Sick of starchy museums and art galleries that display the ‘usual suspects’ artworks or artefacts? Elitist establishments that do not engage with visitors? If so this is the exhibition for you! Smart Gallery (Social Museum and Art) is a unique collection of works curated by the public. Now is your chance to influence what exhibits are on show.
Anyone can submit something they consider art, whether that is an ornament, a self-penned poem, family heirloom, found object, flotsam picked up on a beach, self -portrait. Anything. Everything is considered for display and the entire exhibition depends on people’s desire to share with other museum visitors their special possessions. Artefacts with a back-story are especially welcome. You will be invited to label and help to display your object, and of course have a photograph taken with it in pride of place in the gallery.
Visitors and exhibitors are encouraged to stay as long as they want to and work alongside artist in residence Helen Peyton to make their own artworks inspired by the displays – perhaps it will be a drawing, a papier maché sculpture, an abstract painting, or a print. The aim is to get arty. And if you don’t want to take home your newly created work, then into the display it goes!
Smart Gallery is the brainchild of Helen Peyton. Helen is Skipton born and since 2011 has been artist in residence at Craven Museum & Gallery, creating linocut prints of exhibits in the permanent collection on the museum’s incredible Britannia printing press that dates back to the 1850s. Smart Gallery is the conclusion of the residency and is an opportunity to invite people to decide what they consider art to be and to create an exhibition like no other.
These are linocuts in response to some of the objects on display at the Smart Gallery for further information visit Smart Gallery – Skipton 2014 | Social Museum & Art Gallery
