About

Founded in 2017 through The Northern Charter Graduate Bursary, the Library began from a proposition – what would a library of women’s practice look like in the North East? – and a desire to see more variety in the regional narratives beyond already established histories and male artists’ work. 

The Library is active in finding new ways to re-appraise artists less visible in dominant cultural narratives, and support the production of new work. 

The Library is shaped by who and what gets donated to it’s physical collection and therefore is always changing and evolving. The collection includes publications, audio, objects, images and other forms of documentation that record historic and current artistic practice and programming across the North East of England. By bringing together research and donated material the library forms a cultural resource for artists and researchers, and anyone interested in artistic histories of the region.

The WANE Library works collaboratively with artists, communities and cultural organisations to expand and share its collection through a nomadic programme. To date the library has worked with The Northern Charter, ArtHouses, The Walking Library, The Sociological Review, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Northumbria University, Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC), Workplace Foundation, Tyneside Cinema and others.

The Library is anti-patriarchal and committed to imagining and reconstituting an arts sector that is non-discriminatory, anti-racist, anti-elitist, welcoming and caring.

If you are interested in being involved or working with the library we would love to hear from you.

WANE Library organising team is:

Holly Argent (Project Lead 2017 – present)

Tess Denman-Cleaver (Producer July 2020 – present)

Taryn Edmonds (Programme Co-ordinator January 2022 – November 2022)

Our website is designed by Sally Pilkington.

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