New art gallery at #SalfordUniversity

​Several years ago I exhibited in the Chapman Gallery that was part of Salford university, I remember it well. I had been busy painting studies of Salford and Manchester shopping centres and fancied a change. I decided to explore the concept of the modern foreign holiday and painted a series of works on this theme.

The exhibition was in December and when we arrived the heating wasn't working properly. We had decided to have a holiday theme to the opening and had a couple of ladies dressed up as waitresses,  wearing black and white uniforms and serving cream teas. It was freezing outside and not much warmer inside. A memorable day and quite a successful exhibition.

 At the time the gallery contained a studio and there was an artist in residence; Christine Healey. It was a pity that this facility was lost but now the new building also has a gallery on the ground floor.

It does seem a shame that this is not as big as the old gallery but I do wonder if more exhibition space will become available in other parts of this building. The gallery at the moment seemed a little sparce with only a few works on show.
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Hopefully with the universities commitment to the community this can become a hub of local art and an impressive show place.

Some of the paintings from the exhibition in the Chapman gallery