Conversations Series II: Other Transmissions

Conversations Series II, led by Venture Arts and in partnership with Castlefield Gallery and the Whitworth, was a collaborative residency that brought together some of our studio artists with artists who responded to an open call. The group developed shared ideas, created new work, and reflected on the labels placed upon us by society. This residency built on the success of OutsiderXchanges from 2015-16.

The selected artists; Joe Beedles, James Desser, Amy Ellison, Frances Heap, Andrew Johnstone, and John Powell-Jones spent time with the Whitworth team and the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, having time and access to explore the collection, its ethics and its display. This collection was used as a starting point to see what ideas and visual responses developed during the collaborative residency. Castlefield Gallery provided the artists taking part with mentoring and crit support at key stages over the course of the residency period. Disabled artist Tanya Raabe-Webber worked with the group to ground the work within the disability arts movement.

The artists were given access to free studio space in Hulme for five months (October 2018 – February 2019), coming together as a group for 1 day per week to share the space.

PARTNERS:

CASTLEFIELD GALLERY is an artist focused organisation established by artists in 1984. Over the last three decades the gallery has become an integral part of the North of England’s cultural fabric and a vital support to artists across the North West and further afield. Castlefield Gallery delivers a programme of exhibitions, projects and events from its main gallery in Manchester, whilst also commissioning, curating and producing off-site and public art, national and international artist residencies, and exchange programmes. The gallery exports art and culture developed and produced in the region through exchange, to enable meaningful relationships between artists nationally and internationally to flourish over extended periods of time. Castlefield Gallery Associates is a 200+ strong artist, curator and writer membership group whom access artistic, skills and career development support via our work, as well as New Art Spaces – pop-up art and production spaces located across Greater Manchester. Our development programme extends to providing bespoke artist mentoring, coaching and CPD, working with those at all career stages, including new graduates.

Castlelfield Gallery is a registered charity, a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and Manchester City Council Cultural Partner, and until August 2019 Castlefield Gallery is a recipient of Arts Council England’s Catalyst: Evolve, an initiative that encourages the growth of private giving and organisational resilience. www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk

THE WHITWORTH is a gallery that is historic and contemporary, academic and playful. Founded in 1889 as the first English gallery in a park. Part of the University of Manchester, the Whitworth is a gallery that is a place of research and academic collaboration, and whose education and learning teams have generated new approaches to working with non-traditional arts audiences. Since 2010 the Whitworth has housed the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection.