Western Morning News (Saturday)
Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange reopens with new online and in-person exhibitions
NEWLYN Art Gallery and The Exchange has reopened stronger than ever after being closed for almost six months. It was hit hard by the pandemic and, like many businesses and organisations, was forced to close overnight when the first lockdown hit in March 2020.
Kathy Hill, the marketing and commercial manager at the gallery, said: “It was a big shock when we had to close with very limited notice last year. It also meant that some of the exhibitions we had planned never opened.”
But to Kathy’s own admission, once the original shock of the closure passed, the pandemic also proved a catalyst for change. The gallery evolved and switched its activities online, leading to the creation of a virtual museum.
Kathy continued: “It made us think about who we are and what we can do. We have this great resource. So we did this massive pivot online. What it did was to progress our digital plan, which we would probably not have done otherwise. Because we had this online presence, we were able to reach a new audience of people who would not normally come to an art gallery or museum.”
Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange has launched an entirely online version of its annual Palace of Culture exhibition. Working with V21 Productions and the Arts Council Collection, the gallery created a virtual show using the latest computer-generated imagery whereby visitors can tour the works of arts on show at the gallery without having to come in person.
Kathy feels that the digital work done over the past year, as well as a new physical, in-person exhibition of British seaside photographs through the ages will help bring the barriers and stigma down around the accessibility of the arts.
Seaside Photographed is running until July 3, with Palace of Culture from June 14 to July 30, 2021.
Visit newlynartgallery.co.uk for more information.