Impressions Gallery
{{Short description|Art gallery in Bradford, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox museum
| name = Impressions Gallery
| logo = Impressions Gallery logo.gif
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| coordinates = {{coord|53.793006|-1.755769|display=inline}}
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| established = November 1972
| location = Centenary Square, Bradford, England
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| founder = Val Williams and Andrew Sproxton
| director = Anne McNeill
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| website = {{URL|www.impressions-gallery.com}}
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Impressions Gallery is an independent contemporary photography gallery in Bradford, England. It was established in 1972 and located in York until moving to Bradford in 2007. Impressions Gallery also runs a photography bookshop, publishes its own books and sells prints. It is one of the oldest venues for contemporary photography in Europe.{{cite news | url = http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/10445653.National_Media_Museum_to_take_on_Impressions_Gallery_archive/ | date = 28 May 2013 | access-date = 27 May 2014 | newspaper = Telegraph & Argus | first = Jim | last = Greenhalf | title = National Media Museum to take on Impressions Gallery archive}}
Operations
Impressions Gallery is a charity, a not-for-profit organisation, funded by Arts Council England and Bradford Metropolitan District Council.{{cite web | url = http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/browse-regularly-funded-organisations/npo/impressions-gallery/ | access-date = 26 May 2014 | publisher = Arts Council England | title = Impressions Gallery | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140527231502/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/browse-regularly-funded-organisations/npo/impressions-gallery/ | archive-date = 27 May 2014 | url-status = dead }}
The gallery is host to a temporary exhibitions programme with on average six exhibitions each year, often solo retrospective shows of mid-career photographers, and also some group shows.
The gallery space incorporates a bookshop. The organisation publishes its own books and catalogues, often to accompany its exhibitions, either by itself or in association with others such as Dewi Lewis Publishing and Photoworks. It has published work by Melanie Friend, Paul Floyd Blake, Joy Gregory, Anna Fox, Trish Morrissey, Tessa Bunney, Gavin Parry, Andy Lock, Stefan Ruiz and Laurie Long.
History
The gallery was founded by Val Williams and husband Andrew Sproxton in November 1972, opening in York with two exhibitions, Butlin's by the Sea by Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows (its first exhibition), and Whitby by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe.{{cite web | url = http://www.sproxtonphotographyaward.org/background/ | access-date = 26 May 2014 | publisher = University of the Arts London | title = The Sproxton Award for Photography}}{{cite news | url = http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/photographer-daniel-meadows-social-snapshot-2027411 | date = 13 July 2012 | access-date = 26 May 2014 | newspaper = Western Mail (Wales) | title = Photographer Daniel Meadows' social snapshot of Britain}}{{cite news | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9502fab6-d374-11e0-9d6a-00144feab49a.html | first = Liz | last = Jobey | date = 2 September 2011 | access-date = 26 May 2014 | newspaper= Financial Times | title = Street Life}}{{cite book | last1= Parr | first1= Martin |author-link1= Martin Parr | last2= Bajac | first2= Quentin |author-link2= Quentin Bajac | title= Parr by Parr | year= 2010 | publisher= Schilt | location= Amsterdam | isbn= 978-9-053307-37-3}}{{rp|25}} Parr and Meadows showed work at Impressions throughout the 1970s, with solo shows of Parr's Home Sweet Home in 1974 and Beauty Spots in 1976 and Meadows' Free Photographic Omnibus in 1974 and Clayton Ward in 1978.Val Williams, Daniel Meadows: Edited Photographs from the 70s and 80s (Brighton: Photoworks, 2011), 21.
In 1976 the gallery moved to Colliergate in York, then moved again to nearby Castlegate in York in 1992. In 2007 the gallery moved to Centenary Square, Bradford.{{cite news | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2007/08/17/impressions_opening_bradford_feature.shtml | date = 26 May 2014 | access-date = 26 May 2014 | publisher = BBC | title = Made In England - First Impressions in Bradford!}}
The gallery's archive, dating back to 1972, was given to the National Media Museum, Bradford, in 2013. It is called the 'Impressions Gallery Archive', a part of the National Photography Collection. It was believed then to be the first time a publicly funded photography gallery has had its archive cared for and made accessible by a national institution.
Anne McNeill has been director since 2000.{{cite web | url = http://www.prixpictet.com/nominators/mcneill-anne/ | access-date = 26 May 2014 | publisher = Prix Pictet | title = Anne McNeill: Director, Impressions Gallery | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140527185408/http://www.prixpictet.com/nominators/mcneill-anne/ | archive-date = 27 May 2014 | url-status = dead }}"[http://www.rps-international.org/about/judges/ The People Judging the RPS International Print Competition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728200414/http://www.rps-international.org/about/judges/ |date=28 July 2014 }}", Royal Photographic Society. Accessed 24 July 2014.
Directors
- 1972–1981: Val Williams (founder-director)
- 1972–1977: Andrew Sproxton (founder-director)
- 1981–1986: Frances Middlestorb
- 1986–1994: Paul Wombell
- 1995–1999: Cheryl Reynolds
- 2000–present: Anne McNeill
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{official website|www.impressions-gallery.com}}
{{Bradford}}
{{coord|53|47|34|N|1|45|20|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
Category:Photography museums and galleries in England
Category:Art museums and galleries in West Yorkshire
Category:1972 establishments in England
Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1972