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The Crack Magazine

Art

Gordon Dalton: Slowly We Rot

Solastalgia is the homesickness we feel while still at home; the pain and longing we feel as we realise the environment immediately around us is changing. Gordon Dalton’s research into solastalgia focuses on a small stretch of coast that includes places of personal importance including Runswick Bay, Staithes, Port Mulgrave, Skinningrove and ending in Middlesbrough, overlooking the UK’s first Freeport. His work contains a slow chorographic mapping of an everchanging landscape that is shackled by its past and unsure of its future, neither here nor there. Familiar motifs and half remembered memories are buried amongst doubt, cliché, a cloud of nostalgia and the ancient and modern ruins that dot the skyline.

Venue:
Platform A Gallery, Middlesbrough Railway Station, Zetland Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 1EG
Date:
Sep 26th 2024 - Nov 7th 2024
Opening Times:
Tue-Fri 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Covert Couture

The first exhibition of its kind is coming to the heart of Newcastle. Renowned artists, Mul and Prefab77, present ‘Covert Couture’, where they’ll be transforming Hancock Gallery's Georgian townhouse into a unique, urban space. Mul, also known as Alex Mulholland, is an innovative artist and creative director from Newcastle upon Tyne, renowned for his striking large-scale outdoor murals, often infused with his signature flair and fresh creativity. Prefab77, also known as Peter Manning, is a UK-based artist whose origins and influences are in England, California and New York. Training as a printmaker and being a designer for Her Majesty in the British Army was fundamental in influencing his early United Kingdom subject matter. He then went on to work in fashion and branding in New York, which influences his current work – focusing on portraiture and the female form.

Venue:
Hancock Gallery, 2 Jesmond Road West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PQ
Date:
Oct 10th 2024 - Nov 15th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 18:00 , Sat-Sun 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

I Wonder

Where does my story begin...? A word on a wall, a brushstroke on canvas, a performance on a stage. Unlock your inner wordsmith, artist or performer and discover a blank canvas for your imagination to run wild. Welcome to I Wonder; an interactive space designed to inspire creative freedom and offer the opportunity to delve into the many forms of storytelling.

Venue:
Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, 30 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ
Date:
Aug 15th 2024 - Jan 5th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun-Tue and Thu-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Newbridge 'Open' Open

The Newbridge 'Open' Open embodies radical inclusivity, welcoming all those who identify as artists as well as those who do not. By dismantling traditional hierarchies of art-making, the exhibition undermines the myth of the lone artistic genius and instead celebrates the interconnectedness of all creative processes. In keeping with this, The Newbridge 'Open' Open has been co-curated and set up by all exhibitors, from studio holders to chefs-in-residence to members of our Youth Programme. For the exhibition, Jenny Alderson has created an installation, Making Space, that references the context of The NewBridge Project by incorporating a rich mix of materials, textures, and colours taken from its building and the surrounding Shieldfield area.

Venue:
The NewBridge Project, Shieldfield Centre 4 - 8, Clarence Walk, off Stoddart St, Newcastle, NE2 1AL
Date:
Sep 21st 2024 - Nov 9th 2024
Opening Times:
Daily 12:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Sensory Journeys: Journey to the Cornfield

A unique inclusive sensory experience combining storytelling, sound effects, and play. The installation encourages you to use all your senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. It is especially suited for those with special or profound multiple learning difficulties. In June 2023, The National Gallery partnered with South Shields Museum and Art Gallery to bring John Constable, The Cornfield (1826) to South Tyneside’s Viking shopping centre in Jarrow. Sensory Journeys: Journey to the Cornfield provides a sensory exploration of the painting. The accompanying poem Journey to the Cornfield and associated sensory resources were created by Sensory Practitioner Julia Collar.

Venue:
The Word, The National Centre for the Written Word, 45 Market Place, South Shields, NE33 1JF
Date:
Aug 15th 2024 - Jan 5th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Thu 09:00 - 19:00 , Fri 09:00 - 17:00 , Sat-Sun 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscape and Shifting Identities

A new exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery explores over 200 years of landscape painting in the North of England and Scotland, focusing on the diverse and dramatic landscapes of the regions and how artists have depicted not only the world around us, but also our place within it. For centuries, the landscapes of the North have fascinated artists and this exhibition will focus on how these landscapes —urban, rural, land, sea, and sky— have changed. From the Romanticised visions of early artists to the more complex and sometimes harsh realities captured in later works, the paintings reveal not just the physical changes in the land, but also shifts in societal values and human experience.

