News
Hearse House
Hearse House
Ninebanks, Northumberland, NE47 8DB
Group exhibition in the Hearse House and St Mark's Church
Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September 2023, 11am-6pm
Featuring work by
Olivia Irvine, Chris Jones, Bridget Kennedy, Jim Lloyd, Clare Lynn, Melinda McGarry, Elizabeth Oughton, Sarah Pemberton, Martina Schmuecker, Helen Shaddock, J Strange,
Performances on Saturday from 2pm
I'm delighted to have my work, Extended Family in this group exhibition as part of Heritage Open Days
Ninebanks, Northumberland, NE47 8DB
Group exhibition in the Hearse House and St Mark's Church
Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September 2023, 11am-6pm
Featuring work by
Olivia Irvine, Chris Jones, Bridget Kennedy, Jim Lloyd, Clare Lynn, Melinda McGarry, Elizabeth Oughton, Sarah Pemberton, Martina Schmuecker, Helen Shaddock, J Strange,
Performances on Saturday from 2pm
I'm delighted to have my work, Extended Family in this group exhibition as part of Heritage Open Days
Press Release
Two unique locations at Ninebanks in the beautiful West Allen valley are hosting an exhibition of creative artworks as part of the National Heritage Open Days Scheme. The exhibition will feature new work created by internationally exhibited artists in response to the locations of Isaac Holden's Hearse House and St. Mark's Church. The work will cover painting, sculpture, poetry, music, sound, and Victorian history.
John Garner, violinist, will be creating and performing an improvised response to the place. Sarah Pemberton, poet, will perform the poems she has written as a memorial to Isaac Holden and Jim Lloyd will perform a sound piece, Night Community, based on nocturnal recordings of creatures in the churchyard.
Melinda McGarry, a local artist who is curating the exhibition, said ‘this is a stunning and historic corner of the North Pennines and artists were thrilled to be asked to participate with the community to create this unique event. Isaac Holden was a philanthropist and secretly raised money by selling photos of himself to pay for a horse-driven hearse so that people could bury their loved ones with dignity. Sadly, anecdotally we know many people today cannot afford to hold funerals and are now commemorating their losses with just a memorial service’.
J.M. Strange, Professor of Victorian History at Durham University, who is also contributing to the exhibition, said ‘Isaac Holden was in the vanguard of social media; his self- portraits were a novelty of new technology, bringing the photograph into everyday circulation. Photography was Instagram for the Victorians.’
The exhibition also provides a valuable opportunity for displaying local history material. Marina Wallace, Church Warden for St Mark’s for over forty years said, ‘this is something different for us, we are excited to be able to host this exhibition and to feature local archive material in the community hall. Teas and home-made cakes will also be available using our newly refurbished kitchen.’
Two unique locations at Ninebanks in the beautiful West Allen valley are hosting an exhibition of creative artworks as part of the National Heritage Open Days Scheme. The exhibition will feature new work created by internationally exhibited artists in response to the locations of Isaac Holden's Hearse House and St. Mark's Church. The work will cover painting, sculpture, poetry, music, sound, and Victorian history.
John Garner, violinist, will be creating and performing an improvised response to the place. Sarah Pemberton, poet, will perform the poems she has written as a memorial to Isaac Holden and Jim Lloyd will perform a sound piece, Night Community, based on nocturnal recordings of creatures in the churchyard.
Melinda McGarry, a local artist who is curating the exhibition, said ‘this is a stunning and historic corner of the North Pennines and artists were thrilled to be asked to participate with the community to create this unique event. Isaac Holden was a philanthropist and secretly raised money by selling photos of himself to pay for a horse-driven hearse so that people could bury their loved ones with dignity. Sadly, anecdotally we know many people today cannot afford to hold funerals and are now commemorating their losses with just a memorial service’.
J.M. Strange, Professor of Victorian History at Durham University, who is also contributing to the exhibition, said ‘Isaac Holden was in the vanguard of social media; his self- portraits were a novelty of new technology, bringing the photograph into everyday circulation. Photography was Instagram for the Victorians.’
The exhibition also provides a valuable opportunity for displaying local history material. Marina Wallace, Church Warden for St Mark’s for over forty years said, ‘this is something different for us, we are excited to be able to host this exhibition and to feature local archive material in the community hall. Teas and home-made cakes will also be available using our newly refurbished kitchen.’