Grundy Art Gallery

(Blackpool’s’ premier place of Culture)

By Alan Wilkinson

Blackpool’s own art gallery sits quietly next to Central Library. It is a welcoming place-but you have to make the initial choice to cross its threshold. I suspect many people walk past it without either knowing what it is, or even noticing it.

Grundy Art Gallery organizes programmes of contemporary visual art exhibitions. Featuring both established and emerging artists. It also has its own collection. The Grundy draws on its Blackpool heritage while embracing contemporary culture. Blackpool provides a unique platform to work upon which is challenging and exciting for artists. They can develop ideas and take risks in a stimulating environment.

The Grundy Gallery opened in 1911. It was built by Blackpool Council -as a place to house an important bequest of artworks and partly financed from a gift from John and Cuthbert Grundy Both were artists. The Grundy collection, itself, is not on permanent display, but items from it are featured as part of the temporary exhibition programme throughout the year.

The Grundy Gallery is part of Blackpool’s Arts Service-which delivers art projects which engage Blackpool residents, visitors, students and artists. It is a prized, key part of the town’s unique and cultural heritage and latter-day environment.

The current featured exhibition is: “All that comes between us, until 11^th May. It is a solo exhibition by Andrew McDonald and includes a number of new sculptures and hand drawn animations.

“McDonald's drawings are an alternate world where darkness is riven with flashes of light illuminating absurd and horrifying scenes. “

“Just as all good horror films draw on the watcher's expectations of what will unfold to build suspense so McDonald's intersperses scenes of seemingly unobtrusive rooms amongst images of giant fingers ,a pair of lifeless legs or a knife piercing a table. He  arranges ordinary scenes in themselves not threatening , but disturbing in their juxtaposition."

There’s more to the Grundy…You can join a learning group. Community adult and youth groups can visit the Grundy independently or book on a tour and workshop. The tour is an interactive talk about the exhibition currently in the gallery space, followed by a creative workshop enabling the group to explore an element from the exhibition.

You can attend annual art courses to discover contemporary art, for instance on May 1st, at 12.30, Andrew McDonald will talk about his practice and current exhibition. There is an ongoing programme of events, talks, workshops, and of course exhibitions visit the website regularly.

Visit the Grundy: Blackpool's place of culture.