Artwalk is a event which happens every other month, and gives people from Wakefield a chance to come out and explore Wakefield and different exhibitions or activities that are on that night. It usually runs from 5pm to 9pm although some places have certain times that they want to open until.
What was on at the Ridings Shopping Centre?
CoActive Arts Make Space exhibition
CoActive Arts is a charity that works with adults with disabilities and they sometimes get involved with the Artwalk and the challenge they gave to visitors this time was a paint challenge which involved four easels and people moved around to the next one every two minutes, which meant that all 4 people took turns working on all 4 paintings. This made it fun and less daunting by making it collaborative. It also gave an interesting stimulus to respond to when you moved to the next one. Their exhibition of bodies and faces work also helped to break barriers down and gave people permission to paint in different ways.
At the Ridings Shopping Centre, there were lots of other things going on including: Northern Fringe Gallery, Makey Wakey, Wakefield Council (Culture Grants 2022), CMP (Claire) Smith , Positive Mental Health Network (Postcards from Wakefield), CoActive Arts (Bodies and Faces exhibition), Inspire Arts (Open studio), Studio of Sanctuary (Talk & Draw) at the old Bodycare unit), Red Shed players.
What was on at other places
There were some exhibitions at the Hepworth Gallery Wakefield, Anne Lister: In her own words exhibition at the West Yorkshire History Centre.
At the Cathedral there were three exhibitions and they were called: Saima Kaur small acts of kindness, Melissa Pierce Murray Falling and Rising and Louise Barrett Undetermined Cathedral Kitchen.
On Cross Street, there was Everything taken care of which included Matty Townsend (Neon vibrations), and Late opening screen printing demo.
At the Wakefield Library their exhibition was Breaking the news and in their museum it was A world of Good exhibition.
At the Westgate Unitarian Chapel, there was a Willow Sculpture Workshop Jan Milllington (Free, ticketed) and Chapel Tour Friends of Westgate Chapel
There were exhibitions at the Art House which were: Mohammad Barangi – Dreamland, alabamathirteen (on becoming a ghost) and Leeds University students MA Fine students. There was also Darkroom discovery evening and Artwalk highlights tour meeting point.
In various places on Westgate there was Ekaterina Sheath Westgate’s Hidden Stories.
In Westgate studios, there were: Art group in Open studios and Westgate studios, an exhibition by Helen Field called bold and Empath Action CIC Professors G & J – A Steampunk Showcase!
Finally, at the Polka Hop there was Jon Parsons and his work was called Coastal Abstracts.
I visited a dropin where they had a video showing and then they had a wall where people could write messages on, but there was only one message on there. Talk and Draw at the bodycare unit, where people had to close their eyes and think of anything that came into their head, and then draw it, then if they wanted to add anything else to it, they could do. They used charcoal as well to draw what they wanted.
My view of artwalk is that it’s a good way of getting people into the city and look round the various exhibitions and activities, but I didn’t get chance to walk round much for this one.
