summer of somewhereto_ highlights

Twenty-five year old Ashleigh Ward served as Feelance Regional Coordinator for somewhereto_SE, organising and curating an exhibition at a warehouse in Brighton with over one hundred artists. Here he talks about his somewhereto_ experience:

Launching summer of somewhereto_ in Brighton has been the biggest exhibition I have ever organised. I managed to secure a huge warehouse space in Circus Street, which allowed me to pull together all the talented young artists and give them a space to exhibit and perform. I just knew that for a big creative festival like summer of somewherto_ there was nowhere better than this huge abandoned warehouse in Brighton.

I had three key members that helped me make this event happen. Al from Iklect is starting his own collective and has a number of artists he wanted to exhibit. Becky (first year sculptor at University of Brighton) was a good leader so I put her in charge of the sculptors. She did an amazing job of organising and curating the 3D element to the show.

Hannah from Canopy Creative was the first young person I met in my new job role as freelance delivery partner for somewhereto_SE, so when I secured Circus Street, I knew I wanted her to bring her amazing ideas to the venue. She built and hung Sussex meadows from the ceiling which had a long table underneath. This brought a beautiful elegance to the industrial warehouse.

The variety of the show was brilliant. Not only did we have over 100 artists exhibiting, but we also had amazing workshops and events. One of my favourite workshops was the 3D projection-mapping workshop from the collective L.E.G, a rare opportunity to learn 3D projection-mapping for free.

The opening night saw more then 700 guests come through the door. The few people that I got to talk to on the opening night loved the show. I spoke to someone that worked at Lighthouse Gallery and he said that this show didn’t feel like Brighton but had a Berlin feel to it, which was incredible to hear.

When I closed the shutters at the end of the opening night, the crowd outside cheered and clapped, which was a lovely moment. Seeing it all come together so wonderfully made me feel proud to be part of somewhereto_ which gives young people this incredible opportunity.The support of the public has been really positive and seeing them blown away but what we’ve all achieved, has been the most rewarding.

Here twenty-four year old artist and somewhereto_ Glasgow ambassador, Kerrigan Renniegade talks about her experience of the project:

I am a young artist from a small village outside of Glasgow, called Salsburgh. I have been drawing and painting from a very young age and last year I became unemployed. This was a huge blow to my confidence as a young emerging artist, and I needed something to keep me creatively stimulated. I started volunteering with Depot Arts in a place called The Imaginarium in Possil, and it was here that I found out about somewhereto_. I had no idea that this amazing organisation would honestly change my life.

Through my volunteering there have been some really interesting opportunities that have been really positive for me. Earlier on this summer I was asked to be the official young ambassador for ‘summer of somewhereto_’ in Glasgow, and I was honoured to be part of this project.

Summer of somewhereto_  was about celebrating our talented generation, and giving young people a platform to express their ideas. Without the help of the somewhereto_ and their team I wouldn’t have been able to present my first solo art exhibition this summer. My project manager Ian Findlay (who delivers somewhereto_ in Glasgow) was absolutely brilliant. Ian helped me secure O2 Think Big funding which helped me buy art materials, contribute to travel costs and deliver my whole exhibition event.

I have several friends who are involved in the Glasgow hip-hop music scene and as a regular attendee to gigs and battles, I was always inspired by how they expressed themselves. As an artist I always dreamed of contributing something to the local hip-hop scene through my own artwork. And with the help of somewhereto_, this became a reality, when we came up with the idea of “The Art Of Hip-Hop Exhibition”, which showcased portraits I’d painted of my musically talented friends, depicting their skills in areas such as beat boxing, DJing, rapping, and spoken word performance.

somewhereto_ helped me find the space to work on my paintings, and secured a place to express myself to a wider audience. Having a solo art exhibition is something I have thought about from a very young age. I’m a huge believer in following your creative passions and I’ve always loved the idea of people looking at my work and feeling inspired and happy.

Over the last few months my confidence has soared, and I have gained skills that I never thought I would have! I’ve learned how to organise a huge event from the very beginning to the end. The exhibition launch night had an amazing turn out of people in support, with live performances from the subjects in my artwork. Everyone loved my pieces overall and it was extremely rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off.

See more of Kerrigan’s work in this video:

Get involved with somewhereto_ here.

somewhereto_ is a UK wide youth programme delivered by Livity and funded by a £7m grant from the Big Lottery Fund to support its nationwide expansion to 2016.

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I’ve only recently moved to Brighton so my creative scene doesn’t have many hidden gems and despite walking several miles on its streets and lanes in the past week, I feel that I don’t know the city that well yet. So, instead of writing about all things creative in Brighton, I decided to note down a few things that you can do and experience in one day or over a weekend. See it as a whirlwind tour of Brighton if you will with things I’ve discovered and loved so far.

You are probably going to arrive by train, so let’s start at the station. Once you get outside the station, head down Queen’s Road. You can carry on walking this street right down to the seafront, but from about two minutes from the station there’s a flight of stairs to your left taking you to North Laines. Please go down that way instead!

