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20
Feb 2022
State of the art: Harrogate's boom in independent galleries
If you have wandered around Harrogate, you may have noticed a boom in the number of independent art galleries in the town.
In recent years, at least three have launched, including Messums Yorkshire, Watermark Gallery, and Bils and Rye.
And this is in the addition to the established galleries in the town, such as the Mercer, Silson Contemporary, RedHouse Originals and York Fine Arts - to name but a few.
All have proved to be a major draw for both artists and collectors, with many placing an emphasis on promoting Northern talent.
Silsen Contemporary Art Gallery, based at Sarah Collier's home on Harlow Oval.
Liz Hawkes, director of Watermark Gallery, which opened on the historic Royal Parade in March 2020, said:
Liz, who owns the gallery with her husband Richard, said all the galleries in the town offered something completely different, from ultra-modern contemporary art to traditional Victorian watercolours.
She said:
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Liz explained that art had become more accessible than ever in recent years thanks to the Own Art scheme. The national initiative makes buying contemporary art and craft affordable by providing interest-free credit for the purchase of original work.
The Watermark gallery is holding six exhibitions this year, with the next, Off the Beaten Track, featuring Yorkshire ceramicist Michele Bianco and Scottish-based Swiss painter, Pascale Rentsch, planned in March.
A number of workshops, courses and lectures will also take place in the studio space at the back of the gallery.
The Watermark Gallery.
Liz said:
Johnny Messum, director of Messums Yorkshire, also known as Messums Harrogate and Messums North, agrees that the town is a perfect location to showcase artistic talent.
After an extended stay on James Street following a successful temporary pop-up exhibition in 2020, Messums is moving out of the building at the end of this month.
However, the contemporary art dealer is hoping to find another location in Harrogate and is currently looking for a new site.
Photograph: @messumsyorkshire, Instagram
He said:
Johnny said the quality of the art and the number of galleries in Harrogate attracted to people to the town, with many collectors making a special visit.
The gallery's most recent exhibition, Routes North, has just come to an end, which brought together multiple artists whose work reflects the variety and vibrancy of the region, from Knaresborough to Newcastle.
The exhibition represented the first presentation in the North of this programme, which has been championing emerging talent across Messums sister galleries in London and Wiltshire for the last five years.
It' also set out to prove that that all roads don't lead to London when it comes to the quality of work and artistic talent.
Johnny said:
Work by Jill Tate and James Thompson at the Routes North exhibition. Photograph: Messums Yorkshire.
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