Masterpieces from world famous artists will be on display in the city this month.
The Art Explora Mobile Museum is touring the UK until May 2024 to enable local communities to access great art – and it will be visiting Stoke-on-Trent this Easter. The tour will stop off in Burslem between March 25 – March 28 and in the city centre between March 29 – April 6.
The mobile museum will offer local school children, young people, community groups, care home residents and adults from all backgrounds the opportunity to view work from some of the world’s most famous artists.
There will also be creative workshops and an exciting programme of Easter events in collaboration with the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Smithfield and the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID.
Students from Stoke-on-Trent College will also exhibit artworks at Smithfield developed in collaboration with Tate and Art Explora in response to the exhibition inside the Mobile Museum.
Entry to the Mobile Museum is free but a small charge will apply to some of the workshops taking place at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We feel really honoured that the city has been included in the Mobile Museum tour. This is really exciting for Stoke-on-Trent and it will be the first-time local school children and some residents will have been given the chance to experience art at this level.
“We have a fantastic cultural and heritage offer in Stoke-on-Trent and this unique opportunity for our residents to come and see international works of art from years gone by comes at a time when we are planning a year of celebration in 2025 to mark the 100th anniversary of us becoming a city.”
Tiffany Chevis, head of marketing at Genr8 Developments which manages Smithfield, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting such a brilliant programme of events. With such strong heritage in the creative arts, the city is the perfect place to host the tour and showcase how people can discover art in their everyday surroundings.”
The Mobile Museum will host a specifically curated exhibition called Soup, Socks and Spiders! Art of the Everyday which is an exploration of the ‘still life’ genre. It will bring together historic works of art from the Tate’s national collection – from the Tate museums in London, Liverpool and Cornwall - and include artists such as Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Cornelia Parker.
Frederic Jousset, founder of Art Explora, said: “Art Explora is based on the core belief that art should be accessible to everyone. We try to bring art to new places, new audiences and new communities. The Mobile Museum is an opportunity for thousands of people, and especially school children, to experience art for the first time, right on their doorsteps.
“In this time of crisis for local authorities, with increasing pressures on arts budgets and arts provision on a regional and local level, the Art Explora Mobile Museum is a chance to level up between the children who have access to art and the ones who get left behind. It’s about creating social justice and cohesion.”
Helen Legg, director at Tate Liverpool, said: “Tate is proud to be working with Art Explora on the Mobile Museum that will bring artwork from the national collection closer to more people across the country. It is rare that the collection is shown in this way, in non-traditional settings, but it is key if we are to breakdown perceived barriers and bring crucial encounters with art to young people and communities.”
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