Impressions Gallery facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | November 1972 |
|---|---|
| Location | Centenary Square, Bradford, England |
| Founder | Val Williams and Andrew Sproxton |
Impressions Gallery is a special place in Bradford, England. It's a gallery where you can see amazing modern photographs. It started way back in 1972 in York and then moved to Bradford in 2007. Impressions Gallery also has a cool bookshop, makes its own photo books, and sells prints. It's actually one of the oldest places in Europe dedicated to showing modern photography!
Contents
How the Gallery Works
Impressions Gallery is a charity. This means it's a group that doesn't try to make money for itself. Instead, it uses money from groups like Arts Council England and Bradford Metropolitan District Council to put on shows. This helps people learn about photography.
Exhibitions and Shows
The gallery usually has about six different photo shows every year. These shows often feature the work of one photographer who has been working for a while. Sometimes, they also have shows that feature photos from several different artists.
Books and More
Inside the gallery, there's a bookshop. The gallery also publishes its own books and catalogs. These books often go along with their exhibitions. They sometimes work with other publishers too. They have published works by many photographers, including:
- Melanie Friend
- Paul Floyd Blake
- Joy Gregory
- Anna Fox
- Trish Morrissey
- Tessa Bunney
- Gavin Parry
- Andy Lock
- Stefan Ruiz
- Laurie Long
Gallery History
The gallery was started by Val Williams and her husband Andrew Sproxton in November 1972. It first opened in York. Their very first show featured photos by Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows. It was called Butlin's by the Sea. They also showed photos by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe.
Early Photographers
Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows showed their work at Impressions Gallery a lot in the 1970s. Martin Parr had solo shows like Home Sweet Home in 1974 and Beauty Spots in 1976. Daniel Meadows had shows like Free Photographic Omnibus in 1974 and Clayton Ward in 1978.
Other Artists Shown
Many other talented photographers have shown their work at the gallery over the years. Some of them include:
- James Barnor
- Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin
- George Chakravarthi
- Fiona Crisp
- Rena Effendi
- Melanie Friend
- Anna Fox
- Carl De Keyzer
- Joy Gregory
- David Moore
- Mariele Neudecker
- Mark Power
- Paul Reas
- Ben Rivers
- Red Saunders
- Victor Sloan
Moving Locations
In 1976, the gallery moved to a new spot in York called Colliergate. Then, in 1992, it moved again to Castlegate, also in York. Finally, in 2007, the gallery made a big move to Centenary Square in Bradford.
Gallery Archive
In 2013, the gallery gave all its old records and photos, going all the way back to 1972, to the National Media Museum in Bradford. This collection is now called the 'Impressions Gallery Archive'. It's part of the National Photography Collection. This was a special event because it was one of the first times a publicly funded photo gallery had its history kept safe by a national museum.
Anne McNeill has been the director of the gallery since the year 2000.
