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.