Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University facts for kids

Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University (often called LA) is a special organisation at Lancaster University. It shares amazing performances and exhibitions with everyone. This includes students, staff, and the public. You can enjoy shows at its main places: the Nuffield Theatre, the Lancaster Concert Series, and the Peter Scott Gallery.

What is Lancaster Arts?

Lancaster Arts is the main place for arts at Lancaster University. It welcomes everyone to its venues and events. They offer many different types of shows, like concerts, theatre, visual arts, dance, and spoken word. These events happen in autumn and spring.

Lancaster Arts is a 'National Portfolio Organisation' (NPO) for Arts Council England. This means they get support to help people enjoy art and culture. Their goal is to support all kinds of art in the 21st century. They also want to make a positive impact on society, culture, education, and the economy in the North of England.

Lancaster Arts works with other university groups and student clubs. They also help outside groups use their spaces for events.

Artists They Support

In 2015, Lancaster Arts started a special program for artists. It was called the Associate Artists Programme. This program helps artists with things like:

• Creating new works.
• Giving them a place to work.
• Showing their art to people.
• Helping them get noticed.

Three artists who have been part of this program are:

• Andy Smith
• imitating the dog
• Quarantine

New Artworks: Commissions

Lancaster Arts often asks artists to create brand new artworks. They get support from Arts Council England to do this. Many of these new works then travel around the country and even the world!

New Theatre Shows

The Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster has asked for many new plays and performances. For example, in 2010, they had an outdoor show called "Jack Scout" in Silverdale, Lancashire. In 2014, they created "Sea Breeze," a play about the history of Morecambe Winter Gardens. This show was even picked as a top show of 2014 by a famous theatre critic!

New Music Pieces

Lancaster Arts also asks composers to write new music. Some examples include:

• A piece by Canadian composer Nicole Lizée for percussionist Joby Burgess.
• New music by Graham Fitkin for Ockham's Razor Theatre Company's aerial show "Not Until We Are Lost."
• A piece by Gabriel Prokofiev (great-grandson of Sergei Prokofiev) for the group Retorica in 2014.

New Artworks and Exhibitions

In 2011, they asked Mel Brimfield to create a new film and photos for an exhibition. In 2014, British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard created a large video artwork called "Jumpers."

History of Lancaster Arts

The different parts of Lancaster Arts have been around for almost 50 years!

Before They Joined Forces

Before 2007, the Lancaster International Concert Series, Peter Scott Gallery, and Nuffield Theatre all worked separately. They were often linked to academic departments at the university. This meant that the public arts and teaching could support each other.

The Nuffield Theatre

The Nuffield Theatre opened in 1968. It received £80,000 from the Nuffield Foundation. The theatre was designed to be very flexible. It could even be changed to look like a 17th-century Parisian theatre for research! This made it perfect for new and experimental theatre. It was one of the largest "black box" theatres in the UK when it opened.

The Nuffield Theatre became known for its experimental theatre and dance shows. It got its public performance licence in 1992.

Lancaster Concert Series

Since 1969, there have been regular concerts at the Great Hall at Lancaster University. The "Lancaster Concerts" series brought international artists to the university. Famous performers like Paul Lewis and the BBC Philharmonic have played there. Most concerts were in the Great Hall, but sometimes in the Nuffield Theatre.

A student newspaper from 1974 said that music had been a very important part of the university. It also said the concerts helped connect the university with the local community.

Peter Scott Gallery

The Peter Scott Gallery first opened in 1975. It was called the Scott Gallery back then and was located in Pendle College. It was funded by Peter F Scott, CBE. In 1988, it moved to the Great Hall complex and was renamed the Peter Scott Gallery. It was made bigger and better in 1993. The gallery has special rooms for different collections, like the Irene Manton Room.

Joining Together: Public Arts and Live at LICA

Over time, the Concerts, Gallery, and Theatre became more separate from the academic departments. In 2007, a decision was made to bring them all together under one director. This was called The Public Arts.

In October 2010, the combined organisation officially launched as Live at LICA. Live at LICA became known for supporting new and exciting contemporary art, dance, and music. The Peter Scott Gallery also started focusing more on Contemporary art and talks.

Becoming Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University

In August 2015, Live at LICA changed its name to 'Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University'. This new name was chosen to make it clearer who they are, where they are, and what they offer.

Places to See Art (Venues)

The university used money from its first fundraising efforts to build places for the arts. These are mostly found in the Great Hall complex.

Great Hall Complex

This complex includes the Great Hall, the Jack Hylton Music Rooms, and the Nuffield Theatre Studio.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is a large, flexible space designed for good sound. It has a pipe organ and is where the Lancaster International Concert Series takes place. In the 1980s, it also hosted popular music concerts.

The Jack Hylton Rooms

These rooms are named after the entertainer Jack Hylton. They include workshops for theatre, rehearsal spaces, and a life drawing studio. When they opened in 1965, people hoped these rooms would make Lancaster a music hub for the North West.

