Arts organisation Gloucester Arts and Social Projects (GASP!) has launched a year-long project to fill a number of Gloucester’s vacant shop units and sites with a temporary gallery and a programme of artworks and exhibitions created with and for Gloucester residents.
‘Meanwhile in Gloucester’, supported by Arts Council England through a £84,300 National Lottery Project Grant, responds to research commissioned by the Arts Council and carried out by the University of Gloucestershire which highlights that such use of vacant spaces can help to reanimate town centres undergoing long-term structural changes.
Working with the University of Gloucestershire and Gloucester Culture Trust, with the support of Gloucester City Council and Colliers UK (property management service for Gloucester City Council), ‘Meanwhile in Gloucester’ will unite stakeholders and provide a free programme of contemporary artworks and exhibitions in Gloucester’s ‘meanwhile spaces’, and support the Eastgate Market and Greyfriars Quarter redevelopment project.
The project will see GASP! taking up residence in the Eastgate Shopping centre, the creation of a contemporary art gallery and the provision of three studios for local emerging artists to develop their practice.
GASP! will work with artists, young creatives and community art groups to co-create the Meanwhile in Gloucester programme of artworks and events in the city. The project will culminate in a symposium at the University of Gloucestershire to share learnings and explore the benefits and challenges of animating the high street via meanwhile use.
The project builds on the success of previous GASP! projects in the city which have transformed unused spaces into cultural and communal experiences for Gloucester’s communities and visitors.
Hannah Thomson, GASP! co-founder and director, said: “The feedback from previous GASP! events is clear. Gloucester residents and visitors want to see more contemporary art exhibitions in the city, and have more opportunities to take part in dynamic and locally relevant creative activities. Visitors were delighted to see the ambitious and creative use of empty shops that have long stood empty.”
Phillipa Milne, relationship manager, Arts Council England, added: “We’re pleased to continue investing in GASP! and their work to platform artwork created by and for the local community. Gloucester is strategically important to us as an Arts Council Priority Place, and we recognise that cultural engagement has been too low for too long.
“These meanwhile spaces are one way of addressing that gap, and I’m excited to see the shop units draw new audiences to the high street, sparking conversations between artists and residents about the value of in‑person connection and platforms that showcase creativity.”
The Meanwhile in Gloucester programme will launch with an exhibition by photographer Kelly O’Brien at the GAWP! temporary gallery in March. The GAWP! Gallery and artists studios will be located at The Promenade, 1st floor, the Eastgate Centre.
Meanwhile in Gloucester is also supported by local match funding from Gloucester Culture Trust, Gloucestershire Youth Support Team, Gloucester City HAF, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Culture Matson.