Apothecary Gallery CIC is an innovative gallery based in Hammersmith, West London
Apothecary Gallery opened in 2006 as part of Apothecary Physiotherapy and Chinese Medicine Centre. The initial idea was to run exhibitions occasionally, to give the local community and people visiting the centre access to some interesting art work. It was there to create a talking point and to blur the boundary between science/medicine and art. It quickly became clear that the exhibitions were a really popular part of the centre and they soon became more than an occasional event. We were soon opening a new exhibiiton every 6 weeks and running prestigious exhibitions like The Environmental Photographer of the Year Award. Alongside the exhibitions we started to run other events: storytelling, poetry reading, talks, discussion forums and music evenings. The centre has become a really vibrant space.
By 2011 we had refined the focus of our exhibitions and events on to three main areas: young artists, local artists and exhibitions which raise awareness of conservation and environmental issues. With this in mind we registered Apothecary Gallery as a community interest company. CIC’s are not for profit organisations which support and work with particular communities. In addition to our work with professional artists, we have developed an expertise in supporting young artists and students. As a CIC within a larger centre we can afford to let artists use the gallery at a very reasonable cost (see the gallery hire page for more details) and provide them with an experienced curator and access to local publicity. In 2008 we started our Arts Education Programme, working with students studying art at local colleges. The aim of the programme is to give these students the chance to put on an exhibition of their work at the gallery and host a private view, thus increasing their confidence and communication skills and introducing them to a more professional/vocational world. We now work with three colleges: William Morris Sixth Form, Ealing Hammersmith and West London College and The Bridge Academy and run up to 7 exhibitions between January and March.
In addition to our work with young people, we have shown the work of some excellent local artists in a wide range of mediums: photography, oil, acrylic, mixed media and print. Our conservation and environmental exhibitions and events go from strength to strength. We have raised funds for The Woodland Trust, The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and The Bumblebee Conservation Trust and have runs some fascinating support events with speakers from such organisations as The Zoological Society London and The Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Our annual Hebridean Art Exhibition in the autumn is a huge crowd puller, offering both some wonderful art and the chance to try delicious local Hebridean produce.
The Team
Rosey Grandage
In addition to hosting exhibitions for professional artists Rosey has, in conjunction with local schools and colleges, created the arts education project at Apothecary. The aim of the project is to give young artists the chance to create an exhibition in the gallery and to host a private view. The project stems from her interest in education; the differences in opportunities available to state and private students and the difficulties young people experience when moving from secondary to higher or further education. The project focuses on enhancing the transferable skills needed to make this move and to succeed in a competitive self-directed setting. In addition it provides the students with a taste of the real world of art and how they need to use a whole range of communication skills to succeed.
Roseys' other area of interest is the environment and she has developed some creative links with conservation organisations to give them the opportunity to raise awareness and funds through art exhibitions.
Much of her interest in the relationship of art and science stems from a long period studying classical Chinese medicine in China. This traditional approach to medicine and health involves not just understanding the body, but also its place in the natural and man-made world; as such art, literature, music, the seasons, landscape and the weather are all as influential as anatomy and physiology. It is this relationship between art and science/medicine which informs many of the events and projects at Apothecary Gallery.
Estelle Vincent: Gallery Co-ordinator
Her main focus at the Apothecary Gallery is the Local Artists and the Arts Education Programme. Working together with Rosey Grandage she supports the enablement of student exhibitions at the gallery. The programme has proven productive for the students, providing them with hands-on experience of displaying and discussing their work in a professional environment, thus building their self-confidence as well as their interpersonal skills. In addition to this she is responsible for meetings with artists and organisations, publicity and the online promotion of the gallery space and its ongoing events.
As well as working at the Apothecary Gallery, Estelle teaches at Kingston College, Morley College and The University of the Arts London, runs community arts projects and continues to develop her own practice.
www.estellevincent.com