Now you decide what will hang on gallery walls

FRESH from their ‘mammoth’ effort of attempting to display every item in their collection, Touchstones Rochdale concludes the project by handing control over to the public.

Their new exhibit hopes to respond to the preferences of visitors with the publicly-owned works on display being chosen by the public themselves.

Over to you...will be shown in Gallery Two

throughout the summer, until September 7.

Touchstones had previously tried to display every single piece of work it owns, believed to be the first known attempt by a public gallery to do so.

With 1,500 paintings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts, the ambitious exhibition – entitled ‘But What If We Tried?’ – came to a close on June 1 after a three-month run, inspired by a challenge set by contemporary artist Harry Meadley.

As one of their most successful exhibits for some time, the thousands of visitors who attended told the gallery which works they liked the most and the ones they’d like to see on display that didn’t make it.

These will include the iconic A Special Pleader, by Queen Victoriaapproved artist, Charles Burton Barber, hanging for a limited time only.

Also on display at Touchstones this summer is some new work from a British sculptor whose career burned bright in the 80s prior to retreating into rural isolation.

Richard Wincer looks back to his landmark Hut exhibit in 1983, which thrust the Todmordenbased artist into the national spotlight.

Shelter, created for and installed in Touchstones’ Gallery One 36 years later, sees Wincer revisit this structure to communicate the experience of losing a place to call home.

Mark Doyle, Art Gallery Curator & Collections Manager at Touchstones Rochdale, said: ”Now based in West Yorkshire, Richard Wincer’s work in the outdoors environment has chimed with his personal desire to find a sense of peace away from the art world.

“Coming to Rochdale to explore issues of homelessness, he is challenging both himself and our visitors ●●Artist Harry Meadley and Curator Mark Doyle at Touchstones Rochdale’s recent record-attempting exhibition But What If We Tried? ... now the public will decide which exhibits will go on display to face up to an exacerbated sense of vulnerability in our communities.”

The season’s exhibitions includes a late Canadian Inuk artist, Annie Pootoogook, whose drawings provide a look at her indigenous, community.

Finally, Nowruz/New Day is a exhibition of photography that uses a number of collaborators to focus on the Middle East area and the people who minority call it home, or who once did.

Mark added: “All four exhibitions are timely, telling distinct yet interlaced stories of pride, identity and impermanence.”