Andrew Mead

LIFE IS THE BEST UNIVERSITY

A group exhibition by artists working at St Mungo's
Manor Gardens Cafe
6th May - 12th June 2008

Please note the cafe will be closed at the following times

Monday 12th May closed from 2.45pm

Friday 30th May closed all day

For further details click here

Mike Hawthorne

Harvey Rendell

Angie Jack

"I was very pleased and grateful to have been part of it, though I wasn’t totally confident that I could exhibit for the first time. Exhibiting work in public has been a huge hurdle for me. Now this has been overcome I have been able to take a few more steps forward I am currently putting some work up in my local library."
Artist

Notice for Member Artists

June's Artists Network Meeting
is on Thursday 5th May

Next Management Committee Meeting
23rd May 2.00 - 4.00 pm

Please phone 07981453293 or email for further details

 

"Without this opportunity I would never have had the courage to exhibit my work. It’s the first time. It would be great to have another opportunity."
Artist

"I would never have considered my work was good enough or interesting enough."
Artist

John R

The Other Side Gallery - Finalist

MEET THE DRAGONS

The Royal Society of Arts and Society Guardian's
Social Care Innovations Competition.

For further details please read the articles in the Guardian Society, RSA and see the online Guardian Society exhibition

Brian O'Neil

Justine Roland-Cal

ABOUT US

Based in North London, the Other Side Gallery is a charity supporting socially excluded (‘Outsider’) artists. We collaborate with organisations providing arts activities for adults who use mental health services, people with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, learning difficulties and other groups that are disadvantaged or excluded from society (including: homeless people, refugees, substance misusers, offenders and ex-offenders). In order to promote and sell artists’ work we host and manage a virtual gallery. We also organise regular ‘physical’ exhibitions, and offer opportunities for mentoring, volunteering, networking and professional development. The Other Side Gallery is managed by member artists working alongside the trustees.

WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY OUTSIDER ART?

We use the term Contemporary Outsider Art to incorporate the work created by present day artists from the different socially excluded groups we support. Since the 1970s interest in Outsider Art has expanded globally, particularly in America and Europe, but Britain is sadly lacking in art galleries dedicated to Contemporary Outsider Artists. To quote John Maizels the editor of Raw Vision magazine:

Let us hope things will change in the future and that Outsider Art in Britain will genuinely be granted Equal Rights to Creativity.

WHAT WE DO

Outreach Website Residencies

Website residencies involve us collaborating with arts organisation in London: to support artists to exhibit their work on our virtual gallery as well in the exhibitions we organise. The organisations vary from dedicated arts organisations to care homes and hostels providing weekly classes.

Exhibitions

Artists’ work is exhibited on our website and at regularly exhibit at a number of different venues across London.

Member Artists Volunteering and Management

The Gallery seeks to support the involvement of its artists in all aspects of activity (including in its direction and management). Opportunities for volunteering enable artists to work with The Other Side Gallery to acquire specific skills (including: managing the organisation, curating and running exhibitions).


Mentoring

Peer support and networking – facilitating artists to meet and share: enabling members of different groups represented by the Gallery to identify with, and support each other as artists (rather than as individuals defined by a label of disadvantage); promoting shared experience and community.

Peer support and mentoring – the Gallery offers artists the opportunity to develop skills for peer mentoring.


Education programme

For the artists

The Gallery offers arts-based learning opportunities for artists (including: printmaking and life drawing) and a programme for artists’ professional development

For the general public

The Gallery’s website and exhibitions brings Contemporary Outsider Art to public attention: celebrating difference and creativity, and challenging the stigma attached to social exclusion.

WHO WE ARE BENIFITING

There are over 200 artists displaying their work on our website of these 75% are disabled and of the different groups there are mental health problems 43%, physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities 29%, homeless 15%, offender/exoffender 3%, refugee 1% pensioners 5% and substance misuse 5%.
So far the artists work at The Creativity Centre, St John's Hackney 180, Studio Upstairs, Ashley Road MIND & Outcome, Artscope, Byam Shaw –Weekend Academy, Lambo Day Centre, Action Space, The Epic Trust, Siren - Elfrida, Core Arts, Capital A, St Mungo's, Barnet College - Link Arts, Peter Bedford, Crisis - Skylight and Single Homeless Project.

The Other Side Gallery is a Registered Charity No: 1105640
and a Limited Company Registered in England and Wales No:5035661.

Sara Rivers

"Fantastic I feel less isolated now that I’m included with all these other artists that also feel outside the mainstream."
Artist

"I have had great motivation from The Other Side Gallery everyone there gave me a great feeling of achievement."
Artist

Sandra Robinson

Woolf

Tsitrana

Ketrin Vardiashvili

"I helped to hang work and put posters up in local shop windows. I felt included and proud to be part of the show – it reinforces my belief in artists and their work."
Artist

My web page is excellent – looks fantastic, better than I thought it would. I would never have considered showing my work before.
Artist

Justine Roland-Cal

Tom Willer

Lucio Sutherland

Alison Williams

Roger Searle

Stephen Ellis Wright

"I feel valued and part of society – at long last. Thank you."
Artist

"Gives you some hope. Gives you incentive to keep coming and doing something different."
Artist