Hey Art, What's Good?

In this episode Rosie and Alice have a chat about the BALTIC Open Submission, with Curator of Performance and Public Programme Katie Hickman, and Programme Assistant Emily Holmes. This is a show comprised of the works of 150 artists and makers based in the North east of England, which spans all manner of artistic mediums and genres - there’s really something for everyone it’s amazing!

Hello! We're back with a great discussion about the online exhibition 'What Does It Mean to be Working Class?' at Pink Collar Gallery. We got together with the gallery's curator, Michaela Wetherell, and two contributing artists, Erin Dickson and Kev Howard, to hear about the work on show and their thoughts on what it means to be a working class person, and how this affects those in the creative industries.

For this episode we have a chat about our recent visit to the Laing Art Gallery to explore the new 'Art Deco by the Sea' exhibition. This extensive show looks specifically at the Art Deco movement in art, advertising, architecture and clothing, specifically in relation to the rise of British seaside tourism in the late 1920s-1930s. Something that we love about this show is how the Laing has been able to incorporate elements of their own collection, to really include the North East into this narrative.

For this episode we sat down with art friend and curator Michaela Wetherell, to talk all about her new online gallery space, Pink Collar Gallery, and the new exhibition ‘Burnout’ by the podcast’s own Rosie Stronach! Michaela started the online gallery as a means to continue curating whilst many venues were closed over lockdown. The gallery’s aim is to give a platform to and promote art created by underrepresented groups, and Michaela’s particular passions are highlighting female (under)representation within the arts and the relevance of working-class identity. This is Rosie’s first solo exhibition which explores mental health within the creative community. ‘Burnout’ is an ongoing series which reflects upon the effects of poor mental stability resulting in a mental or emotional burnout. cw: we discuss mental health and briefly touch on suicide. if you’re having a tough time or would like someone to talk to, here’s some resources for organisations you can get in touch with to help out: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

In this episode Rosie and Alice have a chat about their recent visit to the BALTIC to check out Against Time by Huma Bhabha. Focusing largely on the body / figure, this exhibition explores movements in art history, cultural imagery inspired by the artists upbringing, and a look towards the future. A lot of what we see could be mistaken for already historic artefacts: crumbling statues and sketches of unfamiliar landscapes with mammoth and aging monuments, however this isn't necessarily the case.

For this episode Alice and Ellie talk about their separate visits to Cheeseburn Sculpture Gardens for their 2020 edition. Cheeseburn takes place every summer at Cheeseburn Grange, a private residence near Hexham, and showcases a massive range of sculpture-based artworks from a host of different artists, with a great focus on North Eastern creators. Have a listen to get an idea of what Cheeseburn had to offer this year, and learn about some of our favourite pieces!

In this episode we are joined by Lydia Hiorns, Programme Manager at Shieldfield Art Works (SAW), to have a catch up with what the organisation has been up to during lockdown, and their current situation after a loss of funding. You might recall we had SAW on the podcast before, so it was great seeing what they’ve been doing in the past year, and how their wonderful community focus has impacted the Shieldfield community.

In this episode we have a good chat with Bethan Jayne and Carmela Vienna, two of the founding members of Round Lemon! We learn about what Round Lemon is and how it started, what opportunities are available through this new online platform and community, and how their individual interests contribute to both Round Lemon and their own artistic practices.

For this episode we were joined again by the lovely Elinor Morgan, Senior Curator at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, to have a catch up with what MIMA has been up to since the lock-down in March. We talk about the differences in communication with the art community during this time, the fun creative projects the institute have been running, and what the near future for the institute looks like.

For this episode Alice and Ellie have a chat about some of the art they can see in their local areas while on their daily walks. Ellie reflects on the growing Rainbow Trail near her at the coast, and Alice discusses some of the sculptures located around Saltwell Park in Gateshead.

For this episode we welcome back Laura Sillars, Director of MIMA and Dean of MIMA School of Art & Design, to tell us a bit about the art school. The MIMA School of Art & Design a part of Teeside University but has the distinct advantage of operating within one of the North's most active and international galleries, We have a chat about the benefits of this for students, the wider impact the school wants to have on the community, and what studying there will look like for students come September.

For this episode we has the pleasure of chatting to Natasha and Julia from The Social Distance Art Project, an online initiative created in March to provide an online alternative to upcoming graduates to display their work, as physical degree shows have been cancelled. We have a chat about how it started, how they've grown, and what their plans are for this fab project!

