York’s Creative Spaces - 2024 ExhibitioN
Exhibition curated by Jon Swords (University of York), Ben Porter (York Creatives) and Errol Salamon (University of Stirling) in collaboration with the Guild of Media Arts and York Creatives.
The Challenges of Finding Space for Art
York’s creative scene is vibrant, innovative and a valuable asset for the city. We’re home to individuals, companies and other organisations who are making a difference to peoples’ lives locally, nationally and globally through art, culture and creative practice.
But finding a space suitable to produce and exhibit work is increasingly challenging. This exhibition brings together original artworks, research and stakeholder insights to highlight this issue.
The Past
York’s history means it doesn’t have the number of former warehouses and factory buildings which typify post-industrial northern cities. Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield have all successfully reused old industrial spaces, but in York these are most often converted into apartments or knocked down to build student accommodation.
Where there is disused space, such as upper floors of buildings in the city centre, a complex set of issues mean making the most of them is difficult. A 2013 report by the North of England Civic Trust found that building owners and investors often don’t know the options for changing use, are put off by the process and/or don’t see any incentive in doing so.
The Present
Brexit, austerity, the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis are all playing a role in the current situation. Cuts to funding for arts and culture at a national and local level mean is it harder to survive making art, and with rents and costs rising, we’ve seen a series of creatives spaces in the city lost. This is compounded by the relatively high general costs of living in York which make it especially difficult for new and emerging artists.
Support to cope with these challenges hasn’t had the desired effect. For instance, in 2020 the government issued a £3.36m Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, according to the Music Venue Trust, 93% of music venues are not owned by the entity that operates them. Much of this recovery money, which came from the Culture Recovery Fund paid for by the taxpayer, has been used to meet the rent demands from private landlords rather than benefiting the local music scene.
If as a society we value arts and culture, and understand that it provides us with much more than just the economic value we can extract from it, then we must find a way to separate creative and cultural spaces from the interests of commercial landlords.
The Future
The future need not be bleak. As this exhibition illustrates, there are innovative ideas for ways forward and a desire to enact them. We welcome your input too, and there are opportunities to contribute your vision for the city.
INFORMATION BOARDS
Click to enlarge
ARTWORKS
We posted an open call asking artists to respond to the exhibition theme, commissioning five works for display.
The works were displayed alongside footage from the Yorkshire Film Archive showing the York Festival in 1970.
Creative Spaces by Dan Baines
Digital Painting
This digital painting represents what it is like to have creative spaces ‘on the mind’.
The painting features a head divided into different creative spaces, such as; art studios, theatres, recording rooms, offices, and more.
“I like to believe creativity can come from anywhere so I really wanted to include a broad range of spaces. It was fun to try and capture how different people can put their personality into where they work.”
“Where creative people work can have a big impact on what they produce. I hope the painting shows how there can be an overlap between the mental and real spaces we all occupy.”
Dan Baines is a graphic designer and illustrator, who works at Agency51 in York. He enjoys creating black and white digital paintings, using an iPad and a program called Procreate.
You can view more of Dan’s work @designbaines on Instagram.
The Difference Space Can Make by Alex Callaghan
Poetry
When there is no space for words, everyone stops talking.
Alex Callaghan’s work has a focus on making space for people. “I believe poetry changes lives, but unlike other artforms, it does not require more than a person, a pen and paper. Poetry gives a voice to all who use it. This is my voice. This is you listening to me. Thank you.”
‘The difference space can make’ is a physical representation of how stifling a lack of space for creative expression can be and how this stunts societal connections.
Callaghan wants to make poetry more accessible, and make spaces for poetry more accessible, divorcing the act of producing art from the pressures of capitalism. “I want my work to show people who don’t read poetry what they think a poem looks like, and what a poem can look like. I want my work to encourage people to put their thoughts on a page and make people listen.”
Follow Alex on Instagram to keep up with their work: @poetry_ditties
The Colours of York by Tilly Thornborrow
Fine Art Giclée Print (420 x 594mm)
A Creative Hub in York would offer numerous benefits to the wider city beyond just artists and creative. As someone who creates quirky and bright colour-chart prints that celebrate the culture, history, and vibrancy of various locations, including York, Tilly has firsthand experience of the potential impact.
Having studied and lived in York for four years, she developed a deep appreciation for all that the city has to offer, which is reflected in her artwork. However, compared to cities like Leeds and Manchester, York's creative scene is relatively limited. By establishing a creative space, the entire community would benefit.
The presence of a Creative Hub would not only provide artists and creatives with a platform to flourish but also attract visitors, enhance the city's cultural identity, and contribute to its overall vibrancy. It would become another feature to add to "The Colours of York," further elevating the city's status as a hub of creativity and innovation that is worth celebrating by residents and visitors alike.
Tilly uses her designs to celebrate the magic in the mundane, bringing a sense of wonder and delight to everyday tasks and routines. After growing up in the Lake District, and studying Fine Art at York St John University, Tilly finds inspiration from her surroundings - culminating in the “Colours of” Collection. Vivid watercolour artworks, inspired by the colour palettes of an array of locations; recognising the richness of experiences, spanning food, art and music, to local landmarks and wildlife.
