Farewell to 2013
What a Year!
Feels so good to see a new number at the end of the calender and look back on what an adventure 2013 was. It was a hard, hectic but above all happy year for The Little Red Gallery. Although we were scheming away back at the end of 2012, the gallery only really took shape in 2013 with our mad dash to get open in time for the Easter holidays. We officially opened our doors on 28th of March 2013, welcoming people in while still running around getting art on the walls and adding some finishing touches to the gallery.
It could, probably should, have been much more daunting dipping our feet into a new business but with all the wonderful support we have had any trepidation quickly became excitement. The Bailgate is not your typical street, Lincoln not your typical city, as anyone who spends time there will know and as soon as we knew had no.8 we knew we could do something special in a very special place. Speaking to so many Lincoln residents and visitors we have seen just how much history there is in No.8 and how much love has been put into the building. Sadly the Bail had to lose the marvelous C’est Chic to make room for us but we were delighted to start a new chapter in the history of such a grand old building.
The only thing that surpasses the beauty of the Bail is the community spirit and we have been delighted by both. The very first big event we put on was a collaboration with 3 brilliant Bailgate businesses, Lottie’s Atik, Heritage Bags and Roly’s Fudge Pantry, bringing art, fashion and fantastic food indulgence together. As well as putting on our own events we have had a great time taking part in brilliant events put on by Lincoln City Council. We took part in The Antiques Fair in Castle Square twice and luckily secured a stand on the avenue at The Lincolnshire show (between the air-con, three walls and a roof we escaped the worst of the capricious weather). It was an eye opener to be part Lincoln’s famous Christmas market from the other side of the till this year. Always a great day and night out, we had so much fun donning Victorian outfits while dishing out the free mulled wine and mince pies to keep everyone going. Can’t wait till the next one! Our last event of the year brought us full circle to a lovely Fashion Show at The White Hart Hotel, organised by Oskar and with collaboration from great businesses F. P. Watson, Lotties Atik, Object & Line, Bling and Signature.
While we could talk all day about the great vibe and community of the Bailgate; the welcoming atmosphere, the aspirational environment for growth and even the will to band together at the drop of a hat to chase down pesky shoplifters. We should really get back to the art. It’s been so much fun learning more about and surrounding ourselves with the beautiful art we have admired over the years. Be it old favourites of ours like Bob Barker, Richard Rowan and Joy Kirton-Smith or new revelations like Chris Bourne, Alex Jawdokimov and Kealey Farmer, it’s always been a pleasure to display such breathtaking work and bring a bit of beauty to people who may not have spent much time in galleries before.
We were very lucky to meet Edward Waite within a couple of months of opening, a great local talent and we were quick to focus his talent for unique interpretations of iconic landmarks on the beauty of Lincoln. It’s been an amazing year for Edward, his paintings of the Cathedral have been massively popular in Lincoln and he’s had great success all over the country. In between taking over the world he was kind enough to kick start our Visiting Artist program, putting on a fantastic exhibition and doing some live painting in the gallery. November brought the delightful Kealey Farmer to The Little Red Gallery, it was a fantastic celebration of Kealey’s bright, joyful work with many of her fans travelling up to meet her. A great day of art, love, and hugs, just what we like at The Little Red Gallery. On a less official but no less exciting note, the legendary Lawrence Coulson made a surprise visit to the gallery over Christmas. Our Coulson collection has been one of our favourites so far, to have the man himself turn up was beyond delightful.
The gallery is a labour of love for us. Discovering new artists is always a joy and Hazel rarely gets a delivery without proclaiming it Christmas come early. As we have grown and developed we have been able to showcase work from truly iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood and Stan Lee. We love art of all forms, music being a passion for us all, so bringing together both visual and audio contemporary art in one space was ideal for us. To celebrate this fusion we put on a Rock Themed night back in October to bring together paintings by musicians, paintings inspired by musicians and great live music from local artists The Unknown Stuntmen. Despite a traitorous boiler trying to put a dampener on the proceedings by adding its own interpretation of an indoor water feature we know the show must always go on. Between some temporary candle light and a some sterling assistance from those in attendance the night was still such a success that we did the whole thing again a few days later. Later in the year we had a rare opportunity to be involved with Lincoln University’s music department, providing the venue for soon to be graduate, Alex O’Brien’s dissertation. A wonderfully constructed interpretation of 24 hours in Lincoln. On the subject of music and art, we would like to say how much we have appreciated the time and support of Radio Lincolnshire and Melvyn Prior. It’s great to see such support for new businesses and such a keen interest in helping to further develop Lincoln as a great art destination.
As the year began to come to a close and the holiday season came upon us, we at The Little Red Gallery were overjoyed to be involved in many Christmas schemes. Many eagles have landed in our gallery in the weeks coming up to Christmas and we are delighted to have played a part in peoples special moments. (We now hope we are forgiven for our obscure messages and hope there weren’t too many cold dinners as a result of phone calls from strange women.)
As well as our lovely customers and the fantastic Lincoln community, we would like to say a massive thank you for the fantastic work of the Publishers that have supported us throughout the year, Washington Green, Buckingham Fine Art, DemontFort and Alpha1. The advice and support we were given at the beginning of our journey really helped us start off on the right track and their support for our continued events really helped each one go off with a bang. A special thanks to Washington Green and Buckingham Fine Art for going above and beyond for us so many times and bringing never before seen art to Lincolnshire.
Everyone here would like to say a massive thank you to all of you who supported us in 2013 and look forward to spending lots more time with you in 2014.