Venue:
Laing Art Gallery, New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AG
Date:
Oct 5th 2024 - Apr 26th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:30
Price:
£7/£6

Routes and Roots: British Bangladeshi Stories of South Tyneside

This exhibition celebrates the year-long Shared Stories of South Tyneside project created in collaboration with representatives of the local British Bangladeshi community. Supported by South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, members of the local British Bangladesh community have shared their rich history through personal objects and photographs in this fascinating exhibition. The Shared Stories group engaged with the local community, inviting them to lend their beloved objects and nostalgic photographs for the exhibition.

Venue:
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA
Date:
Sep 1st 2024 - Dec 20th 2024
Opening Times:
Sat 11:00 - 16:00 , Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Exploring School Experiences through art

Emotion-Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) or Emotion Based School Avoidance (EBSA) are terms used for children and young people who find the school environment a difficult place. This Art Project uses art as a way for children and young people to express what makes school a challenging place for them, what it is like to ‘step into their shoes’ and help others better understand how they might be able to help. View the artworks on display in the corridor outside of the museum learning room.

Venue:
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA
Date:
Sep 1st 2024 - Dec 6th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

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Shields, On the River Tyne

This exhibition spotlights a mezzotint print of J.M.W. Turner’s iconic watercolour, Shields, on the River Tyne, giving visitors an insight into the South Shields riverside area in the early nineteenth century through the eyes of one of Britain’s most celebrated artists. Turner closely supervised the engravers to ensure they faithfully captured the technical detail and spirit of his watercolour originals. It could take an engraver months, or even a year, to produce just one small print.

Venue:
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA
Date:
Sep 1st 2024 - Jan 23rd 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Brasília of the North

An exhibition exploring the ideas, personalities and broader social, cultural and political climate that underpinned the aspirations to transform Newcastle into a modernist city. During the 1960s, policymakers, planners and architects had the highest aspirations for Newcastle and the North East, imagining it being transformed into the ‘Brasília of the North’ – a shining north European equivalent to the futuristic new Brazilian capital city then emerging from the Cerrado savanna. This exhibition, which forms part of the Concrete Dreams project, explores the ideas, personalities and broader social, cultural and political climate that shaped these aspirations. It brings together a range of models, drawings, photographs, films, archival materials and other artefacts, relating to Tyneside’s 1960s and 1970s transformations.

Venue:
Farrell Centre, The Sir Terry Farrell Building, Eldon Place, Newcastle, NE1 7RD
Date:
Sep 19th 2024 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Playing Out

Play as subversion, ownership of our own space, is there a ‘level playing field’, how do things play out? An interactive exhibition made in response to community conversations, exploring our connections with place and space as our own playing fields. Featuring collaboratively designed flyposters and walking trails, visitors are invited to respond by adding to the gallery walls using the paint and pens provided. With these playful additions, the exhibition will constantly change and develop – growing up into a riot of colour and celebration of play.

Venue:
Shieldfield Art Works, Formerly The Holy Biscuit, Opposite The Biscuit Factory, 1 Clarence Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 1YH
Date:
Sep 10th 2024 - Oct 29th 2024
Opening Times:
Tue-Thu 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Burning Up Time

A long term painting project by Paul Harvey. This project consists of a painting representing every year from 1960, the year Paul was born, to 2000. Each painting shows a snapshot of that year - the people, the objects, the events, the memories. Preview Sat 5th Oct: 2pm-4pm.

Venue:
Arts Centre Washington, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8AB
Date:
Oct 5th 2024 - Nov 9th 2024
Opening Times:
Tue-Sat 09:30 - 20:00 , Mon 09:30 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Colour of Music - LVAC Exhibition

LVAC has teamed up with local artists to produce The Colour of Music, an artistic response to the mindfulness of art and music. Using a wide range of media, the artists have created objects and artworks to express the therapeutic qualities and impact of music and creativity on mental health.

Venue:
Arts Centre Washington, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8AB
Date:
Oct 10th 2024 - Nov 9th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon 09:30 - 17:00 , Tue-Sat 09:30 - 20:00
Price:
Free

Leap then Look | Play, Interact, Explore

The exhibition explores play, collaboration and materials. Featuring large, tactile sculptural objects and colourful assemblages, everything in the space is interactive. Lively, exciting and curiosity-filled, Play Interact Explore is designed to support and encourage taking part in different ways to create sculptures, take photographs, move things around, rock, roll, stack and play.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Oct 12th 2024 - Apr 27th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Happy Mart

Baltic’s latest pop-up Happy Mart is a collaboration between textile artist Bianco Perry and ceramicist Alex Sickling. Located on Ground Floor opposite Baltic Shop, Happy Mart brings together a playful mix of gifts and handmade decorative pieces to buy and make your home a little happier. Their work, all of it available to purchase, is inspired by finding humour in the everyday, being out in nature, hugging the dog and eating a Greggs together. 

