Harley Gallery and Foundation facts for kids
The Harley Gallery and Foundation is a special charity that helps people be creative. It's located on the large estate of Welbeck Abbey in North Nottinghamshire, England.
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About the Harley Foundation
The Harley Foundation was started in 1977 by Ivy, Duchess of Portland. Her goal was to "encourage creativity in all of us." The Foundation helps achieve this through three main parts: The Portland Collection, The Harley Gallery, and The Harley Foundation Studios. It is a registered charity, meaning it's a non-profit organization that does good work for the community.
The Harley Gallery
The Harley Gallery is where you can see amazing art and crafts. It helps the Foundation meet its goals by showing different exhibitions, having a craft shop, and offering fun events and educational activities.
Gallery History and Design
The Harley Gallery building was created in 1994. It used to be the old gasworks for the Welbeck estate, built by the 5th Duke of Portland way back in 1860.
The Duke's gasworks provided light and heat for his special projects, like the underground tunnels and gardens. When the gasworks were turned into the Gallery, they were quite run down. However, some of the original parts, like a roof beam, were kept and can still be seen today. In 1995, the building even won an award for its architecture!
What You Can See: Exhibitions
The Gallery has three different spaces for showing art. They display a wide range of both old and new art and crafts. The exhibitions change about five times a year, so there's always something new to discover!
Past art shows have featured famous artists like David Hockney and Peter Blake. Craft exhibitions have included works by talented makers such as Kate Malone.
The Craft Shop at the Gallery sells items made by over 300 different artists and craftspeople. It's a great place to find unique gifts.
Gardens and Other Places to Visit
The Gallery building is surrounded by lovely courtyard gardens. It's right next to the 5th Duke's huge kitchen garden. This garden was once 22 acres, even bigger than the royal gardens at Windsor!
Today, the old kitchen garden walls are still there. The Dukeries Garden Centre is now inside these walls. You can even see some of the original Victorian glasshouses there. The car park for The Harley Gallery is in an area that was once called "California" because it was the warmest and sunniest spot in the garden.
The courtyard gardens also have the Welbeck Farm Shop and the Limehouse Cafe. The cafe building used to be the Lime House, which was part of the gas production process. You can still see the round shapes in the courtyard where large gas storage tanks used to be.
Learning and Events
The Gallery and Foundation offer many educational programs. These include workshops for young children, talks about art history, and projects with local students. It's a great way to learn more about art and creativity.
Harley Foundation Studios
The Harley Foundation Studios are special workspaces near the Harley Gallery. Many different artists and craftspeople use these studios. You might find conservators (people who fix old art), painters, photographers, textile artists, potters, printmakers, and sculptors working there.
Once a year, the studios open to the public as part of the Harley Art and Food Market. This is a chance to see the artists at work!
Studio History and Design
The Harley Studios are located within the huge kitchen gardens of the Welbeck Estate. They were built inside what was called the "Tan Gallop," a place where racehorses were trained. They also sit on the spots where the Duke used to grow cucumbers and pineapples!
Helping Artists Grow
The Harley Foundation helps artists by giving them affordable places to work in a peaceful setting. They also have an "incubator space" for new artists. This helps them get started with their art careers. The Foundation also offers grants to support artists.
The Portland Collection
The Portland Collection is a special gallery that opened in 2016, right next to The Harley Gallery. This gallery shows amazing historical art and decorative items from the Cavendish-Bentinck family. It's one of Britain's largest private art collections!
Collection History and Design
The Portland Collection gallery was designed by Hugh Broughton Architects. It won an award in 2016 for being the "RIBA East Midlands Building of the Year."
The new gallery is built within the old walls of the Victorian "Tan Gallop." This structure was once used for training racehorses.
What You Can See: Collection Displays
The Portland Collection has two galleries and a glass entrance area. The galleries show off incredible pieces from the family's collection. You can see famous works like Michelangelo's The Madonna of Silence and paintings by van Dyck and George Stubbs.
There are also sparkling jewels and interesting objects, such as the Portland Tiara and a pearl earring worn by King Charles I. The displays in the main galleries change every three years. Some smaller items, like drawings and tiny portraits, change more often.
The Portland Tiara was stolen from the Harley Gallery in November 2018.
