Vane Gallery

Something special happens when creative communities come together. For this year’s The Late Shows, Vane and Orbis Community played an important role in creating a space that brings together new and emerging artists alongside established practitioners from across the region. Vane continues to place real value on supporting artists at different stages of their careers, offering a platform where ideas, practices and voices can be shared collectively. This approach helps build an environment where creativity can be developed openly, and where artists can grow through connection, dialogue and shared experience. Across the evening, it was particularly noticeable how students from different universities and colleges naturally connected, collaborated and supported one another throughout the event. That shared energy and openness created a strong sense of exchange across disciplines and institutions. Special thanks to the architectural students from Newcastle College for the work they displayed, which contributed meaningfully to the exhibition and the wider conversation within the gallery space. The gallery became a space where creative work was not only presented but actively shared, discussed and shaped through participation. It reflected the importance of having accessible platforms that support both emerging talent and established practitioners, strengthening the wider creative community in the North East. Events like this remind us how vital it is to have spaces that champion collaboration and support artists to grow together. @northeast.creative.network @northeastmuseums @newcastleuni @newcastleuni @northumbriafineart @gatesheadcouncil @aceagrams #TheLateShows #MadeInGateshead #CreativeCommunity #Gateshead #Newcastle

Saturday 9 May 2026 6-10pm. The Late Shows return! A night of creativity at Vane and our Orbis Community home. Take part in an immersive, participatory drawing workshop at Vane. In addition, the evening will provide an opportunity to experience the work of our many creative neighbours, based across both Gateshead town centre venues of Orbis Community. The two venues are a 5-minute walk from one another: at 65 High Street (NE8 2AP) and at 9 Interchange Centre, West Street (NE8 1BH). Several other venues for The Late Shows are within a few minutes’ walk within the town centre including Hidden Heights Creative Studio @hiddenheightsstudio , Station East @thestationeastgh , Green Heart Collective @green_heart_collective , St Mary’s by the Tyne @stmarysbythetyne , and The Kittiwake Trust Multilingual Library @themultilinguallibrary . Further afield are Gateshead Central Library @gatesheadlibraries , Shipley Art Gallery @shipleyartgallery , Bensham Grove Community Centre @benshamgrovecommunity , The Soundroom @thesoundrooms , and Dunston Staiths @tyne_derwent_way . As well as Vane, at 65 High Street you will be able to visit Maker Space and explore a showcase of members’ creations including electronic artwork, retro technologies, traditional craft, interactive exhibits and more. Atlas North East will be taking over the Orbis Community courtyard for a Beach Party! Music, Art, Summer loving and Dancing. Hawaiian shirts are recommended. You can’t go to the beach without getting fish & chips so the fantastic Hake @hakefoods will be on site – ‘Sofishticated Seafood’! Go to Orbis Community West Street, 9 Interchange Centre, (NE8 1BH) to create a Gateshead landmark print. Gateshead College students and local creatives will be running the presses for the night, producing Made in Gateshead prints inspired by the town’s cultural landmarks. Pick a design, pull a print and leave with something you actually made! For more information see .uk/exhibitions/late-shows-2026 @TheLateShows @northeastmuseums @orbiscommunity @ampersandinventions @atlasnortheast @maker_space_ncl @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter

GIFT Festival 2026 is here! 💛 Come down and join us for VR mixed reality, artist discussions, space to whinge, experimental theatre, a play for the people and some tasty scran. We look forward to seeing you. 🔗 Check out the full programme at the link in bio

‘Made in Gateshead’ Gateshead Central Exchange Launch, April 2026 Gateshead Central Exchange is a public-facing window gallery in the town centre, curated by Vane, Orbis Community and the Northeast Creative Network. Set within a former bank building, it brings contemporary art into everyday life, making it visible and accessible to everyone who passes by. This launch celebrates ‘Made in Gateshead’, a collection of artwork created in Gateshead through local projects, workshops, pop-ups and independent practice. The title reflects the people, ideas and collaboration that shape the town, highlighting the creativity that already exists within the community. The idea began during a community spring clean organised by Victoria Oxley, where conversations with Mark Ferguson MP highlighted the importance of creating visible spaces for local people, students and emerging creatives. What started as a simple idea has grown into a permanent platform for community expression. Building on earlier pilot exhibitions by the Northeast Creative Network, the project shows the impact of making creativity part of everyday public space. It also creates real opportunities for students and emerging creatives to exhibit their work in a public setting, ensuring their ideas have a lasting presence and legacy. This is about opening doors, not gatekeeping. Creativity here is inclusive, and every voice matters, not just the polished or expected ones. As one passerby said during installation: “Aye, bout time I’ve seen something colourful… really canny that like!” A reminder that when creativity is visible, it can connect people, place and community. @vanegallery @vermin.vault @doodlesbysophie_ @pauline.bcreative @maker_space_ncl @markfergusonmp @victoria.alice.oxley @gatesheadcouncil @slowhandcreativestudio @hauntinglyhalloweaveuk @northeast.creative.network @ali.c.from.the.ne3 @bernardquinn56 @mickwoottonprint @gatesheadartandmedia @bewicksociety @ampersandinventions @gateshead_live @gatesheadcreativecrawl @northeast_ca #MadeInGateshead #Gateshead #PublicArt #CreativeCommunities #OrbisCommunity AccessForAll

