The Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool shows a year round programme of contemporary and visual art exhibitions and events. Including solo and group displays together with talks, events and educational activities. The new Winter 2023 Exhibition is now open.

Opening Times

• Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm.
• Please note: last entry to the gallery is 3.40pm.
• Admission is Free
• More about facilities here

Grundy Art Gallery’s Winter exhibitions and events programme for 2023 – celebrating Blackpool’s local creativity

Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery is celebrating the creativity on its doorstep with a number of exhibitions and events that run from now until 25 March.

The annual Open Exhibition showcases artwork made by residents from across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast and the annual schools’ exhibition engages young people from local schools. The winter season at the Grundy is always an opportunity to shine a light on the creativity to be found on its doorstep.

Cllr Lynn Williams is Leader of Blackpool Council and Chair of Grundy’s steering group. She said: “Over 200 works are on display by Blackpool and Fylde Coast residents including over 60 by our local schoolchildren. The winter season at the Grundy demonstrates the gallery’s ongoing commitment to celebrate and give a platform to the creativity to be found all around us.

“Also, there’s currently external work ongoing to the building. But please know that it’s business as usual at the Grundy and we can’t wait to welcome you through our doors.”

See Local Art at Grundy Art Gallery – ‘Open’ is on!

• 14 January to 25 March

The annual Open Exhibition shows the wide range of artwork being produced throughout Blackpool and the Fylde Coast today. Grundy Art Gallery’s founding principles are of showing the ‘art of the day’ and echoing Blackpool’s motto of ‘progress’. All artworks on display have been created within the last 12 months and never shown at Grundy Art Gallery before.

Bringing together works produced in a wide range of media, from painting, drawing, photography and sculpture, the annual Open Exhibition always provides viewers with an exciting and diverse viewing experience.

OPEN 2023 is open to all residents living, working and studying in the Fylde Coast area over the age of 16 years*, with an FY1-8 postcode.

• See which artists have their work included in Open 2023

COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT: BLACKPOOL

14 January – 25 March

Collection Spotlight is an ongoing series of exhibitions that focus on highlighting works from Grundy’s collection. Continuing its winter season focus on Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, two works that are linked by their connection to the area are on display. In Keith McGinn’s, The Sun Lounge, 1982, Blackpool’s promenade takes centre stage in this atmospheric painting that draws our eye out to the wild grey winter sea beyond. Shy Girl Beside the Seaside, Campground, 2021 by Fylde Coast born and Blackpool based artist, Garth Gratrix, also makes use of the signs and symbols of the seaside in a work that investigates the coast from their perspective as a Queer artist.

Bringing artworks into the collection that explore Blackpool and the wider Fylde Coast is central to Grundy’s collecting policy. Through these artworks existing stories about the area can be presented, challenged and seen from new perspectives and new stories about the place can be generated and told.

ANNUAL SCHOOLS’ EXHIBITION: INSIDE A RAINBOW

14 January – 25 March

This year’s Schools’ Exhibition includes work by 60+ children from St. John Vianney Primary School, Devonshire Primary Academy and Mereside Primary Academy.

Working with contemporary artist Fiona Grady, the pupils explored light, colour and movement to produce their own unique artworks using self-adhesive coloured vinyl and shaped acrylic panels. Hung together in one of Grundy’s main gallery spaces, these 60+ artworks generate a cascade of colourful moving shadows showing how magical effects can be created from the simplest of materials and techniques. The title for this year’s schools’ exhibition is inspired by one of the participating children who described the experience of seeing Fiona Grady’s exhibition, Illuminated from Within like being, “inside a rainbow”.

FORECOURT COMMISSION: FIONA GRADY: ILLUMINATED FROM WITHIN

14 January – 25 March

Born into a family of mathematicians Grady always employs a systematic approach to intervene within a space. Through her use of light, colour, shape, surface and scale, her colourful geometric artworks transform their setting and provide a unique response to the specifics of the place in which they are located. Activated by changes in the direction and intensity of daylight Grady’s work quietly marks the passing of time whilst also providing a dynamic contribution to Grundy’s 2023 winter exhibition and events programme.