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Oct 12th 2024 - Mar 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

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Revisualising Women’s work

Explore the changing nature of women’s work in Sunderland from World War II to the 1960s through historic images from the archives of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and the Antiquarian Society. This co-curated exhibition shows work generated in an ongoing collaborative project with University of Sunderland PHD student Sophie Piper and women artists living and working in Sunderland today.

Venue:
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Mowbray Gardens, Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR1 1PP
Date:
Oct 12th 2024 - Jan 4th 2025
Opening Times:
Sat 10:00 - 16:00 , Mon-Fri 09:30 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Winter Selling Exhibition

An opportunity to view and buy work from a collection of regional artists and makers in this winter selling exhibition. Artwork will include framed prints, original paintings, textiles, jewellery and craft pieces alongside items for sale from the library shop. Artists include Corinne Lewis Ward, Melanie Kyles, Yvette Ja Hawkins, Bethan Laker, Louise Bradley, Bianco Perry, Ali Wilkes, Kath Rodger, Chun-Chao Chui, Kate Slaughter, Alex Sickling, Josie Brookes, Trish Turnbull and many more!

Venue:
Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Road, Gateshead, NE8 4LN
Date:
Oct 12th 2024 - Jan 11th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon and Thu 09:00 - 19:00 , Tue-Wed and Fri 09:00 - 17:00 , Sat 09:00 - 13:00
Price:
Free

Courting Corvids

29 new charcoal pencil drawings of local corvid species from detailed portraits to miniature studies, displayed alongside information about our crows and special behind the scenes 'out-takes'. Karen has been fascinated (and frequently exasperated) by corvids for decades and has produced several series featuring these fascinating birds, from Cornwall to the North East.

Venue:
Newcastle City Library, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle, NE1 8AX
Date:
Oct 18th 2024 - Oct 23rd 2024
Opening Times:
Mon, Wed and Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Tue and Thu 10:00 - 19:00 , Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Lanchester Annual Art Exhibition

Annual exhibition of work done by members of Lanchester Art Group. Over 250 paintings displayed, in various mediums, many of which are available to buy. Refreshments also available.

Venue:
Lanchester Community Centre, Newbiggen Lane, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 0JQ
Date:
Oct 19th 2024 - Oct 20th 2024
Opening Times:
19th - 20th Oct 2024 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
£1

Catalyst

Artists Louise Bradley & Becky Helliar, from 36 Lime Street studios, collaborate with Effie Burns & artist Nicola Young to make new work for Catalyst. Four artists sharing skills and techniques in different media to produce exciting new pieces.

Venue:
36 Lime Street, 36 Lime Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2PQ
Date:
Oct 19th 2024 - Oct 27th 2024
Opening Times:
Sat-Sun 10:30 - 19:30 , Mon-Fri 12:00 - 14:00 , Mon-Fri 17:00 - 20:00
Price:
Free

Adam York Gregory & Gillian Jane Lees: FOUNDATION

Would you like some free art? Maybe you’d prefer some free bricks? What if they were the same thing? Between Friday 25 and Tuesday 29 October, Gillian and Adam will be making sculptures out of 4,000 bricks as part of their project, FOUNDATION. They will be monuments to buildings, to public art in public spaces, to bricklayers and architects, to demolition and re-building. And they want to give the bricks away.

Venue:
Arc, Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LL
Date:
Oct 25th 2024 - Oct 29th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon 12:00 - 16:00 , Wed-Sat 10:00 - 20:00 , Tue 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Festival of Light

A stunning light projection and sparkling lighting installations are set to brighten the dark nights in Sunderland this autumn as the annual Festival of Light returns! A dazzling laser garden, a giant glitter ball and stunning new light projections are among the sparkling lighting displays to look forward to.

Venue:
Mowbray Park, Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR2 7DN
Date:
Oct 25th 2024 - Nov 24th 2024
Opening Times:
25th Oct - 24th Nov 2024 TBC
Price:
£5.75adv

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Portraits with Purpose: Continuing Bonds

In collaboration with St Oswald’s Hospice, artist Leanne Pearce created 12 poignant portraits, working with bereaved and pre-bereaved families who have accessed the hospice’s bereavement support and/or other care services. The collection celebrates the lives of loved ones, provides a positive, creative focus for grieving or pre-bereaved families, and supports them in their ‘continuing bonds’ process. The exhibition opens conversations about death, dying and grief while challenging some perceptions around ‘hospice care’.

