Date: 06/2005
Source: BBC
London has the Tate Modern, Gateshead has the Baltic but soon Wakefield could be a contender for providing the best art you can find on any waterfront in the country! But, as we've been finding out Wakefield and art are no strangers to each other
The latest designs have now been revealed for the Hepworth Wakefield, named after the sculptor Barbara Hepworth who was born in the city. It's the centrepiece for the city's waterfront development set to open in 2008 Detailed planning permission has now been granted and construction work is expected to begin later this year.
As well as providing this major new art gallery the transformation of Wakefield's waterfront alongside the River Calder will provide access to several historic buildings including a watermill and the Calder and Hebble warehouse. A new public garden will be created and a footbridge across the river will link the gallery to the city centre.
Wakefield and the heady world of art are no strangers to each other. Nino Vella, Senior Cultural Officer at Wakefield Art Gallery, believes the district is nothing less than the "cradle of modern sculpture." He says: "I think it's an accident of geography and birth but Wakefield has really benefited because Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield, went to school across the road from the present Art Gallery and Henry Moore was born in Castleford. Even by the 1930s they were already famous internationally and they were very keen to see their work in Wakefield. It was a real benefit when this gallery opened in 1934 to have their work and other major modernists ending up in Wakefield.
"From the very beginning Wakefield got this reputation for showing the best of British art of the time. It's really the three major sculptures of the 1930s that shine through as far as Hepworth is concerned, from a 1930s rosewood figure which is very influenced by modern European sculptures, then later a lovely biomorphic child carving influenced by people like Arp and Brancusi whom she'd met in Paris. At that time Hepworth and her then husband, Ben Nicholson, were the main conduit between modernist thinking in Paris and in London. After that we have the complete abstraction, the pierced hemisphere - these are three works all from the same decade that you won't find in any other major collection anywhere in the world, let alone the Tate in London."
Not only does the gallery also have important works from each decade of Henry Moore's career - look around the Gallery's walls and you can also see some of his unforgettable sketches of Londoners sheltering in the Underground during the Blitz. Wakefield Art Gallery is still adding to its collection and over the years has acquired work by many well-known artists - the Education Room alone has works by David Hockney, Bridgit Riley, Richard Hamilton and Elizabeth Frink. Barcelona, New York and Lyons are just some of the places bidding to show items from Wakefield's art collection at the moment. The problem is that back at home there is only room to show around 7% of the holdings at any one time.
Nino is in no doubt how he feels about the prospect of a new home for the city's art at the Hepworth Wakefield: "I just can't wait. I was born in Wakefield and my parents still live here, not too far from the waterfront site. I know that as far as access is concerned it's an area of the city that people just bypass quickly when driving over the bridge. It will be opening up an area which has a real beauty and serenity compared to the traffic that goes alongside the area...It really will be the most important building in this city for a hundred years and, as a local person, to be involved in something that could change the cultural view of Wakefield, not only for people who live locally, but also nationally and internationally, is a once-in-a-lifetime event for someone like me who works in a gallery. I love this building, and a lot of people come along who like the fact it's a domestic Victorian townhouse, but really what we do as a service, the nature of the collection and what we do exhibition-wise has really outgrown its straightjacket."
As an added bonus the Hepworth Wakefield will display 30 original plaster sculptures donated by the Trustees of the Hepworth estate but Nino says the new building will do much more than house the city's art collection: "It will spread it fingers. The building will not be a monolithic shell, an old-fashioned temple to art, because there will be so many things going on in and outside the building. It really will be a place people will want to visit, taking art out into the landscape around the building (as well as) the education outreach work we do with local communities."
Project Director Gordon Watson also hopes that the Hepworth will soon become a reality: "Our aim is to open in 2008 and we've reached the detailed design stage and are also seeking the funding for it...We've gone a long way towards developing the project and also developing the community support for it. People in Wakefield are really excited by the development. I think it's a really exciting site, it's bringing new building and new design to Wakefield and also the opportunity not just to appreciate the wonderful art collections that are already here but to bring additional work by Barbara Hepworth and a much-expanded creativity zone with learning and access. One of the comments we've had when we've gone out talking to people is that they want things for the kids to do so that's become a key part of the project. There will also be a café, informal spaces and a lovely garden by the river."
For Gordon, the Hepworth is an important part of several plans to give Wakefield a bigger place on the map and to bring new life and new jobs into the heart of the city: "This is not the only development being proposed for Wakefield. There are three key sites - the waterfront with the Hepworth but also commercial development with mixed office and residential use. There's Marsh Way which is the area to the north of the Cathedral and the new retail centre there, and also the new central library and the relocation of the market to what looks like a very exciting building. Then there's Westgate which is the area around Wakefield station which will be made more accessible and develop office space and a whole new quarter in that area. The three projects together are really exciting but the Hepworth is the one with the highest profile and the ability to make a mark internationally." He points out that Wakefield is only two hours from London by train.
However, it is to be hoped that where there are winners there do not also have to be losers. Artist Ian Smith is director of Wakefield Artsmill which already provides studio and exhibition space for local artists on the waterfront. He says: "We know we are not going to be able to stay here but we hope to continue in some form. The upshot is we are losing our building but I guess people here have mixed feelings about it. Obviously it's nice to have a big new shiny gallery in the city but it means we've got to find somewhere else to go. The good thing about this place is that even though it's run-down it's relatively inexpensive for us to rent."
Wakefield Council is providing help in the search for new premises for the Artsmill but Ian does not know if it will be possible to relocate the artists together: "It is a pretty isolating thing to do, painting and if everyone was at home on their own for a lot of people that wouldn't be a desirable way to be. It helps just being in a community seeing what other people are doing.
"There is a slight feeling that instead of it involving the current practitioners, living artists, it's a monument to someone who, however important, is no longer with us. Having said that we don't really know yet what will be going on in there. It might turn out to be a very creative place. It remains to be seen."
Ian is convinced that as long as places like the nearby campus at Bretton and local universities continue to produce artists then there will be a demand for spaces like the Artsmill. He points out that they have held many exhibitions in the last 15 years sometimes attracting well-known artists such as Paula Rego.
Meanwhile, a new exhibition at Wakefield Art Gallery aims to link the existing building to the new site. Using digital, pinhole and panoramic photography artist Faye Chamberlain will show how the site changes as the new development goes ahead. She uses the River Calder to explore her twin themes of Light and Reflection. Nino Vella comments: "We were wondering if Faye's done too good a job because it is a brownfield site with derelict buildings, but an artist's eye can transform the ugliest of places and the images she has generated have been quite beautiful."
Keep a look out this winter! There are even plans to project some of Faye's work on the waterfront itself. And it may not be too long before Wakefield has a magnificent new home for its already renowned art collection.
Go to the 'On the Waterfront' article on the BBC web site
