The Hannah Directory

Last week, by picking up a booklet at Wakefield Jelly (a monthly co-working event for those of you looking baffled right now), I became aware of the Hannah Directory. It's a print and online publication that aims to address three questions according to the website:

• What great stuff is happening in places in England's north now?
• Who is doing it?
• How can more of it happen?

Those are pretty brilliant things to be asking, especially at the moment. There's plenty going on, but sometimes discovering it all is the hardest thing. 

As well as the website they have a Twitter and Facebook presence so, please, take a look and see what's coming up that you might be interested in. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out. 

Hannah Festival on Facebook.

Hannah Festival on Twitter.

Opening a Bag

Funny the things you forget. As I was rooting through some family documents the other day, I found a bag I remembered getting free as part of the Blog North event I attended in May 2012. I wondered why it was there but also why it was so heavy. When I opened it up I found a book in there - Yorkshire in Watercolour by Les Packham, a collection of his local artwork. I remembered buying it. I even remembered lending it to my grandmother. But, to my knowledge, I forgot to look through it myself to the extent that I forgot it existed. That's rather bad, isn't it?

The stupid thing is, of course, that I bought this book because I was interested in it. Glancing through the pages, it's easy to see the particular views that attracted me - his paintings of Haworth Moor and Hardcastle Craggs are wonderful, along with the view of the cliffs from Staithes and a gorgeous painting of Fountains Abbey. Flicking through, it's easy to get engrossed and I'm disappointed in myself for forgetting about such a gorgeous collection of pictures. Then again, at least I can enjoy them now.

To see some of Packham's work take a look at his website. There are some stunning examples of his work that aren't in the book including some of York, more of Haworth and a couple of gorgeous seaside watercolours. Well worth a few moments of your time - and mine, now I've rediscovered him.

Blog North Event

This is my rather belated recap of the Blog North event on 12th May, postponed due to my week in Birmingham. There's something about writing important posts that requires me sat at my desk with a peculiar thinking-face on - so here I am.

I was fortunate enough to receive a free place on the event which involved trips to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield. As a person of limited means at the moment, it would've been difficult for me to gather money together to go to something when I had no idea what it would be like. Luckily, I can now recommend the experience to others so it was definitely worth it.

The day started off with a online writing workshop at the YSP in a nice converted hayloft. Complimented with cookies and a beverage it was a nice gentle start to the day which sparked some creativity in me at least. The group was a varied one, quite a lot of women but a nice broad age range. After the workshop we were given a tour of the current indoor exhibition at the YSP - the sculptor Joan Miró. I'll be perfectly honest here - I'd hadn't heard of him before seeing the itinerary for the day so I had no idea what to expect. I was very struck by the first piece we came across in the exhibition, though I haven't been able to locate a picture online because I can't remember the name of it! Nonetheless, Miró surprised me from the start. His work frequently contains everyday objects and this first one had quite a few common objects including a pitchfork and a towel. Throughout the exhibition we saw items scaled up from their everyday size and other things that just felt plain odd such as 'Fleeing Young Girl' which is a pair of mannequin legs topped with what looks like a stop-tap. While the objects together initially look rather ridiculous, I grew to appreciate Miró's toying with expectation as we proceeded around the exhibition. Our tour guide (I can't remember her name but she had a sore throat and did a very good job despite that) was certainly enthusiastic about her subject and that enthusiasm seemed to rub off on me a little. I came away from the tour with the desire to see the exhibition again and pay more attention to works we didn't have time to look at as a group. As well as that, I've since purchased a book (below) on Miró's life and work - I'll be delving into that before I go again. The exhibition's on for the rest of this year and a beautiful summer afternoon at the park doesn't seem so much of a chore.

We broke for lunch (I grabbed a gorgeous tuna salad wrap from the cafe) then reconvened for the second workshop of the day. This one focused on how to review art and was especially useful to me. On this blog I've only dabbled in reviewing things and a lot of my issues seemed to be replicated within the group - we were unsure of language, afraid of looking silly, aware that we found something unappealing but couldn't really describe why. I made a lot of notes during this workshop and hopefully I'll refer to them in the future. I certainly came away from it with a sense that I shouldn't be afraid of reviewing art any more, if that's what I want to do. I also shouldn't be afraid of having an opinion - as with literature if you don't like something you're allowed to say so provided you can give some semblance of a reason.

