Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, or mima, is a contemporary art gallery based in the centre of Middlesbrough, England. The gallery was formally launched on Sunday 27 January 2007. It is one of three institutions run by the Middlesbrough Museums & Galleries Service, along with the Dorman Museum and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

History and Estates

The gallery's opening marks the completion of an accumulative journey for the art collection of post-industrial Middlesbrough. The early artistic heritage of a town of Middlesbrough's youth rested largely on the success of the Linthorpe Art Pottery (1879-1889), co-launched by Christopher Dresser out of the Sun Brickworks that built the suburb of that name. A School of Art had opened alongside the Mechanics' Institute in the Old Town's Durham Street in 1870, and by the 1950s that, too, had relocated to Linthorpe. The region's cultural profile was further amply boosted by the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale, up until that competition's extinction in the 1990s.

A spot for the town's first ground-up art gallery was granted by father of the Mayor, Sir Arthur Dorman as early as 1904. This was on Linthorpe Road opposite, and conceived in the same spate of events as, what was to become the Dorman Museum outside Albert Park. Funding shortfalls amid the onset of War, however, ensured that only a rest garden was eventually sited there. In the meantime, from 1927, the Carnegie Library and Grange Road Methodist Church housed the collection of paintings. Any permanent provision for the pieces did not materialise, however, until 1957, with the purchase by the Council of a former doctor's surgery on Linthorpe Road. It was not until 2003 that this building was vacated.

Cleveland Gallery

The former Cleveland Crafts Centre, based on Gilkes Street, catered for a collection of twentieth century British studio ceramics, and artist made jewellery dating from the 1970s onwards. The Cleveland Crafts Centre was closed as an exhibition venue in January 2003, and thereafter operated as the mima offices whilst the new gallery was being constructed. Its sister institution that lasted until 1999, the Cleveland Gallery, resided nearby in the erstwhile school buildings on Victoria Road. They are today home to the University of Teesside's graduate incubation studios in aid of new business start-ups.

Following the January 2003 closure of the two surviving galleries, construction of the present accommodation comprising the gallery spaces, education suite, auditorium, cafe-bar, shop, roof terrace,collection stores and conservation studio commenced in 2004. The centre was designed by Erick van Egeraat Associated Architect. Whilst construction was underway, mima programmed a series of offsite exhibitions and events including such artists as John Harrison and Paul Wood, Susan Pietzsch, Yuka Oyama, Graham Dolphin, Chicks on Speed, Martin Creed, Oliver Zwink and Mah Rana.

mima's founding director was Godfrey Worsdale, who left in 2008 to become director of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art^[1]. He was succeeded by Kate Brindley, previously director of Museums and Galleries at Bristol City Council^[2]

On 21 and 22 November 2009, the cast of the BBC motoring programme Top Gear - Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May - held an exhibition of automotive art at mima, which featured in the 5th episode of the 14th series of the show.^[3]

Collections

mima's collections contains works by Frank Auerbach, Ben Nicholson, Stanley Spencer, Elizabeth Blackadder, Ken Currie, Gwen John, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Eduardo Paolozzi, Peter Howson, David Bomberg, L.S. Lowry, Anne Redpath, Paula Rego, Sir Jacob Epstein, David Hockney, Jeremy Deller and Tracey Emin, mima collection comprises outstanding fine and applied art from 1900 to the present day, with many pieces acquired by mima’s forerunners, Middlesbrough Art Gallery and the Cleveland Craft Centre.

Rather than being on permanent display, works from the collection are drawn upon throughout the exhibition programme. This gives mima's curators the opportunity to demonstrate the artistic quality of works acquired as well as constantly re-inventing the way in which works are presented.

mima's collection strengths are shown through the beautiful jewellery, ceramics and drawings they have to offer. Jewellery Workshops are available to give the public the chance to work with mima artist Jackie Steven and experiment with a range of materials and techniques to create beautiful and bespoke jewellery inspired by mima's stunning collection.

References

1. ^ Baltic's latest director - the Guardian
2. ^ New director appointed at mima - the Gazette
3. ^ McKenzie, Sandy (19 November 2009). "Top Gear motors into Middlesbrough". Evening Gazette. http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2009/11/19/top-gear-motors-into-middlesbrough-84229-25206081/. Retrieved 19 November 2009. 

External links

• Official website
• Take a tour around MIMA with BBC Tees
• mima page on the Middlesbrough Council website
• "Introducing Mima, Middlesbrough's Moma" - Ian Herbert, the Independent
• "Shine On" - Steve Rose on Mima, the Guardian
• "Middlesbrough seeks life in art" - Chris Tighe, Financial Times
• "How Boro will lose its "crap town" label" - Stephen Bayley, the Observer
• "Keeping it real" - John Whitley, the Daily Telegraph
• "Go with the flow" - Adrian Searle, the Guardian
• "Painting a pretty picture" - Nick Glass, Channel 4 News
• "How Bauhaus Was Shaped into Greatness" - review of mima's Bauhaus exhibition in the International Herald Tribune, December 2007

Coordinates: 54°34′28″N 1°13′58″W / 54.5745°N 1.2327°W / 54.5745; -1.2327