Visual Arts & Exhibitions

This March, Blackpool's favourite garlic bread-loving comedian will be heading back to town, and this time, he's coming by car! Car Share was always likely to be a massive hit, given Peter Kay’s involvement, and when it arrived, the critical and public reception to the first series was hugely positive.  In March 2015, faithful followers were given a sneak preview in charity screenings at the Winter Gardens.  If you kicked yourself for missing the series 1 preview, you now have the chance to put that right.  Episodes from the upcoming second series of this classic British sitcom are given their first…

Fancy taking in five art exhibitions in one, free to enter with over 400 participants and something for everyone?  Then get your skates on and get yourself down to The Grundy before the Blackpool Art Fayre closes at the end of this week.  If you are still unsure and wondering what makes up the quintet read on:-   Blackpool Open   An eclectic mix of submitted work from local artists.  Some of the exhibits are available for sale if what you would look good on your wall. Blackpool Art Society The society has a 130 year tradition, making it one…

Abingdon Studios has paired up with UK Young Artists (UKYA), a thriving new arts organisation developing emerging artist aged 18-30 with national and international opportunities. Together the studios and UKYA will host the first residency weekend in partnership with a view to explore new ways of working and collaborating longer term with schemes such as this for contemporary artists to come together and have time and space to explore new ideas. The weekend will include a number of arts professionals presenting and sharing experience with the residency artists including Richard Smith, Curator, Peter Scott Gallery, Edinburgh based artist Andrew Gannon,…

This January, a photographic opportunity for all aspiring and interested photographers will allow access to The Grand Theatre, Blackpool for a Masterclass with Sean Conboy, their official, in-house photographer to guide you through how to capture that perfect shot of The Grand’s spectacular interior. This exciting photography opportunity is not an experience to be missed by any budding, amateur or professional photographer. To be given this level of access to the building in all it's glory is a highly unusual occurrence. The Grand Theatre Blackpool, is a Grade II* listed structure and boasts such elegant baroque and Italian inspired architecture by architect Frank Matcham. It…

Here at altBlackpool we know the local art and creative output we cover inspires you to take part in the rich and varied activities going on across the Fylde. Many of you may be pure consumers, but doubtless some of you produce artwork of some form for your own fulfilment. The Grundy are giving you a chance to exhibit hitherto unpublished works as part of the Blackpool Art Fayre in early 2017. Alongside the open exhibition of Fylde residents’ work the gallery will be spotlighting two Blackpool-based arts organisations: the Blackpool Art Society and the recently formed Abingdon Studios. In…

Icy winds groaned and whistled chaotically around the walls and windows of the top floor of Abingdon Studios last Thursday night. Inside, however, was home to an oasis of calm, considered and clinical precision at the opening of Supercollider’s latest exhibition. Entitled 'A Symptom of Objects' the group exhibition draws largely on the work of young Leeds based and originating artists. The works are arranged with delicate consideration on a pristine white platform. The works themselves are small and graceful objects, many of which seem to have the literal or figurative fragility of things which have taken a step outside…

  Never one to pass up a shopping expedition, particularly one that involves work produced by local artists and craftspeople, I was excited to hear about an evening of retail therapy entitled 'Make It Christmas' at several local outlets, planned for 1 December 2016. As a member of the Blott Artist Collective, one of the participating organisations, I was even more thrilled to realise that I would be involved not only in the buying but also in the selling. I spoke to Corrine Streetly, artist director and curator of Blott, about how Blott was first established. She told me the studio…

Recent local arts activities have included several strands related to live on housing estates.  UNIT showed Andrea Luke Zimmerman’s 2015 film “Estate – A Reverie’, about life on the Haggerston Estate in Hackney. The Grundy aired Duncan Campbell’s film ‘Falls Burns Malone Fiddles’ using images from the Belfast Community Photographic Archive. And this weekend there is a chance to see a more local perspective with an exhibition at Little Marton Windmill about Blackpool’s very own Mereside estate. Over the last eight months artist Lisa Wigham has been working with the communities of Mereside as part of the ‘Mereside at Play’…