The University of Wolverhampton’s School of Art (Est. 1851) will play host to a prestigious touring art show when it visits the region.
The Hayward Gallery Touring’s British Art Show 9 will open in Manchester in 2020 before going on tour to Wolverhampton, Aberdeen and Plymouth.
British Art Show is the biggest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK. It attracted over 300,000 visitors in its tour to four cities from October 2015 to January 2017.
The Wolverhampton School of Art (Est. 1851) covers a range of art, design and media disciplines including Fine Art, Sculpture, Fashion, Textiles, Graphic Design, Illustration, Games Design, Film, Television, Animation, Product Design, Interior Design, Furniture Design, Glass and Ceramics.
Sam Hope, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “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.”
City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, 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 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 exhibition introduces a wide public to a new generation of British artists, or artists practising in Britain, providing a vital overview of the most exciting art produced in this country during the previous five years.
Tour details (exact dates and touring venues to be confirmed):
October 2020 - Jan 2021 - Manchester (The Whitworth, HOME and Manchester Art Gallery)
February - May 2021 - Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the University of Wolverhampton School of Art
June - September 2021 - Aberdeen Art Gallery
October 2021 - January 2022 - Plymouth (The BOX, Plymouth and other venues around the city)