We got on the coach to The Hepworth Wakefield after this. I've been before but enjoyed it much more the second time around. This was possibly due again to the enthusiasm of our guides there. It helped that the gallery had just welcomed its 500,000th visitor early that day - there was a sense of giddiness about the place that was quite appealing. Since this visit, incidentally, the gallery has celebrated its first birthday and has been shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize, which it's tipped to win. The walk around the gallery was pleasant enough, though my feet were hurting by this time. Following this, we returned downstairs and talked to each other (otherwise known as 'networking' but I hate that word).

So what did I get out of the day? I learned not to be scared of writing about things I may like. I learned that there are plenty of other bloggers in this region who enjoy similar things to me. I've grasped hold of a new artist that I want to know more about and I learned to appreciate the gallery on my own doorstep a little more. And I had a mean tuna salad wrap. Good day all in all.

The Hepworth Wakefield

I read today that having been open for just five weeks the new contemporary gallery in Wakefield has welcomed 100,000 visitors. Admittedly, that's not a bad figure. I went for a nosey round on Thursday and thought I'd document my experience.

Firstly, a little background. The building has been a touchy subject in Wakefield since the first designs began to surface. People thought it would be a blight on the landscape. I'll freely admit I was one of them. Particular concern was raised because it was across the road from the Chantry Chapel, one of Wakefield's most beautiful buildings of heritage. Nevertheless, unlike my family who were content to criticise without seeing, I thought it best to take a look around before judging. Hence the trip.

I still held a certain distaste for the outside of the building. This was reinforced by the gaudy bridge used to cross the river: the gallery doesn't seem to nestle in its environment at all - but I'm guessing that's what the architects were going for. No doubt it looks impressive to someone visiting Wakefield for the first time but for a majority of permanent residents I'd imagine it's still regarded as a bit of eyesore.

The donwstairs consists of a shop, cafe, auditorium, offices and a learning centre for school parties. It's very bright and airy and I was greeted by a guide within ten seconds. The galleries are upstairs (with lift access, of course) and are well lit naturally by the huge windows that cut into the building. I did rather go around the rooms backwards but I was being modern, wasn't I? The first thing I'd say is that I'm not a massive Barbara Hepworth fan, something of a pitfall when visiting a gallery bearing her name. However, I found some of her work to be interesting enough. I may as well put it plainly: while I respect the artists for crafting these complex and intriuging works, I despair of the snob who stands in the corner tapping his chin and pretending to read a thousand things into it. Art is meant to be enjoyed, yes, but I'm expecting The Hepworth Wakefield to foster more elitism than it battles against. Modern art tends to do that to people.

I did enjoy the guest exhibition by Eva Rothschild. It felt more relevant than Hepworth - for me, at least - and as a big kid I appreciated the use of colour. One particular piece had me scratching my head about how it was suspended from the ceiling. Exceptionally fine wires which were practically invisible really added to the illusion of that piece.

By far the best room from my perspective was the Yorkshire room. By coincidence, it was also the fullest. Many of the paintings and sketches in there are of the Chantry Chapel and there is a window with a beautiful alcove for sitting in so you can gaze across the road to the chapel with the river rushing underneath you. That was quite an experience.

Downstairs, the shop was well stocked with books and a table aimed particularly at children. I bought a tote bag which is a little flimsy but will come in useful nevertheless - and for £2.95 I wasn't going to say no. The cafe next door was as bright as the rest of the building and on a par with your normal upmarket coffee shops in price. They do prepare hot food but I settled for a pot of tea (lovely) and a slice of blueberry cake (absolutely divine). The atmosphere in there was very relaxed and the staff, as around the entire building, were helpful and all-smiles.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience but I wouldn't go again just to see the permanent Hepworth works. I'm much more of a paintings kind of girl and I am interested to see how they rotate the works of the old Wakefield art gallery which they inherited. I'd go back just for the blueberry cake to be honest but I have a couple of other reservations; primarily that the parking facilities just aren't adequate. Although I walked in I noticed that the car park was far too small for the expected number of visitors. Equally, Wakefield Kirkgate Railway Station is a menace and until they rebuild and staff it (which they're hoping to do) it's downright dangerous to visit using that station. You can go to Wakefield Westgate and get the free bus down to that end of town but I'm not sure if that will feel like too much of a trek for some people. One further thing: the part of town which leads down to the gallery is dilapdiated. Kirkgate needs some serious regeneration and, if the council is eager to get people walking between the new shopping complex Trinity Walk and The Hepworth Gallery, something will have to be done about that whole area. I don't know how the gallery will fare in the long term and I'll wait and see before passing judgement. It entices people in with free admission but it remains to be seen whether it will have a complimentary effect on the rest of Wakefield.

