An art gallery in County Durham is refreshing its collection, displays and the way it welcomes visitors.
The Bob Abley Art Gallery, housed within Spennymoor Town Hall, is undergoing a transformation led by Debbie Connell, Spennymoor Town Council’s new community and culture manager and curator.
Ms Connell, who took up the role in April, said: “Spennymoor is so lucky to have this incredible gallery and one of the first things I wanted to do was reconfigure it to ensure it helped connect people and communities and bring in those people who think ‘galleries are not for me.’
“I genuinely believe that having an appreciation of, and enjoying art is for everyone, so we focused on giving the work room to breathe, moving around some old favourites, creating sections of the gallery that follow certain themes and ensuring work is regularly rotated to create space for new artists to come and show their work.”
In addition to securing new artists, Ms Connell has introduced themed areas and is developing plans for an interactive art space.
She said the changes aim to draw in new audiences and offer more opportunities to regional artists.
Ms Connell said: “With so few places available for local and regional artists to exhibit, with many closing down in recent years, this is an incredibly valuable commodity and it’s up to us to make the most of it.
“The new artists we have brought in have added real vibrancy and splashes of colour to the gallery, and we’ve placed them in areas of the gallery that best showcase their impact, or among work that complements the themes they draw inspiration from – I think visitors will notice a real change.”
To showcase the refreshed space, the town council is launching a new exhibition titled Fresh Perspective, which will feature established Spennymoor artists alongside regional talent.
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Works by Norman Cornish, Bob Heslop, Joanne Mitchell and The Rock Brothers will be displayed alongside pieces from Kevin Day, Anthony Marshall, Bernie Wisniewski, Jim Edwards and Jenny Ulyatt.
Ms Connell said: “I would urge everyone to come along and experience the new work in Fresh Perspectives.
“Art is for everyone and with themes of social history, sport, local scenes and landmarks and the incredible work of Cornish still taking centre stage, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
