Women Artists of the North East Library Exhibition

Group Exhibition at Workplace Foundation, Gateshead
22 June – 9 September 2018

Women Artists of the North East Library was an evolving exhibition and public programme presenting the work of women artists associated with the North East, exploring influence regionally and further afield.

Throughout the Great Exhibition of the North 2018 the library was in residence at Workplace Gateshead and available to the public as an evolving exhibition, library, and platform for events and discussions. The project aimed to use the premise of presenting artists work as an opportunity to explore the act of building such a library; In what ways do artists make work in relation to, or with, other artists? How can a library of women artists associated with a region, exist for a community? How do we find our role models? Can archival strategies contribute to intergenerational conversations and art making?

Building on previous public and private events initiated by the library, which include open library days, city walks and a one day residency at BALTIC Library and Archive, the project in Gateshead, for the first time, included exhibited work by artists at varying points in their careers alongside works by key historical figures. Throughout the project, artists and the public were invited to nominate women artists and donate material that could be added to the Library.

The project opened with works from Phyllis Christopher, Tess Denman-Cleaver, Kate Liston and Harriet Sutcliffe, and works by Sophie Buxton, Jade Sweeting and Janina Sabaliauskaite and Nicola Singh were added throughout the course of the summer.At the mid point of the project at Workplace key elements of the library were repositioned in the parallel exhibition The Everyday Political at CGP Gallery in London. Curated by George Vasey, The Everyday Political brought together artists and art collectives from the North East of England. It expanded on Holly Argent’s Women Artists of the North East Library exhibition alongside new work including audio, text, painting and photography.

Exhibition at Workplace curated by Holly Argent

Public Programme

To coincide with the library’s first exhibition, with work by Phyllis Christopher, Tess Denman-Cleaver, Kate Liston and Harriet Sutcliffe, a six week public programme at Workplace Foundation expanded on ideas brought about through conversations with the artists; exploring more broadly ideas of collective readership, methods of feminist practice and regional artistic legacies.