Our city is one of the U.K.’s most renowned areas for the creative arts, as well as boasting huge talent and natural beauty within its bounds. Celebrating our city and its artists can come in many forms, but there’s no better way to do so than bringing it all together. So housed in the grandeur of the Weston Park Museum, surrounded by the beauty of the park itself, is a tribute to the city we love, and the creative minds that help make our community so beautifully unique.
Gordon Bridge Gallery: Picturing Sheffield, set in a single expansive gallery in the Weston Park Museum, is a vast collection of art in a range of forms, from a variety of artists, mediums and time periods, all focused on our very own Steel City. With pieces around people, landscapes, the changing world and everything in between, the exhibition is a love story to the place we all call (at least temporarily!) home and the people who have made it what it is.
It’s no secret that I love our city. Its culture, people, dynamic and intersecting communities make Sheffield one of the nicest places I have spent time and having an exhibition at the heart of it all that’s obviously and unashamedly a tribute to this was a hugely exciting prospect walking in. And I distinctly remember the first thing that struck me was simply how many works are in this gallery. Whereas many other museums I’ve been to seem as though the walls are decorated in a minimalist style, every part of all four walls that could hold a painting was displaying one. There must have been near one hundred pieces in that room, and really gives you that feeling of community and friendliness as you walk in.
And with so many pieces, it’s no surprise that there was so much in that single gallery to keep you interested. The absence of many explainer plaques allows you to fully immerse yourself in the pieces on offer, which range from classic paintings and illustrations, to prints and modern artwork, all by Sheffield artists or focusing on our city. There was a lot going on in the gallery, which is great for all art lovers. My only issue is that the gallery felt very dark!
There was so much happening in Picturing Sheffield, and sadly many of the pieces don’t have artistic accreditation for their creators, but my favourite piece is a 2007 print by Jonathan Wilkinson ‘The Cooling Towers, Sheffield’. It’s such a wonderful image and one that I was thrilled to see replicated with other Sheffield landmarks by the artist. It fits in nicely with the wide range of other offerings in the exhibition and the fact that this piece can be taken home and leads to the discovery of new independent artists is a testament to the importance of celebrating local talent.
If you’ve been as struck by Sheffield as much as I have, you will really enjoy this collection. Whatever your preferred art style, medium or even subject matter, Picturing Sheffield will have something you will enjoy and with very little context, story or explaining needed, it’s a really accessible way to celebrate our city.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Gordon Bridge Gallery: Picturing Sheffield is a continuing display in the Weston Park Museum