This year marks GIFT festival’s 16th edition as it returns from Friday 1 – Sunday 3 May, with a vibrant programme of creative workshops, exhibitions, immersive installations, new performance, and thought-provoking conversations in venues and locations across Gateshead. Celebrating exploration and exchange between artist and audience, GIFT brings together UK based and international artists to present world-class work to audiences in Gateshead. Special mention to projects taking place at Vane on Friday (iara Solano Arana @iarasolano / Image 1) and Sunday (Johnny The Biblical Rapper / Tessa Parr @tptissy / Image 2 and Rosa Postlethwaite / Image 3) and our sister Orbis Community West Street venue on Saturday (Wet Mess @wet_mess / Image 4). Full programme details at /2026-programme @GIFTfest @orbiscommunity @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter

A visit to the opening of ‘Coalescence’, a solo exhibition by former Vane exhibitor Matilda Sutton, Dead Dog Gallery, Durham Sixth Form Centre, Durham. “Working across painting, drawing, sculpture and textile, Sutton draws from histories, anthropology, philosophies, fiction and folklore, interwoven with memory and experience.” Exhibition continues to 22 May 2026. /matilda-sutton @matildasuttonart @deaddoggallery

A visit last week to see work by former Vane exhibitor Will Hughes as part of ‘Desire Lines: Art, Place & Possibilities’ at MIMA, Middlesbrough. Exhibition ends 12 April 2026. Then on to the launch of their latest project, Sawdust, “a creative workshop and fabrication space in the heart of Teesside, designed to bring people together to make, build, and transform spaces”. https://mima.art/exhibition/desire-lines-art-place-possibilities @will_hughes_art_ @mimauseful @sawdust.workshop

‘Moments of Wonder’, an exhibition by Mike Collier in collaboration with Tom Jordan ends Saturday 28 March 2026. Gallery open Wednesday – Saturday, 12-5. .uk/exhibitions/moments-of-wonder Read more about the artist and the exhibition in David Whetstone’s article on Cultured. North East: /p/vane-exhibition-offers-moments-of @mikecollierart @tom_jordan_art @orbiscommunity @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter Photos: @colindavisonphotography

Artist’s talk: Saturday 21 March 5.30-7pm. To coincide with his exhibition at Vane, ‘Moments of Wonder’, Mike Collier talks about his work with Rebecca Morrill, Gateshead-based writer, editor and former curator. Since 2023, Morrill has been Executive Commissioning Editor at HENI Publishing, and previously held roles at Phaidon Press, Contemporary Art Society, AV Festival, Serpentine Gallery and Whitechapel Gallery. Admission to the talk is free but booking is required. .uk/news/artists-talk-mike-collier @mikecollierart @tom_jordan_art @orbiscommunity @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter Photo: @colindavisonphotography

Thanks to everyone who joined us on 4 March for the opening of ‘Moments of Wonder’, an exhibition by Mike Collier in collaboration with Tom Jordan. Mike Collier works across a number of media, often in collaboration with artists, poets, musicians, composers and natural historians. His work is based on a close observation of, and engagement with, the more-than-human world. Exhibition continues to 28 March. Gallery open Wednesday – Saturday, 12-5. .uk/exhibitions/moments-of-wonder @mikecollierart @tom_jordan_art @orbiscommunity @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter Photo: @colindavisonphotography

A visit last week to the opening of ‘Stuck in a lift with a lizard’, a solo exhibition by Kathryn Lunt, High Bridge Works, Newcastle upon Tyne. The exhibition is “a retrospective of Kathryn’s practice over the last few years, expressing her love for soft sculpture installations”. Exhibition continues to 12 March 2026. /event/stuck-in-a-lift-with-a-lizard @kathrynartfans @highbridgeworks

New exhibition opens Wednesday 4 March 2026 5.30-8pm! ‘Moments of Wonder’ is an exhibition by Mike Collier in collaboration with Tom Jordan. Mike Collier works across a number of media, often in collaboration with artists, poets, musicians, composers and natural historians. His work is based on a close observation of, and engagement with, the more-than-human world. Special screening! At4.30pm, preceding the opening on the Wednesday evening, there will be a special viewing of ‘Harmony of the Spheres’, Collier’s work with Dutch composer Richard Rijnvos, who will be present for the event. .uk/exhibitions/moments-of-wonder @mikecollierart @tom_jordan_art @orbiscommunity @gatesheadcouncil @railwayquarter Pictured: Mike Collier in collaboration with Tom Jordan, Swooping Swifts, Kitaushima, Sado Island, 2026, digital print, 100x100cm