IT IS a great space for showing off art work. An historic, Grade I listed building, regarded as one of the finest classical railway stations in Britain.
Inside it has imposing walls, bags of high, airy space and even better, a constant footfall of people.
Where better then for Huddersfield’s artists to show off their work and that’s just what has been happening.
Art Station is the name of the gallery space on the station and the name of the collective of seven who run it.
Project co-ordinator Beverley Addy said: “It is an amazing job to fill those big white walls with wonderful pieces of art every couple of months and it’s just a great place to hang your work with so many passers-by seeing it every day.
“I love the fact that we can thrust artists’ work into a public space and make a simple station concourse come to life with the inspiring works that have been put forward to go up in Art Station.
“We hope that these varied installations give members of the travelling public, some of who might never step into a gallery, a little lift every day.”
Art Station’s remit is to fill the walls of the station with art. Primarily that is 2D work but occasionally the collective has attracted interesting 3D pieces such as Mick Kirby-Geddes tortoise, which even captured the hearts of the station staff, and the Tentacles of Terror from Trafford Parsons, which proved quite a challenge to mount on the age-old walls of the station.
The work shown by 60 artists over the past year has included huge oil paintings by Jane Galvin, the massive stretched-canvas photo montages of Ali White, gilded leather coats by Beverley Addy and massive hand-tufted rugs by Andrew Warburton.
It is estimated that 15,000 people pass through the station each day and it’s a great opportunity for artists to get their work seen by the widest possible range of people.
Later this year will see the first call for artists outside of Kirklees to share their work on the walls of the station for October and November, with the theme yet to be announced.
All of this began more than a year ago when Huddersfield Train Station management TransPennine Express approached Kirklees Communities and Leisure team, which works with the creative sector, to explore the idea of turning the huge white walls into a gallery space.
Robin Widdowson, senior creative sector development officer, brought together about 20 artists from across Kirklees to look at the proposal and from those 20 a collective of seven volunteers was formed to curate and hang exhibitions in the station around six times a year.
The collective who run Art Station are Jane Galvin, 63, from Slaithwaite, owner of Slawit Studio; project manager Beverley Addy, 43, from Linthwaite – writer and filmmaker, owner of Addy Studio, director of HOST Kirklees Open Studio Trail; Dan Booth, 39, Slaithwaite, printmaker; Kevin Threfall, from Marsden, painter; Archivist Andrew Warburton, 46, from Mirfield - owner of Area Rugs; treasurer Mark Milnes, 40 from Mirfield – director of Creative Arts Hub and Exhibitions Co-ordinator for Batley Art Gallery and Carla Lee, 25, from Mirfield – illustrator.
