Promoting art and creativity in the North East

A PhD researcher at Teesside University is helping to host a three day art festival in Middlesbrough.

The Middlesbrough Art Weekender takes place from Friday 19 May to Sunday 21 May and will see Albert Road come alive with performers, pop-up gallery spaces, exhibitions and workshops.

Organised by artist and curator, Paul Stewart, who is in the process of completing his PhD in Fine Art at Teesside University, and Stockton based art project space The Auxiliary, the festival is aimed at promoting and showcasing art from North East artists and to promote arts activity in the Tees Valley area. The weekend will be spread out across over forty locations, including Teesside University and mima, local businesses and even disused and empty buildings.

The programme will include opportunities for artists living in, or from, Teesside and the North East. This includes an Art Trail, where work by artists will be placed in shop and business windows all over Middlesbrough, with an award of £300.

Other highlights for the weekend include a pop up gallery in a hotel room and a sound walk through Middlesbrough. There will be free workshops for children on Saturday and events will culminate on Sunday with a three-sided football game outside the Central Library.

The weekend is free and open to the public with only some workshops charging a small fee. The weekend will be launched on Friday 19 May at mima, from 6.00pm – 10.00pm.

For further information, visit the Middlesbrough Art Weekender website, or email info@middlesbroughartweekender.com.

---