Case Study
At 25, Pavilion is both youthful and experienced. When Pavilion started out it was the first feminist photography centre in the UK. A quarter of a century later, many of the organisation’s original aims have been achieved.
Pavilion continues to make exceptional works of art with photography, artists and audiences, whilst continuing to pursue its mission in the complex sphere of digital and media arts.
In 2008 Pavilion secured new premises in Holbeck Urban Village to establish a gallery exhibiting work by Pavilion artists that explores photography and digital lens-based media. Through the gallery, Pavilion aims to build a closer relationship between the art and local audiences.
According to Gillian Park, audience development officer, “In 2009 we’re planning to surprise and persuade people with activities that will appeal to those who don’t see themselves as traditional gallery goers, and hope that visitors will continue to be moved and challenged by the art we show.”
A sign of their growing reputation is that they were recently selected to offer the Arts Council of England’s ‘Own Art’ scheme, which allows purchasers to borrow up to £2,000, interest free to buy art. Pavilion has also exhibited at arts fairs around the country including the prestigious Glasgow Art Fair.
The team is clearly enthusiastic about being in a village that is still taking shape. “We wanted to be in the thick of things in a developing community. Where better than an area filled with a sense of discovery and adventure? We felt that Holbeck Urban Village was full of creative people and energy, and our move here has confirmed that.”
The new gallery is open 12-5pm daily, based in the Saw Mill Yard, a new complex of offices at Round Foundry Media Centre completed in 2008 that curves around wide cobbled lanes. It’s an area surrounded by places to eat and meet, allowing Pavilion to capitalize on the flow of people working in the area, many of whom have a professional interest in the creative and digital sector.
