Rochdale Observer

Art gallery joins Tate on exciting project

- ●●Artist Rooms and Touchstone­s PREVIEW BY STEVE COOKE

AS THE Touchstone­s Art Gallery and Museum space is undergoing redevelopm­ent there is still plenty going on.

They currently are working with Tate on an exciting new project, building on their Artist Rooms collection­s of contempora­ry and modern art to create a new type of exhibition, co-created with members of our community.

Together with artist Erica Matthews, Touchstone­s has formed an art group based in Middleton which will delve

into Tate’s Artist Rooms collection and Touchstone­s’ own collection­s in order to curate a unique exhibition, inspired by their own experience­s of viewing and making art. Throughout Touchstone­s’ closure for redevelopm­ent, the group will meet weekly to research, discuss and develop an overarchin­g narrative for the exhibition, choosing a story to tell and selecting pieces for inclusion.

When the building reopens in 2025, the final exhibition will form part of the opening programme, pioneering the spirit of co-curation which will come to define Touchstone­s in the years ahead.

Artist Rooms is a collection of modern and contempora­ry art. Establishe­d in 2008, the collection includes major bodies of work by more than 40 internatio­nal artists. The guiding principle is to show the work of each artist in dedicated solo exhibition­s.

Through Artist Rooms, important works of art can be seen by visitors across the United Kingdom. Since the touring programme began in 2009, nearly 50 million people have visited more than 180 exhibition­s at over 85 museums and galleries, from Penzance to the Hebrides, and from Belfast to Llandudno.

Artist Rooms gives young people across the UK the chance to get involved in creative projects, discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills.

The touring programme is delivered by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate in a partnershi­p with Ferens Art Gallery until December 2020, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, by Art Fund and by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate, the collection was establishe­d through The d’offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, and the Scottish and British Government­s.

 ?? ?? ●●Touchstone­s Artists Rooms
●●Touchstone­s Artists Rooms

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