You’ll soon see 3 galleries all worth a visit. Art Schism is run by a co-operative of artists and makers which started as a pop up shop. Gallery 40 showcases local emerging artists in a variety of disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture and installation. They are currently showing portraits by local photographer Alexa Clarke Kent. And last but not least, White Rabbit Gallery – a great little place that showcases and sells independent artists and makers’ work.

By now you are probably feeling a little peckish and I urge you to pop into La Choza for amazing Mexican street food. They don’t take bookings and can get very busy, so go in before the lunchtime rush. If Mexican is not your thing, another brilliant lunch option in nearby Kensington Gardens is Iydea, a vegetarian café/restaurant where you pick your own main, sides and toppings from several healthy options. No matter how full you are after lunch, I doubt you’ll be able to resist Little Bird’s massive slices of gorgeous cakes next door. Especially as they’ve helpfully set them by the window for the passersby to see!

Now that you have filled yourself with tasty food, you should walk down Gloucester Road down to Gloucester Street, turn right and then turn left when you reach the busy road. In just few minutes you should find The ONCA Gallery. Their art exhibitions focus on environmental issues and raise awareness for conservation projects. If you carry on walking further 5 minutes up the road, you’ll come across a little photography gallery called One Eyed Jacks. Their current exhibition, American Odyssey is well worth seeing. Their next exhibition opening in early April will showcase photographer, Barbara Nitke’s behind-the-scenes photographs of the American porn industry in the 80s.

It’s time to head back to North Laines. Just retrace your footsteps but instead of walking all the way to Kensington Gardens, pop over to The Coffee Counter on Vine Street for take-away drinks. Or you could stay a while playing Atari or browsing their newly opened vintage market. They have amazing brownies too.

Now to explore some of the small shopping lanes in North Laines which can get super busy at weekends. From records and spices to books and Moomins, you can find pretty much everything here. I’d walk along Kensington Gardens, cross the road to Gardner Street and then turn right when you reach Church Street, popping inside different shops when you see something you like. When you get to end of Gardner Street, look right and you can see Unlimited’s bright yellow hello character. Unlimited sells prints and other items created by contemporary illustrators, designers and printmakers. Go in but be prepared to leave with a pretty print or two. They seem to have an animal theme going on at the moment and I love their little wooden trees.

From here walk down Church Street, turn right at New Road and then head to the Pavilion Gardens which offer small green respite. Walking diagonally across the park will take you to East Street. You can now explore some of the South Laines’ shops and alleyways. The shops here are more commercial and mainstream and you won’t find items created by local people. It’s more Paperchase and Prettygreen in this part of town. Some of the tiny lanes are worth seeing though especially during quieter times.

If you carry on walking on East Street and turn left at the Fishbowl pub/restaurant, you’ll find Boho Gelato. Oh my, this is THE place to get ice-cream. Their flavours range from plain vanilla and chocolate to more unusual ones like chocolate with chilli, avocado, chocolate with pepper and mascarpone and figs. Get at least 2 scoops of different flavours (don’t worry, they let you taste the more experimental flavours before committing to a whole big scoop) in a small tub (or cone, who am I to judge) and head to Brighton Pier which is only couple of minutes away.

You can spend a while walking by the sea, browsing some of the small galleries and sit on the pebble beach. It’s great for recharging batteries and slowing down a bit. If you walk along to West Street, you can walk straight back to the train station (the street changes into Queen’s Road halfway through). If you fancy a stop, snack or a drink (or all of them), I’d recommend The Blue Man. Its North African theme makes it incredibly cosy and their food is great.

So, here you go, a quick walk around Brighton’s creative, and somewhat culinary scene in a day. If you have more time, you could wonder to Kemptown and its numerous bars and charity shops or towards Hove and its colourful beach huts. There are also plenty of other galleries such as Phoenix, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, and Prescription Art.

Right now Brighton is getting ready for Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe which are both happening in May. I also have so much more to explore from galleries to photography events and talks. Definitely many more exciting and creative times ahead of me.

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My Creative Scene is an insight into different creative & cultural happenings in cities where our members and readers live. Browse through more insider guides here or contact us to write about the arts scene where you are.

Opening of Seven Days by Mikel Telleria

Photobook Show is a Brighton-based arts organisation, set up in 2011 by William Sadowski and Kevin Beck to raise the profile of artist-led photobooks, with particular focus on self-published or hand-crafted works. It aims to hold several exhibitions a year, alongside talks and workshops, to promote the visibility of photobooks.

Almost There by Aleix Plademunt, published by MACK

To further increase accessibility of the artform, Photobook Show has established a free library of photobooks for public perusal at Workflow Studio in Brighton alongside its bookmaking facilities.

You can view all photobooks which Photobook Show have exhibited here.

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For more creative delights we’ve Spotted on the web take a look here.

Who:
Step into the Parlour is a blog by Graphic Designer Melanie Smith.

Why we like it:
Melanie posts finished designs as well as her work in progress, which lets her followers clearly see her development.

Hidden treasure:
We uncovered Melanie’s postage stamp design below celebrating the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth with elements relating to secrets and code-breaking.

Alan Turing Postage Stamp Design, 2011.

Where to find out more:
Blog | Facebook | Pinterest

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Want to take a look at more suggested blogs by artists? Look here.