A History of Curatorial Creativity at Norman Rea Gallery
As Co-Director of Norman Rea Gallery, I believe that curation should be considered an artform in its own right. To have a dedicated blank canvas on campus at the University of York available for experimentation is so important and it’s actually why I chose to study here. Without free reign of a space, curation is a very difficult artform to practice, but the University of York provides a space for student creativity to flourish in the Norman Rea Gallery.
Like many art galleries and museums, Covid-19 has pushed us into creating more online content for our members and fellow students, expanding our possibilities for curation into the virtual realm. In doing so we launched our brand new website in July, and our first ever digital exhibition, CHANGE.
In creating our new website, I delved deep into Norman Rea Gallery’s archives, and thought I’d bring you along for a walk down memory lane sharing some of the most innovative and creative creations and curations of past committees since 2012.
Exhibition: Virtually Real
Date: 27th January - 12th February 2020
For an evening of intrigue and digital immersion, in early 2020 Virtually Real forced viewers to “interact with digital works and question the role art has to play in our increasingly digitally aesthetic society” and asked, “how the digital realm transforms our interaction with art.” With a huge exhibition team, artworks from across the world were exhibited in this highly interactive exhibition, helping to create a sense of community and playfulness, combating the daunting, almost intimidating atmosphere which some of the gallery’s exhibitions can feel, particularly those who don’t study art history.
Virtually Real was curated by Bethan Carrick, Grace Frazer, Pearlin Guillon, Emma Pearce, Faith I Weddle, Senah Tuma, Millie Tinston, Finn Reece, Jenny Haplin, Mariah Chuan, Keziah Owusu, Francesca Christodoulou and Aiste Liuka Jonynaite
Exhibition: For Sale
Date: 15th - 21st June 2018
A laid back summer exhibition with complimentary Pimms and colourful walls, For Sale explored “the small details, the routinely, the senses and the thoughts from many lives, as captured in the very personal medium of the postcard.” Simultaneously, the exhibition acted as a fundraiser for Mind, an independent organisation that provides services to those suffering with mental health conditions in York.
The committee of 2018/19 warned the current committee never, ever to paint the walls again. Sometimes remnants of colour can still be found during installations and rehangs. They told us that surprisingly, the light blue was the most resistant colour… It’s fantastic for us to be able to learn from the past committees, hence why our alumni archive is so important to us.
For Sale was curated by Grace Frazer, Jessica Jenkinson, Pearlin Guillon, Sophie Sharpe, Imogen Squire, Sophie Austin and Mathilda Bentley.
Exhibition: Eden
Date: 16th - 27th October 2017
Eden was the first collaboration between Norman Rea Gallery and HARD Magazine for “an exploration of the utopic, the vivid and the Edenic.” With the use of potted plants, the curators of the exhibition combined artworks with nature to hint at the idea of the garden. Since this exhibition, Norman Rea Gallery have collaborated with HARD Magazine on a number of occasions, most recently the gallery was used as a venue to launch ‘Origins - Issue 21’ in November 2019.
Eden was curated by Emma Blackburn, Fanni Breczku, Devon Hedley, Jessica Jenkinson, Laura Moseley and Laura Singleton.
Exhibition: Transformations
Date: 26th Oct 2015
Transformations encouraged visitors of the gallery to “look past the immediate identity of an object and see something more within; whether it be different shapes, colours, objects or abstract figures.” The exhibition featured a transparent cube installation, creating a liminal space within Norman Rea Gallery. Within our archives, we couldn’t find anything comparable before or since, creating an fascinating anomaly that the current committee knows relatively nothing about. The faded bodies from within and without created a secluded space to immerse and transfigure whilst simultaneously being the centre of attention.
Transformations was curated by Tilly Heydon.
