Wolverhampton gallery in the frame for big art exhibition
A Black Country art gallery and university has been chosen to be part of the biggest touring exhibition of contemporary in the UK.
Wolverhampton has been chosen as one of four cities involved in the exhibition, alongside Manchester, Aberdeen and Plymouth.
Hayward Gallery Touring announced the city would play host to the British Art Show 9 at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art between February and May 2021.
Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city economy, said: “This is a fantastic honour for the City of Wolverhampton.
“To be chosen as one of just four cities to host this prestigious exhibition shows how highly regarded Wolverhampton Art Gallery and University of Wolverhampton School of Art are in the world of art.
“It is an excellent opportunity for City of Wolverhampton residents to see world-class contemporary art on their doorstep - and will attract thousands of visitors to our city.”
The art show is widely recognised as a significant marker of recent developments in contemporary art, unrivalled in its scope and national reach.
British Art Show 8 attracted over 300,000 visitors in its tour to four cities from October 2015 to January 2017.
Sam Hope, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wolverhampton, added: “We’re delighted that our renowned School of Art has been chosen as one of the touring venues for this prestigious exhibition.
“British Art Show is widely recognised as a significant marker of recent developments in contemporary art, unrivalled in its scope and national reach.
“The opportunity for our art, design and media students, the Friends of the Wolverhampton School of Art and the wider public regionally, nationally and internationally to engage with this exhibition, both at the University of Wolverhampton School of Art and at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, is a real coup for art and culture in Wolverhampton, Black Country and the wider Midlands region.
“The British Art Show is an exciting event for Wolverhampton to host and alongside the Coventry City of Culture 2021 and Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games 2022, it signifies how the West Midlands is moving into a new era of growth for the cultural and creative sector industries bringing with it the creation of job opportunities for Faculty of Arts graduates."
