The Lock-Up
From 1861 until 1982, the building used for The Lock-Up operated as a police station and holding cells for short-term prisoners. After the police station closed, the site became the Hunter Heritage Centre in 1988, which included a museum and an art gallery. The space was re-launched as The Lock-Up in September 2014, as a dedicated multidisciplinary contemporary art gallery. The exhibition spaces include several cells, a padded cell, an indoor exercise yard for prisoners, and a considerable amount of graffiti created by prisoners, all of which have been maintained in their original form following its conversion into an art gallery. Performative exhibitions have featured at the gallery, including one which incorporated the original graffiti by exploring the characters of 'Sue and Dyan', whose names are carved into the walls of one of the cells. Art at the gallery has often been social and criminal justice themed, including on issues such as the climate crisis and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their 2018 exhibition, justiceINjustice, a collaboration between artists and lawyers which focused on miscarriage of justice, won an IMAGinE award from the Museums and Galleries of NSW. Then director Jessi England also received the IMAGinE award for best director that same year.
The Lock-Up is a not-for-profit independent gallery. The gallery receives around $150,000 funding a year from Create NSW, and receives additional support from a patrons program. In 2023, they received a $400,000 grant from Creative Australia, with funds to be provided over four years beginning in 2025. Funds are also raised via an annual exhibition titled Collect. The gallery typically runs about six or seven shows a year, usually with original installations, and also supports an artist-in-residence program. Notable artists exhibited at The Lock-Up include Blak Douglas.
References
- ^ Neilson, Faye (2020). "Braddon Snape: Internal pressures". Artlink. 40 (4): 62–65.
- ^ McMahon, Jennifer A.; Coleman, Elizabeth Burns; Phillips, James; Von Sturmer, Daniel (2016). "Between philosophy and art: A collaboration at TheLock-Up, Newcastle". Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. 5 (2–3): 135–15–. doi:10.1386/ajpc.5.2-3.135_1.
- ^ "History". The Lock-Up. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024.
- ^ McKay, Carolyn (2021). "Chapter 15: The aesthetic archive". In Biber, Katherine; Luker, Trish; Vaughan, Priya (eds.). Law's Documents: Authority, Materiality, Aesthetics. Taylor & Francis. p. 278-295. ISBN 9781000511741.
- ^ Kellar, Jim (12 August 2022). "The Bender at The Lock-Up is tasty sample of Newcastle's creative DNA". The Newcastle Herald.
- ^ Arrighi, Gillian; Irvine, Clare (2022). "'What do you mean we aren't performing Shakespeare?:': A contemporary, devised performance curriculum at a regional Australian university". Australasian Drama Studies. 80. ProQuest 2675716004.
- ^ Woodley, Melissa (15 December 2023). "The Dance of the Remediators". Time Out. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024.
- ^ McPhillips, Kathleen (19 April 2023). "How can art respond to stories on institutional child sexual abuse?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023.
- ^ McGowan, Michael (28 March 2018). "'This must not be forgotten': the artists painting a picture of Australian injustice". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023.
- ^ Kellar, Jim (30 November 2018). "The Lock-Up honoured for justiceINjustice exhibit and top director". The Newcastle Herald.
- ^ "Winners 2018". Museums and Galleries of NSW. 31 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024.
- ^ Kellar, Jim (28 May 2023). "Best chance to purchase great Newcastle art in Collect show at The Lock-up". The Newcastle Herald.
- ^ Kellar, Jim (13 December 2023). "Creative Australia awards $400,000 grant to The Lock-Up". The Newcastle Herald.
- ^ Kellar, Jim (20 May 2022). "Buy stunning works of art at a discount with Collect exhibition at The Lock-Up Newcastle". The Newcastle Herald.