Lightbox art exhibition shines spotlight on talented charity service users

A lightbox exhibition showcasing the creative talents of a group of adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs has gone on display at a Northumberland art gallery.

Curated by local charity, Blyth Star Enterprises, exclusively for the RePUBlic Gallery in Blyth, the exhibition showcases artwork created by service users who access Blyth Star’s Living Support and Day Services.

The collection, titled ‘We are Blyth Star’, is a landmark for Blyth Star as its first-ever public art exhibit but also a first for the RePUBlic Gallery, as its first-ever charity-designed lightbox display.

Launched in 2021, the RePUBlic Gallery is a contemporary gallery and community space located within the old Kings Head pub on Blyth’s Bridge Street, which is committed to a program of exhibitions that champion local engagement. Its rotation of exhibitions span both the main ground floor gallery space and the adjoining Kings Head Café via its lightbox displays and ‘PUBlic windows’.

The opportunity for Blyth Star to have its own showcase within the gallery came about after an introduction was made between the charity and gallery owners, Mags and Claire Margetts, via the Heart of Blyth project.

Claire said:

“From the outset, our vision for the RePUBlic Gallery was to create a community space which would inspire creativity and increase local engagement in the arts, with a particular focus on high quality, contemporary art and design.

“Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to welcome a broad range of local artists to showcase their talents in our spaces, but this is the first time that we’ve received a request from a charity, which is really exciting for us.

“We were familiar with Blyth Star Enterprises and the work that the charity does in the community as our gallery sits next door to one of Blyth Star’s day services (The Steamboat), but we had no idea that among the service users, there was such a wealth of creative talent. It’s great to be able to provide a platform for them to showcase their art to a public audience for the first time and we look forward to welcoming visitors to see it.”

Julie Dixon, Chief Executive Officer at Blyth Star Enterprises, added:

“Across all of Blyth Star’s services, we encourage our service users to express themselves creatively as a means of supporting their health and wellbeing. As a result, our departments and offices are absolutely full of incredible pieces of artwork and woodcraft that service users have made, but we have never had an outlet from which to showcase it, until now.

“For our service users, having the opportunity to see their work in a public space like the RePUBlic Gallery is a huge deal. It’s something that many of them would never have thought possible and it has been a real boost for their mental health. We can’t thank Mags and Claire and the team at RePUBlic enough for their support.”

‘We are Blyth Star’ will be on display in the ground floor foyer between the RePUBlic Gallery and the Kings Head Café between September and December 2024. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00am – 3:00pm.

For more information about Blyth Star Enterprises, please visit: www.blythstar.org.uk or for the RePUBlic Gallery, please visit: www.republicgallery.co.uk.