Learn about The Hepworth Gallery here.

Remember To Support The Arts

Life is difficult for everyone at the moment. Thanks to government cuts (whether you believe them justified or not), most ordinary people are struggling in one way or another. I'd imagine - although I don't know for certain - that people creating "unnecessary" luxuries of life will be suffering more than most. I heard it during some of the radio debates on the arts funding cuts: who needs art really, what does it accomplish?

Well, just to digress for a moment. Books (if you're willing to buy used) are one of the cheapest forms of entertainment going. They're also an excellent way to learn and, come on, who doesn't like the feel of a book in their hands? Feel free to roll your eyes at my enthusiasm. After all, you can watch television and search for information on the Internet, can't you? Yes, of course you can. But reading a novel and getting lost in it is an unrivalled experience. Equally, I like good old fashioned library looks for learning from - I believe in them more. However, small publishers were particularly battered by the Arts Council this year. One of my favourite publishers of short stories and poetry, Salt Publishing, were unsuccessful in their bid, although they have luckily received a reprieve in the form of some ADVANCE funding. However, other small presses haven't been so lucky. ARC Publications lost their funding in a move which is both demoralising and potentially debilitating for them. Flambard Press are ceasing operation in 2012.

All this is bad news for writers. Small presses are notoriously helpful towards younger writers. Most of them have made it a mission to encourage new talent. If we lose those organisations then new writers are going to struggle more than they already do. Personally, I don't want my book market to be dominated by Katie Price's thirtieth autobiography and the latest copycat book involving a wizard or a brooding vampire. I like exciting fiction and moving towards a system where small presses are increasingly frozen out is not to my tastes at all.

On a more local level, my closest theatre in Wakefield lost their funding. It seemed particularly baffling as they've just entered into a lucrative partnership and are celebrating their twenty fifth birthday this year. One theory bandied around my household is that good old-fashioned theatre just isn't trendy any more. Case in point: the new Barbara Hepworth Gallery down the road received a bump to their grant, some of which could easily have been passed onto the theatre instead. Our theatre's beautiful and I really don't want to lose it.

You can debate about the rights and wrongs of the Arts Council cuts in the grand scheme of things as much as you want. However, it doesn't change the facts. Did you know that 49% of funding has gone to London groups? This is only down by 1% on the 2010 figures. Personally, I find that ludicrous. Similarly, all the groups that The Telegraph labelled as the big winners were from London. The losers? Sheffield Museums, Derby Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre. Yes, there were some losers in London but, looking at it, not the majority. I realise that taking a slice out of all funding wasn't the right way to go about it. It did have to be assessed on a case by case basis. I'm just concerned about the North/South divide and the impact on small companies already struggling with the recession. Could the biggest organisations not have taken a small cut to keep these afloat?

So what can we do to help? Well, support the suffering groups. On the day the cuts were announced I bought a book from Salt Publishing to show solidarity (a short story collection I'm looking forward to reading). They've been using the Twitter hashtag #JustOneBook and it applies to all small presses, even those who haven't had their funding wiped out. These small presses are the lifeblood of fiction. Pay full price, buy directly through their websites. Don't give third parties like Amazon any more of the pie than they've already got.

Support your local museums, gallery and theatres. Due to my sudden interest in Wakefield Theatre Royal I stumbled across the Wakefield Drama Festival 2011, being held there at the end of May and into early June. Seven plays in seven nights! Several of which can be legitimately linked to my PhD (one is about Branwell Bronte and another is about the Road murder of 1860). I've bought a week pass for £45 and I'm definitely looking forward to it. The thing is, your local groups don't just need support, they deserve it as well. Most of them do exceptional work which won't be missed until it's gone. By then it'll be too late.

Support the arts!