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What is there to see?
The Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead contains a number of permanent galleries and exhibitions. To find out more about our temporary exhibitions and events, please visit our what's on section.
Permanent Galleries
New Design Gallery
The Shipley has recently undergone a major redevelopment and Designs for Life, a new gallery on art, craft and design, opened in March 2008.
Showcasing Tyne & Wear Museums' Design collections, the gallery is home to over 300 objects made in many parts of the world over the past 2000 years. These objects range from the special and unique to the everyday and mass-produced. They take us on a journey to explore the huge variety of ways in which we use the material world to express ourselves and to enrich our lives.
Design is all around us - in the clothes we wear, the plates from which we eat our food and the bus we take into town. Designs for Life uses a variety of objects to investigate this concept in a variety of ways, exploring themes such as Form and Function, Decoration, Materials and Makers and Manufacturers. It includes historic local Davidson's and Sowerby's glass, the work of individual crafts people and the latest in contemporary design. It also uses films and interactive exhibits to bring the collections to life for visitors of all ages.
The new gallery forms part of the Designation Challenge Fund - Opening Up Collections project which aims to make several areas of important museum collections more accessible for exhibition, learning and study.
The Gallery
Within the relaxed and friendly surroundings of a beautiful gallery, visitors can see fine collections of art and design displayed throughout the year in an exciting exhibition programme.
Blaydon Races
William C. Irving's spectacular painting, capturing the spirit of the Blaydon Races, takes pride of place at the Shipley Art Gallery.
Characters from the famous paintings are brought to life in an interactive display that enables visitors to find out more about the painting. The audio-visual display brings to life characters shown in the painting including Cushie Butterfield, Gull Wullie and George the Punger. The display also allows visitors to find out more about the artist William Irving and about Geordie Ridley’s famous Blaydon Races song, which was recorded for the display by children from Winlaton West Lane Community Primary School.