Community exhibition opens at Woodhorn

Artwork produced by groups from South East Northumberland has gone on show in a new exhibition, Common Ground - a culmination of an art project between BALTIC , bait, Northumberland Arts Development and Woodhorn.
Artist Alice Myers with Logan, Jayden and Georgia McGarry from Newbiggin.
Picture by Jane ColtmanArtist Alice Myers with Logan, Jayden and Georgia McGarry from Newbiggin.
Picture by Jane Coltman
Artist Alice Myers with Logan, Jayden and Georgia McGarry from Newbiggin. Picture by Jane Coltman

The exhibition brings together work by five contemporary artists and four community groups living and working in South East Northumberland. Across four months, members of Guidepost Social Club, ESCAPE Family Support, Action for Children Sure Start Ashington Children's Centre and South East Northumberland teachers worked with artists Aaron Guy, Robert Parkinson, Maureen Hanley, Monika Dutta and Alice Myers.

Place, personal stories and everyday experiences became the common ground as the artists and group members explored the links between life and art.NOTICE has been created by members of Guidepost Social Club in collaboration with artists Aaron Guy and Robert Parkinson. Themes of promotion, pride and inclusion run throughout the work which reflects the desire of current club members for prospective newcomers to ‘notice’ their club.

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Working with artists Monika Dutta and Maureen Hanley, members of ESCAPE Family Support present two bodies of work. What the Pigeon Sees depicts the story and journey of a racing pigeon across the Northumberland landscape. Messages to and from the Sea is a piece inspired by mythology and folklore.

Between Blinks is a collaboration between participants from Ashington Children's Centre and artist Alice Myers. Alice has worked with parents and children from the centre to explore physical and emotional relationships to place. Alice Myers also worked with teachers working and living in South East Northumberland to create Now Walk Three Paces, considering the connections between instruction and imagination.

Jo Raw, Acting Director of Woodhorn said, “Woodhorn is pleased to be part of this exciting project enabling local people to work with professional artists. Participants have not just developed new skills but they have produced some thought-provoking work and now have an extraordinary opportunity to have their work displayed in two top North East venues.

Rachel Adam, Project Director of bait at Woodhorn said, “Through the Common Ground project, people in South East Northumberland have developed really rich, creative

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ideas. New links and friendships have been built between community groups, visual artists and arts organisations which will continue into the future. The exhibitions at Woodhorn and Baltic will also be seen by thousands of people over the next few months and will act as inspiration for others who want to develop their arts skills.”

Common Ground is a co-commissioned project between BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, and Northumberland Arts Development and Woodhorn through the bait programme, delivered in partnership with Woodhorn Museum, Guidepost Social Club, ESCAPE Family Support and Action for Children Sure Start Ashington Children Centre.

For more information about Woodhorn and its events and exhibitions visit the website www.experiencewoodhorn.com or find Woodhorn on Facebook.For more information about BALTIC and its events and exhibitions visit the website www.balticmill.com or find BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art on Facebook.

Common Ground, Woodhorn Museum 19 March – 12 June 2016

Common Ground, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art 6 May – 19 July 2016