Exhibition: Untold
Date: 1st - 8th June 2015
Untold was the 2015 theme of Norman Rea Gallery’s annual student exhibition. Students “used their work to vividly represent what 'Untold' means to them, with visually stunning and emotionally provoking results and explanations.” The exhibition was accompanied by an opportunity to take part in the creation of an installation piece. Asked to write your initial ‘untold’ reactions to the theme; a web of secrets formed in the gallery. I love the interaction this installation adds to the exhibition. Allowing for honest dialogue between students, artists and staff at the University, and serves as a great ice breaker and activity makes conversations at an exhibition opening less daunting. The show was also accompanied by complimentary Pimms - a popular choice for summer exhibitions!
Untold was curated by Dani Cook, Ella Baker, Francesca Page, Nick Yiannitsaros and Paige Vernon.
Exhibition: Fluid Dynamics
Date: 9th - 27th February 2015
Fluid Dynamics was a particularly unique exhibition for the team at Norman Rea Gallery, not only was it located in the 3Sixty Room and Exhibition Space in the Ron Cooke Hub on East Campus, but the artwork of the exhibition was the immersive videography of Máté Ternyik, accompanied by a street dance performance by Gábor Gágyor.
Fluid Dynamics explored Ternyik's “fascination with the dynamics of fluids - how they mix and interact with each other and their environment, while contemplating how human behaviour can relate to these physical phenomena.” Using 360 degree projections the audience were immersed “overwhelm[ing] the senses and create[ing] a meditative atmosphere.”
Merging this powerful performance into a programme of static exhibitions differentiates the contribution that the team behind Norman Rea Gallery offers on campus, but furthermore hosting the performance outside of our regular salon above Courtyard helps to articulate the wider artistic potential of our campus.
Fluid Dynamics was curated by Boglárka Medgyes.
Exhibition: Afterlife
Date: 24th Feb 2014
Afterlife consisted of a series of portraits and landscape photography by Emily Garthwaite as she documented her poignant and personal journey around India discovering her heritage. She travelled accompanied by her grandmother's ashes, searching for the perfect location to scatter them, returning her grandmother to their home.
Interestingly, the exhibition team hung the printed photographs, on wires off the walls, transforming the pathways one would usually take through the gallery. It’s so intriguing to take a look back and see how different committees utilised the exhibition space.
Afterlife was curated by Lily Grant and Francesca Butcher.
Exhibition: The Days of Rot
Date: 4th - 15th November 2013
The Days of Rot featured the videography of Timothy Davey, exploring “the deceptive notion of 'reality' in the cinema and deconstruct[ing] its seductive qualities.” The team at Norman Rea Gallery adopted a multitude of screens, propped around the space to exhibit the artworks. The work was shown in a series of film screenings across the length of the exhibition.
Unfortunately we don’t have a record of the curators of this exhibition.
Exhibition: Force of Nature
Date: Sept 2012
The current committee has very little written documentation on this exhibition. Force of Nature exhibited the work of Ann Decker and Tim Pearce in unison, here I chose to focus on the ceramics featured in the exhibition. The existing photographs that we have to document this exhibition show it in a beautiful golden light. The ceramics teeter on different levels to illuminate the different shadows created by the negative space of Ann Decker’s work. Whilst the purple perfectly sets off the off white and greenish-grey of the ceramics in the third photograph.
Force of Nature was curated by Abbie Thomas and Francesca Mainman.
Exhibition: Catalyst - Open Exhibition
Date: Sept 2012
Again, the current committee has very little information about this exhibition. I adore the participatory nature of this artwork which was situated opposite Courtyard on campus. Bringing this outside is so engaging to those who may not have necessarily been interested in art or have known where Norman Rea Gallery is, despite perhaps being regular customers in Courtyard. It’s possible these uncertain times that outdoor exhibitions might be embedded into our programme to help keep our members and visitors safe. Unfortunately we don’t have a record of the curators of this exhibition.
If you have any further information about these exhibitions, anecdotes, information on curators or are a past committee member and would like to join our alumni archive please let us know as we’d love to hear from you and add further information to our archives.