Follow Tilly on Instagram: @bytillyillustration
14 Feasegate by Hannah Sibai
1:25 scale model
14 Feasegate imagines a York Creative Hub in the heart of the city centre, in a retail unit that years ago housed a Subway sandwich shop. A space artists can claim to make, collaborate and exhibit.
“Every time I walk around York City Centre I see another closed-down business, creating another vacant shop unit. To-Let signs pepper the streets, along with the remains of old shop signs - ghosts of what once occupied those walls. Whenever I see these empty units I am inspired by the idea of artists taking over these buildings: renovating them, looking after them, breathing life back into them with the buzz of creativity and collaboration.”
“In this work I use miniature model making to ‘refurbish’ that property, adding vibrant colours to the drab exterior. Creative Hubs are key to the development of talent in the creative sector, let’s hope one day a space like this exists outside of our imaginations.”
Hannah Sibai is a Theatre Designer based in Yorkshire, who has designed over 100 productions across 15 years in the UK and Europe including theatre, film, music videos and installations. She also regularly leads design workshops for arts organisations, community centres, theatre festivals, schools and universities. She is particularly interested in designing spaces for new writing, devised, playful or interactive performances.
Hannah is a keen collaborator with directors, writers, composers and performers to create design-led work from the earliest stages of development. She uses the medium of model making to communicate her designs, imagining new worlds through miniature.
Find out more about Hannah’s work at www.hannahsibai.co.uk
Crossed Keys by Zoe Phillips
Brass Artwork
Zoe’s response to Past, Present and Future looks to symbolic images associated with York, in particular the symbolism of the crossed keys. She sees these keys as gatekeepers to York, unlocking access to the City and its creative culture, and the potential of this community. Both key designs nod towards the history of York, the top sections inspired by a boss design from inside the Minster, the shape itself also reminiscent of the famous rose window and the Yorkshire Rose.
The first key’s teeth address the financial challenges faced by artists; from studio and rental fees, commissions and entry costs, to material costs, associated business costs such as advertising, website etc, access to networking, and even costs upon mental health and wellbeing.
The second key looks to the craft skills of old, still very much present all around us in York today. Stone masons themselves were often paid piecemeal, again like today with artists and creatives freelancing, without the benefits of paid holiday, sick leave or pension schemes.
Crafts people helped to build the city, and today, crafts people, artists and creatives continue to build communities, forge connections and enrich our lives. The arts can be empowering; they break down barriers, act as a communicator and give a presence and voice to otherwise intangible concepts. Yet despite being everywhere you look, the arts continue to be undervalued. Culture and the arts go hand in hand, will we let them crumble or invest in them and our future?
Inspired by traditional crafts and nature, Zoe’s work is heavily influenced by museum aesthetics, and how fragments can communicate a story. Her work also examines themes of disability and inclusivity, using objects to question societal perceptions and narratives.
Follow Zoe’s work on Instagram: @bydeckleandhide
To view the film please click on the image which will take you to the Yorkshire Film Archive website.
The section of the film shown at the exhibition is viewable from 03:12 to 06:30
The York Festival 1970
Film
As a heritage city, projects in York that seek to include modern art and design are often met with hostility by a small but vocal group of residents.
“We do not wish to be Manchester or Leeds” is often the response given when artists and entrepreneurs seek to bring successful events, festivals and businesses that have worked well elsewhere to York. This statement suggests that the addition of new culturally vibrant, diverse offerings would somehow strip away York’s historic qualities.
Yet York has always been an ambitious city, full of cultural gatherings and celebrations.
This footage, supplied by the Yorkshire Film Archive, shows the York Festival in 1970.
The 1970 festival included the famous York Mystery Plays, but also hosted a parallel offering of modern art, with an exhibition in the catacombs of the Minster, dancing in the streets, plays for children, and a discotheque in the foyer of the Theatre Royal. The argument that “this type of thing doesn’t happen in York” simply isn’t true.
In 2019, City of York Council commissioned branding experts to build a brand for York. 5000+ residents were consulted through a range of activities, culminating in the launch of The York Narrative which outlined three core values that the city stands behind:
Making history every day
Prioritising human experience
Pioneering with purpose
Two of these three values are about making ongoing improvements to the city so that future generations may enjoy it. It is important that York and its residents value its past, but not at the cost of an exciting and progressive future.
Yorkshire Film Archive www.yfanefa.com
The York Narrative www.theyorknarrative.co.uk
AUDIENCE responSeS
How do you see the future of York’s creative spaces?
Show us where you find inspiration in the city
QUESTIONNAIRE
If you’re an artist or creative of some kind, tell us more about the spaces you use and what you want from a creative space by completing the questionnaire linked via the QR code or here:
EXHIBITION LAUNCH
The exhibition opened on Thursday 18th July 2024 at The Spurriergate Centre, with a sold out launch event.
The event featured four panellists:
Emily Stubbs - ceramists and founding member of Pica Studios
Dawn Wood - artist and CEO of Fabrication
Phil Bixby - architect and director of YoCo
Emma Coffield - University of Newcastle
with discussion chaired by Owen Turner, MD of United by Design and Master of the Guild of Media Arts.
The exhibition was open to the public Friday 19th July and Saturday 20th July, welcoming 200+ visitors.