WORKSHOPS / TALKS

FREE. All materials provided:

Booking required: 01253 478170

FIONA GRADY: SUNCATCHERS

Wednesday 16 February, Thursday 17 February, 10.30am – 12pm

Back by popular demand, artist Fiona Grady will lead these workshops where participants have an opportunity to make their own colourful vinyl collages and use light to cast eye-catching shadows. Suitable for Ages 8 Years+. Children must be accompanied

ARTIST TALK : GARTH GRATRIX – BSL Available

Saturday 18 February, 2–3.30pm

Join the Grundy’s Collection Spotlight artist, Garth Gratrix, for an Artist Talk and Q&A exploring their work through their lens as a Queer artist. Presented as part of the Grundy’s LGBT+ History Month activity.

Grundy Art Gallery’s work recognised by increased funding

In November 2022, Grundy Art Gallery announced that it’s to remain part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio programme 2023-2026 – to the value of £249,000 over the three years.

This funding will support the development and delivery of an exciting year-round programme of relevant, meaningful and high quality contemporary art exhibitions and events, taking place on and off-site.

Image credits, left to right:

• Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Blackpool Light of My Life (2021), Grundy Art Gallery Co-commission with Blackpool Illuminations and Lightpool Festival Photo: Jonathan Lynch, © the artist, Courtesy Grundy Art Gallery
• The pARTnership exhibition banner at Grundy Art Gallery, 2022. Photo Matt Wilkinson. Courtesy Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool Council
• Chloe MacFarlane, copyright the artist, Private Collection, Photo Matt Wilkson. Courtesy Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool Council

Grundy will continue its founding mission to show the best art of the day to the people of Blackpool and beyond. The programme will enable the gallery to enact its vision to be a beacon for contemporary art in the North West.

Grundy Art Gallery is also delighted to receive an uplift on previous years’ NPO funding, specifically to support the development and delivery of the pARTnership.

It’s delivered via a collaboration between Grundy Art Gallery, The New Langdale (Blackpool Council’s daytime service for people with a Learning Disability), Venture Arts in Manchester and Fylde-Coast based artist Tina Dempsey. This project provides bespoke professional development to artists with a Learning Disability to enable them to develop their own individual creativity. The project also presents this work in professional contemporary art settings. Recent exhibitions of this work have taken place at Grundy Art Gallery and Abingdon Studios in Blackpool. And at The Horsfall and The Manchester Contemporary in Manchester.

Grundy newsletter

To keep up to date and find out more about the Grundy’s exhibitions and events sign up to the Grundy newsletter via the Grundy website www.thegrundy.org. Also keep an eye on the website and watch out for posts via Grundy’s social media channels.

Grundy Art Gallery celebrates 110 years

Grundy Art Gallery unveiled an exciting calendar of events to commemorate its 110th anniversary in 2021. 

The gallery and its collection established in 1911. It came via a financial gift and donation of over 30 paintings by local brothers John and Cuthbert Grundy. 2021 therefore marks the 110th Anniversary of the gallery opening its doors to the people of Blackpool and beyond.

• Explore the history of Grundy Art Gallery

The Blackpool coat of arms – emblazoned with ‘Progress’ – is embedded in brickwork above the front door. Guided by this motto, the gallery continues to honour its founding ethos. It shows a year-round programme of high quality contemporary art exhibitions and events. Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, 2021 was no exception.  

110th Anniversary Logo 

Grundy Art Gallery’s 110th anniversary logo was inspired by an ink stamp, historically used to identify items brought into Grundy’s permanent collection. It also echoes the design of Blackpool’s world famous sticks of rock.

Twenty-six artworks for UK collections, including Grundy Art Gallery

fig-futures, a collecting scheme supported by Arts Council England, Art Fund, and Outset Contemporary Art Fund, has acquired 26 new art works for collections across the UK.  Pictured below: Rebecca Birch, The Yellowing Part 1, 2018, Photograph by Jonathan Lynch, Grundy Art Gallery.

fig-futures spent a year touring the UK, done 16 week long shows, in four galleries, and several community spaces with 18 artists. The major set of acquisitions will benefit several areas across the UK, from Blackpool to Cornwall, via East Anglia and the Midlands.