For this week's episode we got photographer Harriet-Lim Holmes on the phone and had a chat about her photography style, influences, and equipment. Ellie met Harriet in China whilst they were both there to teach English in the city of Chongqing, and while they're both back in the UK for the foreseeable we thought it would be great to learn more about the city, their experiences there, and how Harriet chose to capture it through her cameras.

All the way back at the beginning of February Alice went down to Sheffield to check out 'Rewriting the Future' at Site Gallery, a fantastic show about speculative science fiction, specifically through a female/non-binary lens. We do love a bit of sci-fi here on Hey Art, What's Good?, so we thought now was as good a time as any to have a chat about it.

Back at the beginning of March the HAWG gang went around town for a night of exhibitions, planning to do an episode about them and recommending people go check them out. We started the night in Hancock Gallery for the opening of 'Between Distance & Desire', then made our way down to B&D Studios for Pointer's MIND FULL MESS. Whilst you can't go and check out these great shows in person, they are largely available to check out on instagram. (check out the blog post for links)

All the way back in February Alice and Rosie went along to the wonderful Thought Foundation, a cafe, community hub and art gallery over in Birtley, to check out their newest show CRAFT, curated by the amazing Michaela Wetherell. We were all geared up to get Michaela in the studio and talk to us about it, but then corona happened so we couldn't do that. Instead of forgetting about it though we thought we'd get Michaela on the horn and talk to her about it anyways, hopefully painting a picture of some of the amazing artworks you could have seen.

For our second episode recorded from home we thought it was a good idea to reintrouce ourselves! It's been around a year and half since we started this podcast and we didn't necessarily do a great job at saying who we were in the first place. Have a listen to find out what we do, why we do the podcast, and what we love in art!

We're back baby! It's been far too long since we recorded something, and since we're all stuck at home for the foreseeable we got a bunch of microphones and got the crew back together to talk about art! (or at least, talk about how we're going to talk about art). So here's a little socially distant update about what we've been up to and what we have planned, and as Rosie says, 'stay home, stay safe, stay creative'.

This week we went back down to the wonderful Side Photographic Gallery to check out 'Waiting for Winter' by Rena Effendi. This show brings together elements of three bodies of work, based in Azerbaijan, Romania and Ukraine, which all have the common theme of traditional ways of living and working the land in some remote places.

For this week's episode we had a sit down and a good chat with the two lovely ladies behind The Spaghetti Factory, Jenny McNamara and Evelyn Cromwell. The Spaghetti Factory is a curatorial project which has evolved from one night only shows in their shared house, to currently curating a series of shows at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. This was a lot of fun to record, so tune in to hear about their origins, their individual artistic practices, and what could be coming up next for this fab curatorial project.

We're back after our impromptu break with special guest Ellie, who's back from China for a small amount of time ad eager to chat about some art! For this episode we went along to Vane Gallery and Hatton Gallery to check out 'Illuminating the Self', which takes place across both galleries. "Illuminating the Self is an exhibition of new work by artists Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie in response to groundbreaking research led by Newcastle University into developing a new treatment for epilepsy." It's such an interesting exhibition about a super important and fascinating topic, and to see if spread across two galleries is unlike anything we've really seen - I can't recommend it enough!

This week the girls popped along to the Hatton to check out one of their new exhibitions, 'Origins and Endings', by artist Marriane Wilde and composer Mark Carroll, which does one of our favourite things and combines science and art. "The exhibition will highlight partnerships that have culminated in creative works in response to the academic research carried out by PEALS (Policy, Ethics & Life Sciences Research Centre), and ranges across the broad themes of being human." We thought it was pretty fab and we're excited to go back and see the other science-y exhbition they have on.

For this week's episode we went down to Hartlepool Art Gallery to check out Ellen Ranson's (of Conny Art Festival fame) solo show, 'Under the Eaves'. This mint display of abstract expressionism really was our cup of tea and we had such a fab time checking it out! "Abstract expressionism is emblematic of these issues, whereby female artists of the era were marginalised and disregarded, whilst male artists rose to prominence. This blueprint can be applicable to contemporary patriarchal power structures. The artists’ work aims to perform the arrogance and ego associated with the Abstract Expressionist male archetype"

We had such a blast checking out Humber Street Gallery for the first time we just had to make another episode about it! When we went there was a fab exhibition by Danish artist Aniara Omann called 'Equanipolis', which looks at what the future of humanity just might be like. There was a whole range of stuff to have a look at, from wall-based pieces, somewhat sinister wooden mannekins, to a giant animatronic head!

