Shipley Art Gallery

Shipley Art Gallery is one of Gateshead’s most important cultural landmarks, with a history stretching back to its opening in 1917 and collections that are recognised as being of national importance. Its extraordinary mix of fine art, decorative art and contemporary craft reflects both the heritage of the region and its continuing culture of making. Sitting alongside Gateshead Library, the two venues form an important cultural centre for the town, bringing together art, collections, learning, local history and generations of people who have used, visited and been inspired by them.

The Shipley also became the starting point for one of Orbis Community’s earliest creative box projects. Jonpaul Kirvan worked with woodworker Ben Applegarth and other practitioners from the Orbis creative community to develop a piece inspired by the gallery, drawing on the building, its collections and its place within Gateshead’s cultural life. That relationship has continued through a wide range of activity over the years, including Gateshead Creative Crawl trails, printmaking projects with Mick Wootton, creative activity with Art Diamonds, and visits involving university, college and school groups. Having a cultural resource of this quality on our doorstep has been incredibly important to Orbis Community, continually feeding ideas into the projects, workshops and creative activity we develop with people across our wider community.

For Orbis Community, the Shipley is far more than a gallery to visit. It is a place where heritage, contemporary creativity, education and community come together, and one that continues to provide an extraordinary source of inspiration for artists, makers and new generations across the region.