Galleries rename marks centenary of artist's gift (From Salisbury Journal)

Galleries rename marks centenary of artist's gift

10:36am Thursday 26th January 2012 in Entertainments By Anne Morris

VISITORS to the galleries in Salisbury library will notice a small but subtle change. From the beginning of January, the galleries have been renamed the Young Gallery in recognition of the bequest by watercolourist Edwin Young which established the original gallery in 1913.

Next year marks the centenary of the artist’s gift to the city. “We wanted to get our house in order and become a standard format,” explains curator Peter Riley.

The Young Gallery will mark the centenary with a major project but in the run up to this, the galleries will be offering permanent exhibitions to mark the life and achievements of both Edwin Young and writer John Creasey, as both collections are held in Salisbury library.

The John Creasey Museum consists mainly of works on paper by British artists and students with an emphasis on art with a Wiltshire connection.

These include works by Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Elizabeth Blackadder and David Hockney.

Exhibitions are held each year showing objects from the permanent collection.

Also held are the literary collections of the crime and thriller writer John Creasey who lived at New Hall, Bodenham, now a hospital.

With the renaming of the gallery, it is planned that works from the permanent collection will always be on show in some part of the gallery and Peter will be giving talks about the collection as well as starting a friends’ group.

Friends will be asked to steward at exhibitions and continue the ongoing research into identifying the locations in Edwin Young’s watercolours.

Chairing the group is Peter Blacklock, a former arts and entertainments editor of the Journal.

You can currently see some of Edwin Young’s watercolours and works from the permanent collection at the Young Gallery at Salisbury library until the end of February.

n Anyone interested in joining the friends’ group should email Peter at Peter.Riley@wiltshire.gov.uk.