The Nuffield Theatre

The Nuffield Theatre opened in 1968. It's a professional "black-box" studio theatre, meaning it's a simple, flexible space. The stage can be very wide (up to 25 metres), and it can seat up to 220 people.

The Peter Scott Gallery

Next to the Great Hall is the Peter Scott Gallery. It was funded by Peter F Scott, CBE. The gallery was made bigger in 1993. It has the Irene Manton Room and a room for the John Chambers Collection. The main gallery space is used for films, workshops, talks, and showing art. It also hosts the final art show for Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts students.

The LICA Building

The Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) building is made of timber. It has flexible spaces for performances and workshops. These spaces support teaching and research in art, design, film, music, and theatre. It was the first university building in the UK to get a top environmental rating!

The Storey

In 2016, Lancaster Arts held some events at The Storey in Lancaster city centre. This included a discussion about whether The Storey could be a 21st-century art centre. The Storey was also a main spot for the Festival of Questions.

Famous Performances and Collections

Performers

Many famous theatre and dance groups have performed at Lancaster Arts, including:

• Forced Entertainment (many shows from 1994 to 2016)
• Akrim Khan (2002)
• John Hegley (1999, 2002)
• Hofesh Shechter (2007)
• Gob Squad (2008, 2014, 2017)
• Carol Ann Duffy (2010)
• Candoco (several shows from 2009 to 2014)
• Phoenix Dance Theatre (2015)

Lancaster Arts has a strong connection with Ockham's Razor Theatre Company. They have hosted several of their shows, including one at Lancaster Castle in 2011.

Musicians

Many musicians have performed in The Great Hall and Nuffield Theatre.

Concert Series

The Lancaster International Concert Series is the main place for classical music in north Lancashire and Cumbria. Famous performers include:

• Manchester Camerata (1998, 2008)
• BBC Philharmonic (1999, 2007, 2011)
• Noriko Ogawa (2003)
• Gabriela Montero (2013, 2015)

Martin Roscoe was a special musician who stayed at the university from 1999 to 2000.

Concerts and Gigs

From 1971 to 1984, the Great Hall and Nuffield Theatre hosted many music gigs. Famous bands and artists who played there include:

• Joy Division (1979)
• Pink Floyd
• Black Sabbath
• Bob Marley
• Tina Turner
• Madness
• The Smiths
• Paul McCartney
• The Who

Lancaster Arts tried to bring back these kinds of music events in 2015 with their Music Week.

Art Collections

Barbara Hepworth's Dual Form, bronze, 1965, of which one is on permanent display at the University of Lancaster as part of the Peter Scott Gallery Collections

The Peter Scott Gallery has important collections of art and old objects. This includes a large collection of Chinese and Japanese Art. It also has 20th-century art by artists like Barbara Hepworth and William Scott. The university also has prints by famous European artists like Dürer and Miró. There are also special collections of artists books and pop-up books.

The gallery also has ancient objects, like Roman, Greek, and Egyptian pots and glass. You can see things like a Roman stylus and an Egyptian papyrus from a Book of the Dead. The Peter Scott Gallery also has one of the most important collections of Pilkington's Tile and Pottery Company in the UK.

Exhibitions

The Peter Scott Gallery has hosted many interesting exhibitions.

• In 2011, Franko B showed his work "Someone to Love."
• In 2013, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard showed their new video artwork "Jumpers."
• In 2014, Wu Chi-Tsung's work was shown as part of a national program.
• Other artists who showed new work include Mel Brimfield (2012, 2014) and Paul Mcdevitt (2015).

Festivals

Curate the Campus

This was an event that started in 2012. It aimed to spread art across the university campus. It ran in 2012 and 2013 before changing into "OPEN."

OPEN

OPEN is a yearly festival where the Peter Scott Gallery becomes a social space. It's open all day for people to try new things and talk about ideas related to art. Each year has a theme, like "Environment|Education" in 2016.

Festival of Questions

In 2016, Lancaster Arts started the Festival of Questions. This event explored how art can connect with politics. It included art shows, performances, and talks by important people like Owen Jones. The festival ended with two "days of questions," where artists, academics, and commentators discussed important topics of the day.

Directors

• Director: Jocelyn Cunningham (2016–Present)
• Director: Jamie Eastman (2013–16)
• Director: Matt Fenton (2010–13)
• Director (Nuffield Theatre): Matt Fenton (2003–10)
• Director (Lancaster International Concert Series): Tim Williams (2001–13)
• Director (Nuffield Theatre): Adrian Harris (1995–2003)
• Director (Nuffield Theatre): Baz Kershaw (1985–95)
• Director (Nuffield Theatre): Kenneth Parrott (1972–85)
• Director/Professor of Music (Lancaster Concerts): Denis McCaldin (1971–2001)
• Director (Lancaster Concerts): Sir John Manduell (1969–71)