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Bedding in a new crop of talent
22/05/07
Testbed, Leeds Met Gallery’s professional development programme is five.
Testbed was created to encourage and support regional artists by providing the space and facilities to make, show and critique new work. Testbed 5 features new work from:
Elizabeth Allen, Tony Caunce, Samantha Donnelly, David Green, Clare McGarrigle, Milk, Two Sugars, Niki Russell & Dan Williamson, Heidi Schaefer, Lynne Snowden, Claire Sterland and Xymphora.
The studio practice is a unique opportunity for artists to try out new ideas in the gallery space with full technical and curatorial support, creating a safe environment for experimentation without any pressure to produce a finished piece. During this time the space is open daily and the public are encouraged to drop in, offering a rare chance for visitors to engage with artists in their working environment and to see the work as it is being developed. Public access is available from 1 to 3pm, Monday to Saturday.
After a great response from across the region 17 artists were chosen, working in pairs, groups and independently, to develop their practice. Testbed 3 & 4 led to the full exhibitions of groups of further selected artists (From the Ordinary, 2005 and 6 from 4, 2007). With Testbed 5 just one artist or artist group will be selected for further support to realise a solo show to appear later as part of the Gallery’s programme.
Moira Innes, Curator at the Leeds Met Gallery ,said: "After four successful Testbed programmes and two spin-off group exhibitions, we felt it was time to further develop the programme itself. It makes sense now to use the Gallery’s combined expertise to foster a more meaningful and more prolonged relationship with a single artist, as part of this development programme that we offer, taking them step by step through the entire process from nurturing experimentation and initial ideas to seeing them come to fruition."
