tessa Green, and two selling exhibitions will showcase the works of Phil Hopkins and street artist Sune.
While Saturday’s celebratory night of ‘audio visual stimulation’ marks the end of an era, the good news is that the gallery will be relocating to a new space. And when it moves to Commercial Union House in the new year it will be joining a thriving artist-led hub that already includes Vane, Breeze Creatives, New Bridge Project and a number of artist studio blocks.
Regularly funding
Globe moved to Blandford Square in 2011, when it consolidated spaces in North Shields (1995-2011) and Newcastle’s Carliol Square (2003-2011) into one location. Soon after the move, the gallery found out it would not be offered NPO status as part of Arts Council England’s (ACE) 2012-15 portfolio.
Since then, the gallery has continued its programme of exhibitions and events through a mix of ACE Grants for the Arts awards, funding from Newcastle City Council, partnership working, and funds raised through sales.
Announcing the move on its website, Globe said: “We are fast approaching the end of our lease and although we love the building and are proud of what has been achieved over the last four years it is no longer financially viable for us to continue to operate in such a large space.
“This has been a time where we have strengthened our partnerships and worked with a host of other arts organisations to provide great opportunities for artists to exhibit, and fantastic experiences for visitors old and new.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to making this a really fantastic venue and continued to support Globe through exhibiting, volunteering, visiting, taking part and giving moral support when things got tough.”
Globe Gallery Celebration, 53-57 Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, 29 November 2014, from 7pm. www.globegallery.org
