Approved: 07.01.2014

Martyn Lucas

Artist, Arts development worker, Curator, Gallery educator, Project manager

Approved: 07.01.2014

I have worked for thirty years as an artist, curator, educator and community arts project manager. I have commissioned and contributed to innovative exhibitions and participatory projects with a range of artists, curators and organisations, including the Turnpike Gallery, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, Arts Council Collection, Huddersfield Art Gallery, Chrysalis Arts, Wigan Youth Zone, Healthy Arts, Leigh Neighbours Project, Angela Kingston, Andrew Bick, Tony Bevan, Norman Dilworth, Leo Fitzmaurice, Zarah Hussain, Philip Davenport, Saba Rifat, Cross Street Arts, OWL Project, Katherine Jones, Danielle Creenaune, David Walker and Willie Williams.

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    Artist Statement

    I have worked for thirty years as an artist, curator, educator and community arts project manager. I have commissioned and contributed to innovative exhibitions and participatory projects with a range of artists, curators and organisations, including the Turnpike Gallery, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, Arts Council Collection, Huddersfield Art Gallery, Chrysalis Arts, Wigan Youth Zone, Healthy Arts, Leigh Neighbours Project, Angela Kingston, Andrew Bick, Tony Bevan, Norman Dilworth, Leo Fitzmaurice, Zarah Hussain, Philip Davenport, Saba Rifat, Cross Street Arts, OWL Project, Katherine Jones, Danielle Creenaune, David Walker and Willie Williams.

    I have worked on projects with established commercial galleries such as Cristea Roberts and Gimpel Fils, as well as public institutions such as Tate Liverpool, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Institute of Education, London, and Liverpool Hope University.

    As an artist, I have exhibited widely in galleries in the UK and developed a number of collaborative projects, including Dialogue (London), Hospitals Talking Art (Aberdeen and London), and Enclosure (Banff, Canada).  I am currently a studio member of Cross Street Arts in Standish.

    Central to my ethos and practice is the enrichment of people’s lives through an encounter with the visual arts – nurturing the conversation between art, artists and audience.

    CV & Education

    EDUCATION            

    1993-95 M.A. Art & Design in Education, IoE, University of London.  
    1989-90 Visual Arts Program Residency, Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada.
    1982-86 B.A. (Hons) Fine Art, University of Reading. 

    CURATING, ARTS DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING

    2022 - Lead Officer, Arts (Turnpike Gallery) for Wigan Council

    2015 - 2022 Freelance Exhibitions curator at West Yorkshire Print Workshop

    2017- 2022 Lead artist and project co-ordinator for Our Art Neighbourhood II, Leigh Neighbours

    Working with Leigh Neighbours Project to develop art in the public realm in partnership with residents, local schools and local artists.

    2018   Freelance Curator, Art Unpacked II, Chrysalis Arts

    Curating of 'Truth and Fantasy', an exhibition of contemporary drawing touring across North Yorkshire and East Lancashire as part of Art Unpacked II

    2017   Co-curator with Paula Fenwick-Lucas of 'Intimate', Isherwood Gallery, Wigan.

    An ACE funded project featuring 20 artists from across the North-West and London.

    2016   Lead Artist and Project Co-ordinator, Art Zone, Wigan Youth Zone

    2016/18    Visiting Lecturer, York St. John University

    Presentations on professional practice and developing a ‘portfolio career’

    2015   Lead Artist, Lilford Park Centenary, Healthy Arts

    Developing a visual arts installation with local schools as part of an HLF funded project celebrating the centenary of Lilford Park, Leigh.

    2015   Project Co-ordinator, Mirror Images, Chrysalis Arts

    Freelance contract managing a touring exhibition across the north of England and Scotland of print makers from North Yorkshire, Scotland, Finland and Sweden.  Part of Connections North initiated by Chrysalis Arts in partnership with Inspired By…Gallery, Highland Print Centre, Ratamo, Finland and Algarden, Sweden.

    2014   Project Curator for Our Art Neighbourhood

    Responsibilty for devising, fundraising, delivery and evaluation of community art project in partnership with Leigh Neighbours Project

    2014  Freelance curator, Art Unpacked, Chrysalis Arts

    Curating of 'Unfamiliar Ground', an exhibition of contemporary printmaking touring across NE Lincs, North Yorkshire and East Lancashire as part of Art Unpacked

     

    1994-2003 Visiting Lecturer, Institute of Education, University of London
    Presentations to MA students in the department of Art & Design on learning experiences through collaborations between artists and people, and writing a dissertation.

    SELECTED EXHIBITIONS         

    2020     New Light Art Prize, Scarborough Art Gallery and touring

    2019     ‘Under the Weather’, World of Glass, St Helens

    2019      Summer exhibition, Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester

    2019      ‘The Fire Within’, Wigan

    2018       Twice as Nice, PS Mirabel, Manchester

    2018       ‘Land Marks’, Open House, Trafford, Manchester.

    2018       ‘Manipulate’, Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester.

    2017       ‘Intimate’, Isherwood Gallery, Old Courts, Wigan.

    2017       Cross Street Artists, The Atkinson, Southport.

    2017       Summer exhibition at Silson Contemporary, Harrogate.

    2016       ‘Symposium’, Art House, Southport.

    2016       ‘VS’, New Art Spaces, Bolton.

    2015       Warrington Contemporary Open

    PUBLICATIONS, ARTICLES, PRESENTATIONS

    2018                Selector for North Yorkshire Open Studios.

    2018                Selector for Chapel Gallery Open, Ormskirk.

    2014                Selector for Connections North print exhibition.

    2014                Selector for Chapel Gallery Open, Ormskirk.

    2013                Catalogue essay and selector for neo:Graduates 2013. 

    2011                Catalogue essay for The Fateful 13 by Matt Roby, Chapel Gallery.

    2008                Catalogue foreword for Art with Strangers, curated by Angela Kingston.

    2006                Catalogue foreword for Tony Bevan Paintings 1987-2005, Turnpike Gallery.

    2003                Catalogue essay for A Different Space, Turnpike Gallery.

    1999                Presentation on ‘Artists, Audience and Education’ for NSEAD Conference ‘Time for Change’, Homerton College, Cambridge.

    1998                ‘Instructions in Love – Artists training to work in education and the community’, Mailout magazine, December issue.

    1997                ‘Hospitals Talking Art: recording the visual dialogue’, Grays School of Art, Aberdeen

    1995                ‘dialogue’, an artist’s book with Leslie Herbert.