Member Article

Newcastle and Sunderland arts venues enter new partnership

Two leading North East arts venues have crystallised their new working relationship to raise the profile of glass making in the region.

The new partnership between Newcastle-based art gallery, The Biscuit Factory and Sunderland’s National Glass Centre officially launched this month and aims to support the work of local glass artists and champion the heritage of glass making in the North East.

National Glass Centre, which opened in 1998, aims to celebrate this important part of the region’s history and inspire people to learn about, make and enjoy contemporary glass. Its new partnership with The Biscuit Factory will help expand its reach across the region, as Michelle Daurat from National Glass Centre explains: “People in the North East and beyond are very familiar with the region’s industrial past as shipbuilders and coal miners, but it is amazing how many people are surprised by the region’s strong connection to glass making.

“National Glass Centre’s partnership with The Biscuit Factory aims to highlight the important part glass making plays in the region’s cultural heritage. There is a very strong community of artists working in glass in the region and we are home to Europe’s largest Glass and Ceramics Degree programme at the University of Sunderland. We hope that by partnering with The Biscuit Factory, we can nurture and support glass artists at all stages of their career and help them to continue to make and promote beautiful work.”

The Biscuit Factory - the UK’s largest art, craft and design gallery – exhibits a range of contemporary glass each season, including work by artists such as Sunderland graduate Samantha Donaldson and one of the world’s most widely respected glass artists, Peter Layton.

Earlier this month The Biscuit Factory also unveiled its new dedicated exhibition space for glassware produced by National Glass Centre’s hot glass studio team, which forms part of the gallery’s new 10-week autumn show.

Rachel Brown, general manager of The Biscuit Factory, comments: “It made complete sense for our two organisations to come together. With National Glass Centre as a key facility for glass making and The Biscuit Factory a key platform for showcasing the work of makers, joining forces not only supports practitioners to gain more exposure of their work, but for members of the public to have greater accessibility to it.”

In the coming months, visitors and clients to both venues will have the opportunity to find out more about each partner and will also receive exclusive access to experiences, events and exhibitions.

To find out more or to sign up to their newsletters visit The Biscuit Factory at www.thebiscuitfactory.com and National Glass Centre at www.nationalglasscentre.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alexis Forsyth .