Published on 18 October 2017
Arts Council England’s Director for the North, Sarah Maxfield, recently visited the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art’s new home, for a progress update on the relocation project which has received £175k from Arts Council England.
The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA) was the North East’s first gallery dedicated to displaying art by new and emerging artists. The £375,000 relocation will complete in spring 2018, when the gallery will have a permanent new home on the ground floor of National Glass Centre. The move is expected to transform the NGCA’s visitor numbers, with National Glass Centre attracting over 230k visitors a year.
The NGCA has a proud history of identifying and exhibiting artists before they were famous. Under the direction of curator of 15 years, Alastair Robinson, artists including Sam Taylor Wood, Peter Liversidge and Alice Hawkins have had their breakthrough exhibitions at the NGCA. The University of Sunderland stepped in to find a new space for the gallery when its former home in the City Library on Fawcett Street closed. Alastair and the NGCA team will join the University’s staff in the move.
Graeme Thompson, Chair of Sunderland Culture and Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Sunderland, said: “The Arts Council’s support and significant investment in Sunderland’s cultural renaissance is a game-changer for the city, so we were delighted to welcome Sarah Maxfield to see for herself the work underway to create a new home for the NGCA.
“Sunderland’s significance in the world of contemporary art over the past 50 years comes as a surprise to some, though not the internationally acclaimed artists that regularly exhibit in the city. Having NGCA within the same building as National Glass Centre gives us a major new space to exhibit the work of emerging artists from around the world for our visitors to enjoy. It’s also a great new asset to have on campus for our Fine Art and Glass & Ceramics students, who will be located next door to the critically acclaimed gallery and its team."
This latest announcement is one of a series of major investments in culture in the city including construction of a new theatre and the restoration of the Old Fire Station as an arts hub. The developments have been brought about by an innovative partnership between the University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Music Arts and Culture Trust. The partnership has set up a new company Sunderland Culture to operate and develop the city’s cultural assets - working with local and national cultural organisations to improve the city’s cultural offer, since being established in January this year it has secured over £3.75m investment.
Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture, Keith Merrin, said: “The gallery has gone through a number of iterations in its 50-year history, most recently in the City Library. Late last year, the University of Sunderland announced it would find a new space for the gallery within its campus and they’ve worked tirelessly to find the perfect spot.
“Thanks to financial backing from Arts Council England, the University and the City Council, this brand new gallery space at the National Glass Centre, will provide a world-class showcase for contemporary art.”
Cabinet member for culture Councillor John Kelly said: “To manage to secure all of the funding we need to reopen this fantastic facility is a major coup and a brilliant boost as we move into the final few weeks of the UK City of Culture competition.
“This cultural partnership is a powerful driver for positive change and we’re all very proud to be able to announce the new gallery space to the world. The centre is a huge asset to the city, and for it to be housed in one of the region’s foremost cultural venues, National Glass Centre, really does demonstrate its significance in Sunderland.”