The History of The Norman Rea Gallery
Words by Evie Brett
For nearly fifty years now, the Norman Rea Gallery has been flourishing within its corner of Derwent College at the University of York, hosting not only a varied programme of art exhibitions each year, but also a breadth of standalone events and socials. Indeed, to this day, it continues to hold the title of the only student-run gallery in the UK. With such a huge anniversary coming up in 2026, it seems the right time to take a walk down memory lane, looking back at the rich history of NRG, and what exactly makes it quite so special to all those who dedicate so much of their university experience to its cause.
In 1976, the gallery was established by Norman Rea himself, the provost of Langwith College between 1974 and 1997. Before the conception of NRG, it had been custom for each college at the university to sometimes host art exhibitions in various spaces around campus, most notably common rooms and the dining area at Heslington Hall (where Sidney Nolan’s The Snake was exhibited!). However, there existed no permanent space dedicated to the showing of artworks. Common rooms could not be used on a regular basis for exhibitions, and the dining area of Heslington Hall was soon converted into office spaces. And so, just two years into his tenure, Norman Rea dedicated what was Langwith’s Junior Common Room and adjoining the long corridor as the official art gallery of the University of York. When Langwith College itself moved to East Campus in 2012, the gallery became part of the Derwent College as we know it today. With the gallery space functioning as a bridge between the university’s English and Education Departments, it provides a wonderfully effective place to afford everyone on campus the opportunity to see artworks, whether that be on an intentional visit to the gallery, or simply as a happy accident on their way from one class to the next.
Install of Child’s Play, 2024.
In such an endeavour, Norman Rea’s prime goal was to ensure that art was accessible to the students at York, providing facilities for new and upcoming artists to display their work, as well as giving students the chance to curate: something that still very much rings true for the committee of NRG today. Indeed, in 2021, our team was lucky enough to receive a letter from the previous provost himself in response to the gallery’s work over the last several years. In his letter, Norman Rea details the university’s notion of a ‘whole education’, wherein teaching is felt not just through structured lectures and seminars of various degree programmes, but rather is infused throughout life on campus, and indeed, the Norman Rea Gallery provides one such example.
Opening night of Child’s Play, 2024.
Opening night of For Your Convenience, 2024.
In its first few years, the rooms of the gallery had no continuous wall space, and so temporary boards were put in place on which to mount artworks for display. Norman Rea writes that later the team used ‘boards specially constructed to slot between the pillars on hooks and later still we put in spotlights so that the paintings could be properly lit’. Some exhibitions at NRG even extended down into the hall below, back then Langwith’s dining room, though today known as Hendrix Hall. Interestingly, whilst Wednesday nights have become the tradition for openings, in the infancy of the gallery, it was Mondays that took the prime slot, with invitations always being extended to first year students so that ‘it became part of their expectations as undergraduates’.
The very first exhibition held at the Norman Rea Gallery showcased the work of Anne Marie LeQuesne, whilst the last staged by the founder himself displayed paintings from his own collection, of which he had acquired over many years. In his letter, Norman Rea notes the largest exhibition achieved during his time, showing Rag Rugs, designed by artists including Ben Nicholson, A. E. Nicholson, as well as Louise Creed. The exhibition was a huge success, with several hundred being in attendance at the opening night, and many more over the course of the show’s duration. Visitors even came from Newcastle and the remote Yorkshire Dales to see the display of woven textiles.
Norman Rea also describes the legacy of the Scott Award, the annual art competition based within Langwith College. Michael and Eileen Scott were friends of Norman Rea in York who had become associate members of the Senior Common Room, and who also greatly enjoyed their own art practice, painting at home on The Mount.
The letter finishes with a recount of an exhibited artwork that however wasn’t as well received amongst the student body. Norman Rea describes that a sculptor had chosen to show ‘old furniture from a tip painted it white and placed it in the gallery like some great statement of philosophical intent’. I hesitate to think what would be thought of our painted sofas, upcycled as part of the 2022 exhibition Resuscitate and now a permanent feature of the gallery!
Resuscitate, Volume 1, 2022.
Resuscitate, Volume 1, 2022.
Though it had been named after the Langwith College in which it had been located, upon Norman Rea’s retirement in 1997, the gallery’s title was subsequently changed to reflect the work of its founder. Shortly after this, the running of the space also became a student endeavor, and has remained so ever since.
For a directory of past exhibitions and committees, head to our website’s archival pages.