For this week's episode we have our first Field Trip of 2020 (well technically we went in 2019 but, you know). Back in December we went on down to Hull, somewhere neither of us had ever been before, to check out the amazing Humber Street Gallery, and a preview they had on for a new show, Proboscidea Rappings. This exhibition was super interesting and v surreal, about the life and times of circus elephant Jumbo, who's name we can attribute to being synonymous with 'large'.

Happy New Year guys! Welcome to 2020!

For this week's episode we headed back down to the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art to have a look at the 'Middlesbrough Collection, Why Are We Here? with Black Artists and Modernism' exhibition. For this one we're joined by the wonderful Olivia Heron, an Assistant Curator at MIMA, who told us some more about the exhibition and shared some pretty cool stories when it came to getting the pieces together!

For this week's episode the girls have a chat about when they went to go see the fab photography exhibition 'Observe. Experiment. Archive. at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. This is a group exhibition that explores paralells between the science, history and photography, and is curated by the North East Photography Network (NEPN). There's such a wide range of subjects explored, and some pretty amazing things to be seen - you've got until the 5th January to go check it out!

For this week's episode we had a sit down and a chat with the wonderful Ellen Ranson and Elaine Robertson from Conny Art Festival to discuss the most recent edition of the festival. Conny is a two week long arts festival which takes place all over the town of Consett, in County Durham. There was workshops, exhibitions, live events and all sorts, and now it's all over for this year we wanted to hear all about it from the festival's two founders.

In this week's episode the girls got invited back to The Laing to check out their newest exhibition The Enchanted Interior (spoiler: it was mint). This is a massive and amazingly curated exhibition that looks at the problematic and popular theme in art of the interior as a 'gilded cage' for women, who inhabit the space as ornaments.

For this week's episode the girls popped back over to the Hatton Gallery, located in the Newcastle University campus, to check out ARTIST ROOMS Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was an American Pop Artist who's artistic career spanned 3 decades or so, until the late 1990s. ARTIST ROOMS is a country-wide initiative which brings international artists to local gaolleries across the UK.

For this week's episode the girls went back along to the wonderful Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and had a chat with Senior Curator Elinor Morgan about their newest exhibition, 'For Many Voices' by Mikhail Karikis. This exhibition is a survey of Karikis's work over the past 10 years, and it massively employs the use of sound, documentary-style video, and a community focus. "He employs listening as a form of activism, tuning into voices that operate beyond mainstream frequencies. In the past decade, he has shifted how he works, from creating a space in which others participate in the work to one in which they become co-producers. The resulting projects highlight alternative modes of solidarity and action, while nurturing attention, dignity and tenderness."

A few weeks ago Alice adn Rosie got to check out this year's #Untitled10 exhibition at the Bowes Museum over in County Durham. #Untitled10 2019 saw 10 artists and craftspeople undertake a residency at the museum and respond to it's history in a creative way. There was some fab stuff and it was all so different! It was spread out throughout the entire museum within the pre-existing pieces on show, so we had a great time just exploring the entire place and contextualising the newly made pieces.

For this week's episode Alice and Amy popped back along to the Tyneside Cinema to check out the most recent event in the Projections programme: Visions of Collisions by FilmBee. FilmBee is a collective based in the North East who experiment with all things film: shooting it, developing it, screening it and creating fab events with it, like this one! This was a weird and wonderful collaboration of ideas and source material, and we learned about the concept of agonism and how that can be thought of in the cinema space.

In this week's episode we have a continuation of our conversation about Middlesbrough Art Weekender 2019 - this time with Rosie! She exhibited with HUN this year so she tells us about that process, some of the problems she ran into (and overcame), and what her experience of the weekender was.

In this week's episode Alice and Amy have a chat about their experience checking out this year's Middlesbrough Art Weekender that was on last weekend. It's a wonderful three-day festival of art that takes over the city of Middlesbrough, and there was just so much to see!

This weeks episode is all about when the girls checked out day 3 of this years amazing Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival up in Berwick-upon-Tweed. As you might recall we checked out the opening day of the festival last year, and the high expectations we got from the festival this year were met in full! We saw some amazing films, some confusing ones, some cool art, and we caught up with some old friends. If this sounds like your cup of tea then give the episode a listen!