Artworks acquired range from performance works to films, large scale sculptures to photography. Plus paintings to durational dance pieces, diversifying the collections the artworks will go to. The total sum of the acquisitions is in the region of £80,000.00.

Contemporary artworks into public collections

fig-futures was initiated by Art Fund and Outset Contemporary Art Fund to develop a new collecting scheme for the acquisition of contemporary artworks into public collections. Plus providing artist and curatorial development opportunities for galleries and practitioners outside the capital.

Reflecting Blackpool as a place

The works being collected variously address Blackpool as place. They speak to our policy of collecting high quality contemporary art. These acquisitions provide an important legacy of our fig-futures partnership, but more importantly provide an exciting and relevant curatorial resource for our future exhibition and event programming.

Artist Ruth Beale, said: “I’m really pleased that Grundy has chosen to acquire Library of Future Societies (Blackpool). It’s a living, changing work. Made for, and by, Blackpool.

“Each time it’s displayed, it will be remade with books held in Blackpool Libraries. I think that libraries – and galleries – can be litmus papers to what is valued in society. It’s a reflection of the library service, the readers, and the books that are in circulation.”

Curator of Grundy Art Gallery

Paulette Terry Brien became the gallery’s curator in November 2017.

Paulette has more than 25 years of experience working within contemporary visual art. She’s well known for raising the profile of the North West region, on a national and international level.

Paulette is co-founder and co-director of The International 3, a contemporary art gallery based in Salford. There, she delivered a year round programme of exhibitions and events. Plus being instrumental in developing projects such as Manchester’s annual contemporary art fair, The Manchester Contemporary.

Paulette comes to the Grundy with a strong track record of identifying and nurturing emerging talent, commissioning and curating high quality contemporary art exhibitions for both gallery and non-gallery settings. Over the years, her wealth of experience has supported hundreds of emerging artists. Many of whom have gone on to achieve regional, national and international recognition.

As well as providing peer support, Paulette has also been successful on many occasions in brokering the acquisition of work by regional artists into major public and private collections, such as the Arts Council Collection and Whitworth Art Gallery’s collection.

Paulette is thrilled to be the new curator of the Grundy. She’s keen to continue to champion regional artists from the North West.

More about Grundy Art Gallery

Grundy Art Gallery is Blackpool’s art gallery. It offers a year round programme of contemporary and visual art exhibitions and events. There are solo and group exhibitions together with talks, workshops and educational activities.

Brothers John and Cuthbert Grundy founded The Grundy Art Gallery in 1908. Now displayed in a Grade II listed Carnegie building. It’s been at the centre of cultural and artistic life in the town for over 100 years. It began with the ambition to show the best art of the day to the people of Blackpool. This sentiment remains at the heart of today, as a leading contemporary art gallery in the North West.

• Explore the history of Grundy Art Gallery

Today it includes works by established artists such as Martin Creed, Tracey Emin and Laura Ford. Gilbert and George, Brian Griffiths, Augustus John, Haroon Mirza and Eric Ravilious. It also has works by regionally based emerging talent such as Joe Fletcher Orr and Louise Giovanelli.

The Grundy aims to inspire audiences through an ambitious and varied year-round exhibitions programme. It draws on the unique and invigorating context and heritage of Blackpool. For instance exploring the space between contemporary art, entertainment and popular culture.

The Grundy Collection

Exhibitions and displays frequently incorporate pieces from our collection. It began with a bequest by the founding brothers and contains an eclectic range of art and other items. From furniture to ceramics, to netsuke ornaments to Victorian oil paintings. Artists include Craigie Aitchison, Ruth Claxton and Martin Creed. Laura Ford, Augustus John, Eric Ravilious and Gilbert and George amongst others.

Grundy is part of Blackpool Council’s Arts Service. It develops and delivers arts projects which engage Blackpool’s residents, communities and visitors in the arts. The service supports the town’s arts community, placing the arts the core of Blackpool’s unique and important cultural environment.

The gallery is an Accredited Museum. It also receives funding from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation and from the John Ellerman Foundation.