Venue:
Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle, NE1 1DF
Date:
Oct 26th 2024 - Nov 26th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 08:00 - 18:00 , Sat-Sun 08:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Portraits with Purpose: Continuing Bonds

In collaboration with St Oswald’s Hospice, artist Leanne Pearce created 12 poignant portraits, working with bereaved and pre-bereaved families who have accessed the hospice’s bereavement support and/or other care services. The collection celebrates the lives of loved ones, provides a positive, creative focus for grieving or pre-bereaved families, and supports them in their ‘continuing bonds’ process. The exhibition opens conversations about death, dying and grief while challenging some perceptions around ‘hospice care’.

Venue:
Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle, NE1 1DF
Date:
Oct 26th 2024 - Nov 26th 2024
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 08:00 - 18:00 , Sat-Sun 08:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

A Sleave Unravelled: Work by Textile Artist Sue Bowhay Pringle

The exhibition takes its title from one of Shakespeare's many references to sleep as restorative rest, peace, innocence or death. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes and natural forms of Northumberland and Umbria, Italy, as well as architectural and literary references, the work explores the themes of change, memory, adjustment, scarring and repair.

Venue:
Bailiffgate Museum, 14 Bailiffgate, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1LX
Date:
Oct 29th 2024 - Feb 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Tue-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Adults £5/conc £4/children £1

Paxton House: Crossing Borders

Paxton House: Crossing Borders reveals how the history of this magnificent Georgian house and its beautiful setting entwines the people of Berwick and the Borderlands. It tells the story of the Home family who built and owned Paxton House for over 250 years, through splendid costume, furniture, paintings and family histories. The exhibition is a new opportunity to discover the secrets and stories of this fascinating home, situated in Scotland, but at the same time Berwick’s ‘hidden gem,’ just over the border.

Venue:
Granary Gallery, Dewar’s Lane, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1HJ
Date:
Nov 9th 2024 - Feb 23rd 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

The Skin We Live In: Portraits from the NGCA Collection

The inaugural exhibition of artwork from Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art’s (NGCA) collection brought together in a group show exploring contemporary portraiture through photography, painting, sculpture, film, and printmaking. The exhibition features artwork by 28 contemporary artists and photographers who turn the tables on historic associations and practices of portraiture to go beyond ‘skin deep’ delving further into our shared human condition.

Venue:
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, c/o National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Nov 23rd 2024 - Mar 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Harry Griffin: My name is Harry, these are my pictures and they are nice

The first gallery exhibition of British photographer Harry Griffin on display across NGCA Collection Space and Pop Recs (172-175 High St W, Sunniside, Sunderland, SR1 1UP). The exhibition comprises hundreds of photographs from Harry’s photographic archive providing a unique insight into Britain’s vibrant comedy circuit, family and friendships, moments of joy, celebration and boredom all shot through with wit, humour and candid moments of life on tour.

Venue:
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, c/o National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Nov 23rd 2024 - Mar 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Santa’s Helpers: Being Santa (Exhibition by Matthew Askey)

A unique collection of portraits of people who've dressed up as Santa Claus, inspired by the enduring legacy of St Nicholas, the patron saint of Newcastle Cathedral. In 2022, Matthew Askey was artist-in-residence at ‘SantaCon London’, where he joined hundreds of others clad in Santa suits, parading the streets. From this ‘non-profit, non-political, and non-sensical Christmas parade’, Askey created these evocative works, reflecting on the timeless appeal of St Nicholas and reminding us of the power of generosity, kindness and community.

Venue:
Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle, NE1 1DF
Date:
Nov 29th 2024 - Jan 6th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 08:00 - 18:00 , Sat-Sun 08:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

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Mani Kambo

Mani Kambo is a multidisciplinary Newcastle-based artist who explores the inner spirit by drawing on her own personal totemic symbols, influenced by her upbringing in a Sikh household filled with superstition, prayer, and religious ceremony. Textile, fabric dying, and printmaking is rooted in Kambo’s family history within the caste system. She focuses on objects, routines and rituals distilled textile, fabric dyeing, and printmaking is rooted in Mani Kambo’s family history within the caste system. She focuses on objects, routines and rituals distilled both from the everyday and mythology, her work recording movement and documenting performative actions: the hand that creates, fire that reveals, water which purifies and eyes that perceive. Through layering and editing images together she collages narratives and weaves dreamscapes. These visuals are repeated throughout her work like markers linking to notions of spirituality and belief in reincarnation.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Dec 7th 2024 - Jun 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free