Page 16 - Phonebox Magazine August 2016

Big Changes at MK Gallery
We Speak to Simon Wright
The Curator of Public Programmes at MK Gallery talks to Phonebox magazine about changes at MK Gallery, the town’s 50th anniversary and his favourite artists.
OBy Katrina Norton
pened in 1999, MK Gallery is one
of the highlights of Milton Keynes city centre. Its ever-changing exhibitions of modern art have
attracted visitors from all over the UK and its outreach programmes continue to benefit the local community. Even so, MK Gallery is expanding; its re-opening is planned for 2017, in order to coincide with Milton Keynes’s 50th birthday. I spoke to Simon Wright, Curator of Public Programmes, to find out about the changes being made to the Gallery, his thoughts on the town’s upcoming golden anniversary and what kind of art he personally is interested in.
So what can Simon tell us about the developments at MK Gallery? “The expansion is an £11 million project – we’re doubling the amount of gallery space and we’ll be reconfiguring the existing building to include an independently run café. We’ll also have a slightly bigger retail area and a dedicated space for our learning programme. On the first floor, we’re building a multipurpose auditorium for our events programme, which will include film screenings, live music, performances and talks, as well as enabling us to hire the space out for other organisations in the city”.
“We’ve developed into a very vibrant town . . . I think it’s a really exciting time in Milton Keynes”
What are the curator’s thoughts on MK’s golden anniversary in 2017? “It’s a really significant point. We’ve developed into a very vibrant town, but obviously we need to start thinking about what the future’s going to look like too. I think MK 50 is a good point for us to celebrate what’s gone on in the past, as well as starting to think about the future, and the gallery’s expansion is one of those future thinking projects. I think it’s a really exciting time in Milton Keynes”.
Of course, people will still want to be involved with the Gallery whilst it’s under construction – are there any events or exhibitions taking place currently? “Every Thursday evening, we do the Scratch Nights programme – that’s a mixture of talks, performances, music, and spoken word. On Friday evenings we do
16 Phonebox Magazine | August 2016
a regular film programme, partnered with Independent Cinema Milton Keynes (ICMK). Most Saturdays we do a live music programme too. Equally, the learning department are continuing to do a lot of work – in our project base opposite the main gallery, we continue to do sessions for parents and toddlers every Tuesday and Wednesday. We also do Saturday Studio, (which is for a slightly older age group) and we’re doing a lot of outreach work in different communities around Milton Keynes as well”.
“We’re interested in bringing more historical exhibitions to MK Gallery”
What about any upcoming exhibitions the Gallery has planned for after the re-opening? “We’re in the process of developing that programme, but I can’t say exactly what we’re doing at the moment unfortunately – we have to keep a few things under our hats! However, I can say that we’re interested in bringing more historical exhibitions to Milton Keynes. Previously we’ve focused mainly on contemporary art, but from extensive research we have an understanding that a lot of people would be interested in seeing more historical exhibitions. But equally, we’re still really keen to develop contemporary art shows as well”.
Simon has worked at MK Gallery for 11 years – does he have a favourite exhibition that he’s worked on in the last decade? “That’s really difficult... From a personal
point of view, an exhibition we did with an Italian artist called Gilberto Zorio – that was a real highlight. He was part of an art movement in the 60s called Arte Povera, quite an inspirational movement for me. I studied fine art, so when you get to work with an artist that you’ve read about, that’s quite an amazing experience.
“There are lots of interesting young artists in Milton Keynes that are starting to emerge”
There is so much fantastic public artwork around the MK city centre, are there any local artists that deserve wider recognition? “I think there’re actually lots of interesting young artists in Milton Keynes that are starting to emerge at the moment. I have an interest in sound art, and there’s an artist called Caroline Devine who we’ve worked with on several projects – she’s based in Milton Keynes and I think she’s probably up there as one of my favourites”.
Finally, is there an ideal exhibition that Simon would like to see at the MK Gallery in the future? “Wow,” Simon laughs, “that’s quite a tough one! I’d maybe like to see an exhibition here by Peter Doig. He’s a British/Canadian painter who does incredible work, so yeah he would be quite interesting”.
Visit www.mkgalleryexpansion.org to learn more about the development plans and progress, or www.mkgallery.org for more information on events and exhibitions.
MK Gallery expansion: indicative view of auditorium window. Courtesy 6a architects