Art in Convalescence

‘Museums, like asylums and jails, have wards and cells – in other words, neutral rooms called “galleries.” A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world. A vacant white room with lights is still a submission to the neutral. Works of art seen in such spaces seem to be going through a kind of convalescence. They are looked upon as so many inanimate invalids, waiting for critics to pronounce them curable or incurable.’

So wrote the land artist Robert Smithson in 1972. These words cause our minds to wander through galleries we have visited, to re-examine mentally works of art we have encountered; were they invalids in a ward? Though he speaks of the galleries or museums that hold historical works of art, his criticism seems to lie in the neutrality of the spaces in which they are displayed.

The convention of a white walled gallery is so prevalent that often we do not question it, or ask ourselves what alternative means might be sought for display. A gallery always seems to be a bubble set apart from life itself, a place of hushed tones and reverence, a place which perhaps dampens the impact of the artworks it seeks to preserve and protect. Do the neutral white walls of the New Brewery Arts gallery suck the life from the pieces currently on display?

Though Smithson makes a valid point, it seems to me that it does not apply to the Brewery Arts gallery which, rather than ‘killing’ its objects with its white walls, seems to bring them to life. Natural light spills in from the windows and allows colours to glow and shapes to be defined.

Unlike many other galleries, it is not entirely cut off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world: the sounds of the café and the shop and the street float through the door. And the gallery is part of a larger complex of active studios inhabited by artists and craftspeople in which we can see works of art and beautiful objects coming into being, having life breathed into them. The works on display are fresh. The surrounding studios remind us of the immediacy of these works’ creation: the paint is almost still wet, the last stitch just done, the last notch just chiselled.

But, if you do think the pieces in the OPEN Competition are ‘inanimate invalids’, it is up to you to come and ‘pronounce them curable’ by voting in the Public Choice Award.

Ruth Burgon

Image 1 the NBA OPEN exhibition
Image 2 Jorgen Rosengaard's Indian Sommer
Image 3 Mary-Anne Morrison's Peelings

A fresh, new, all round 'art experience' for young people

Unfortunately, it seems that art is dwindling away as younger generations immerse themselves less and less into the exploration of art forms. New Brewery Arts opens up a window to an eclectic mix of food, art, and shopping as a way to get the public involved in art all over again.

Sitting at the desk in the gallery, which currently holds the New Brewery Arts OPEN competition, I find that hardly anyone younger than the age of 30 ventures in. I have no idea why, for the exhibit is fresh, explosive, and innovative. The first time I entered the gallery I was taken aback by the exquisite pieces it displayed. The exhibit boasted delicacies ranging from vibrant canvases to deep and penetrating photographs to tapestries. Each one unique in its design, but brought together by the theme of 'Crossings'.

So why should one leave the comfort of a warm bed, or the steady beat of a song resonating in your ears? Art is refreshing. It’s endlessly bursting the barriers of what is considered normal and branching out, eager to divulge a new part of life and bring new ones into existence. One feels a sense of wonder as one gazes upon the various exhibits, keen on exposing the multitude of secrets buried within. The New Brewery Arts OPEN exhibition is open to all and what is more - it’s free, something that I love - being a student and all. You can even interact with the art, as two of the pieces are films. As you meander through, take note of your favourite piece. You can vote for your favourite exhibit and the artist who wins this public choice award will win £500.

The gallery is open to all Monday – Saturday: 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10pm to 4pm. The exhibition ends 23 August, so get in quick before your chance to view these exquisite pieces fades away.

Bethany Haller

Image 1 by Tim Carroll in the NBA OPEN exhibition
Image 2 by Maurice Citron in the NBA OPEN

What would you choose?

The OPEN exhibition at New Brewery Arts is in full swing, with votes piling in for the Public Choice Award. There is a fantastic diversity of pieces, from glassware to video, from charcoal to plastic, from abstract acrylics to figurative oils like John A Walker's Ferry Across The Mersey (shown).

Which makes us wonder - what do you like to see in a gallery? Outsider Art, Fine Art, light shows or sound? What floats your particular boat?

Recession is death to celebrity artists - discuss

“Art in Troubled Times”, a two-part examination of how recession affects the arts, was presented by Alan Yentob in Imagine (BBC1, 21 & 28 July 2009).

One premise was that lack of hard cash means that individuals and corporations alike are no longer willing to invest in ‘big name’ artists, who are consequently forced to ‘downsize’. Conversely, bodies such as the Arts Council and the National Lottery are more likely to award funding to previously unknown individual artists and small, local art groups.

Schemes designed to encourage wider, community access to the arts are also more likely to attract the backing of UK and US governments in times of hardship. Access to the arts is seen as a means of raising public morale as well as satisfying demand for affordable entertainment. The result is a move away from elitism towards a more democratic ‘art for the people’.

Yentob asks ‘In times like these, what is art worth? And what is art for?’ Should it be the preserve of the rich, making fortunes for a few household names? Is it devalued if we curate ‘outsider’ art in galleries? Or is art something we should value for its own sake and for our enjoyment - from a child’s scribbling to the Camera Club’s exhibition, from the Amateur Dramatic Club’s play to ballet and the opera? Tell us what you think.

New autumn 2009 programme published

Our new programme is out and a fabulous one it is too. Mosaics and Paper are the focus of our gallery exhibions, with link events including a weekend devoted to Artists' Books, and weekend workshops on mosaic design for home and garden.

Music is also a feature this autumn, with acoustic, Blues and Folk all on the menu - and a Jump Start Jazz workshop if you fancy having a go yourself.

Visit our website for details of art and crafts courses, events and happenings at New Brewery Arts - or pick up a programme from the shop if you are in Cirencester.

Who we are and what we do

New Brewery Arts is an arts and crafts charity in the heart of the Cotswolds, working with local people, schools and businesses to make contemporary arts and crafts accessible to everyone.

We have a fabulous gallery, theatre, shop and café - and we are one of the few venues in Gloucestershire for art and craft courses including ceramics, sculpture, wood or stone carving, millinery, textiles, stained glass etc.

Why not come and visit us in Cirencester this summer?