During our summer break we went over to Rotterdam for a little hollie, and when we were there we saw a multitude of art and wanted to talk about some of it. TENT Rotterdam is a really cool gallery space in the centre of Rotterdam (inside a different contemporary art gallery), and the exhibition we saw 'No You Won't Be Naming No Buildings After Me' is an interesting look at how places and things can get commemorated. The exhibition actually closes tomorroe (22nd September), so if you're in Rotterdam go check it out!

On our summer break we still went out to see some cool art around the North East and whilst most (if not all) of the stuff we went to go see has finished now, we think they deserve a mention. So this episode is a short but sweet little recap of some of the cool stuff we saw this summer.

We're back from our summer break and we've got a fantastic exhibition to get started up again with! 'A Foul and Awesome Display' by Kirsty Harris is showing at Vane Gallery at the moment and it's all about nuclear bombs, explosions, and testing. It's such an interesting and kind of morbid topic and it's explored in some very interesting ways. You can catch the show until the 28th September so if you can we'd really recommend it!

Happy Birthday to us! It was just over a year ago when we first started this podcast, and with this being episode 52 we thought we'd celebrate here, have a look back at what an amazing year it's been, and re-introduce ourselves. We'll be coming back on the 13th September! In the meantime you can still reach us on our socials and through email, and as always if you have any recommendations send them our way! Did you have any favourite episodes in the past year? What was the most outstanding exhibition or event you checked out yourself? You can let us know in the comments or by sending us a comment or message on our Twitter or Instagram.

For this week's episode the girls have a chat about the opening of the wonderful Heads & Tales exhibition at Vane Gallery (exhibition runs until 13th July 2019 - go check it out today!). We discuss how art is important to mental health, Rosie's involvement in the show, and a few of our favourites.

For this week's episode the girls popped back along to the Tyneside Cinema to check out the most recent event in the Projections programme: Susie Green & Simon Bayliss: Artists' Music Videos. They had a fantastic evening watching an eclectic mix of music videos and true experimentations of what a music video could be.

We've got another minisode this week for you guys! Alice and Amy got an invite to check out an exhibition by Claire Dorsett that opened at Workplace Gallery in Gateshead the other week. We really loved the style of the paintings and the kind of nostalgia it evoked, so we thought we'd have a quick chat about it.

For this week's episode Alice and Amy finally went on their 'sister trip' up to Edinburgh, where they checked out the 'Beyond Realism | Dada and Surrealism' exhibition at The National Scottish Museum Of Modern Art. We do love a bit of surrealism and it was great finding some familliar artists work and learning about some new ones (well, new to us because surrealism is an old movement).

This episode continues from last week, where we were talking about our last visit to Middlesbrough and the Creative Factory arts trail on the 24th May. Here we have a chat about the opening of The Auxiliary's brand new space in an old converted warehouse, and the lovely Hun event, 'The Summer One'.

For this week's episode the girls talk about their recent visit down to Middlesbrough to check out the Creative Factory Middlesbrough art trail on the 24th May. On this wonderful evening filled with art and amazing people, Pineapple Black opened a couple of new exhibitions, 'Training Montage' and 'Renounce'. Tune in next week for a part two of this episode, where we chat about the opening of The Auxiliary and HUN's Summer One.

In this very silly minisode Alice and Rosie finish their chat about when they went to Barcelona, taking about the Frederic Mares Museum and the many hundreds of Jesus sculptures, as well as some other aspects of the collection and the trip.

For this week's episode the girls wanted to talk about that time they went to Barcelona, and their visit to the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. There were two fantastic and remarkably extensive exhibitions on show, 'A Short Century: MACBA Collection' and 'Christian Marclay: Compositions', so have a listen as we break these down and just generally talk about the trip.

For this week's episode the wonderful Alison Merritt Smith, director of The Holy Biscuit here in Newcastle, came into the studio to have a chat about The Holy Biscuit and it's current transition and re-brand into Shieldfield Art Works. We had a talk about the launch party, the current exhibition, and the effect of the rise of student accommodation has on the community.

For this week's episode Rosie takes a moment to remember Ewan Brown, and the girls have a chat about their recent visit to Vane Gallery to check out 'Worth It', a fab exhibition that explored textiles, fashion, and what it means to be a women in Tyneside today. (Part of 'Festival of Women', from the Women of Tyneside project).