A bank is not the kind of place you would expect to see contemporary art on display. And it would be equally unlikely, in terms of artwork, to find anything other than a few subdued prints gracing the walls of a prestige car garage. But for the first week of June, as part of Northampton’s Music and Arts Festival, a selection of contemporary artworks will be cropping up in unusual, non-gallery spaces around the town.
Locals and visitors to Northampton might be surprised when they stumble across life-size figures installed in the local HSBC branch, or discover an exhibition of digital prints at the railway station. Meanwhile, a range of other contemporary artworks will appear in the local Jaguar dealership, Changes Hairdressers and the pub/bar venue, Toad at Sol Central.
The around-town exhibition is the brainchild of Open Spaces, Open Places (OSOP), an initiative – now in its fourth year – which places contemporary artworks in unconventional sites.
According to the exhibition’s co-ordinators, the idea to hold the annual event sprung from a need identified by a local arts worker in 2000, to have more artworks exhibited centrally. And due to the lack of gallery space in Northampton – there is only one major venue, the Museum and Art Gallery – the obvious solution was to exhibit in venues that would not normally show art.
The first exhibition took place in 2000, curated on a voluntary basis by local arts worker Sadie Green. In 2001, a board was established, so the event could apply for funding. Margaret Andrews, the board’s Chair, says the event has been funded since 2001 by the local borough and country councils, as well as Arts Council England. The funding has enabled the organisation to appoint a full-time paid co-ordinator, create publicity material, and establish a £1,000 award to commission an emerging artist.
‘It’s allowed us to do more extensive and quite creative publicity,’ Andrews explains, ‘but we’ve done it in a way that has allowed us to present artists’ work quite professionally.’ Andrews emphasises that the funding is channelled as much as possible into the creative side of the venture, adding that the next stage is to apply for increased funds to commission more work.
Jane Roberts, OSOP co-ordinator, says this year’s event attracted 18 submissions, of which 17 were selected for inclusion into the exhibition. ‘The quality of the work and the ideas were really strong,’ she says, highlighting the work of one artist, Weng Man, in particular.
Man, who was born and raised in London but recently graduated from University College Northampton with a Fine Arts degree, has created a site-specific piece for a new space at the local Museum and Art Gallery, which has been created by renovating a lecture theatre.
Man’s piece, entitled Juncture, uses plasterboard to create two rooms representing an ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. ‘It’s to do with something that happened for him during a very difficult time in his life, something that he couldn’t really put into words,’ Roberts observes.
In Man’s own words, he describes the piece as a celebration and show of gratitude for the time and space Northampton has provided at this point in his career. ‘Apart from the commemoration and jubilation,’ the artist adds, ‘this works draws upon sketches made during a very difficult time here in Northampton, when I inhabited a space in a first floor flat. It is a work that is suggestive of isolation, enclosure and suffering, but also offers glimmers of hope and resilience and the will to survive.’
Coming from an artistic background – graduating several years ago with a Fine Arts degree – Roberts is enthusiastic not only about the wealth of talent the event has attracted, but also, how OSOP is influencing the growth of the arts scene in Northampton.
‘I think there are a lot of really creative people in and around Northampton and Northamptonshire,’ she observes. ‘For us, it’s [about] offering an opportunity for [local artists’] work to be seen, and to become part of a network of artists that then meet up and support one another.’
As a result of last year’s exhibition, Roberts says two of the participating artists went on to develop strong mentor relationships.
The event has also spawned a number of smaller contemporary gallery spaces. Two shops – a designer homewares store and a coffee shop – now have mini-galleries operating all year round.
‘We certainly have a very strong foundation to take the project forward, to develop it, and for it to become a national event,’ Roberts envisions.
Andrews reflects on how previous site-specific exhibitions have impacted on the community. An installation in the local Waterstones’ bookstore completely altered the look of the High Street, she recalls, while the first ever OSOP exhibition prompted one visitor to comment that although they had never visited a gallery before, after viewing an OSOP exhibit at the railway station, they now would definitely do so.
The contemporary arts scene is definitely ‘growing and getting stronger’, she says. And with a new Cultural Quarter on the cards, outlined in the town’s cultural strategy, Northampton’s arts scene is certain to get a boost. The OSOP team plan to be a part of the cultural regeneration process, but the next stage of their work will focus on creating a small contemporary art collection, Roberts says. ‘I think that’s quite exciting, [to be happening] outside of London,’ she enthuses. ‘We’re just taking small steps, but we’re really excited about it.’
‘Open Spaces, Open Places’ will be at various locations around Northampton in the first week of June. More information and images of artists’ works will be available from this weekend, at: www.osop.co.uk
