Although I have not been able to undertake site visits, as I am a part time student and work the rest of the week, I have already visited one of the sites that we discussed in the seminar and I have found another one that looks interesting:
1. Cafe/bar, Folk House, Park Street, Bristol
1. Cafe/bar, Folk House, Park Street, Bristol
The Folk House is an adult education centre in the centre of Bristol, specialising in arts based courses. It runs day and evening classes and regular events. It also holds art exhibitions in the cafe/bar which is open to the public.
The advantages of the Folk House are that it attracts people who are interested in art, both people attending courses and exhibitions and the general public who come to use the cafe - people may come already with the idea of buying a work of art. The central Bristol location means that an exhibition is easily accessible. Any publicity for an exhibition would be included in the wider marketing materials and website for the Folk House which would reach a wide audience.
The disadvantages are that it is only suitable for works that are framed and displayed on the wall. The lighting is not particularly strong in places, and the positioning of some of the tables makes it hard to see all of the exhibits. It is also distracting to view an exhibition whilst the room is full of people eating, drinking and talking.
http://www.bristolfolkhouse.co.uk/index.php
2. We discussed the Old Bridewell Police Station - I went to a graffiti exhibition there in December 2007. However, it has now become 'The Island', a centre for performing rather than visual arts. After some research on the internet, I found a gallery in Gloucester Road called 'Room212' which looks really interesting:
The advantages of the Folk House are that it attracts people who are interested in art, both people attending courses and exhibitions and the general public who come to use the cafe - people may come already with the idea of buying a work of art. The central Bristol location means that an exhibition is easily accessible. Any publicity for an exhibition would be included in the wider marketing materials and website for the Folk House which would reach a wide audience.
The disadvantages are that it is only suitable for works that are framed and displayed on the wall. The lighting is not particularly strong in places, and the positioning of some of the tables makes it hard to see all of the exhibits. It is also distracting to view an exhibition whilst the room is full of people eating, drinking and talking.
http://www.bristolfolkhouse.co.uk/index.php
2. We discussed the Old Bridewell Police Station - I went to a graffiti exhibition there in December 2007. However, it has now become 'The Island', a centre for performing rather than visual arts. After some research on the internet, I found a gallery in Gloucester Road called 'Room212' which looks really interesting:
http://www.room212.co.uk/ It is a small gallery which is available a week at a time for local artists to put on exhibitions. You can do it either as an individual or a group. It appears to be extremely accessible - if the week that you want is free, you can go ahead and book it. Although it is a small space, the images I have found on the internet show that it is well lit, with a lot of window space so that your work is immediately visible to passers by. As it is just a gallery, the floor is available for sculptures. It looks like a very good place to hold an exhibition. |