Gloucester Contemporary Artists has become a very exciting hub for artists in and around Gloucester for a little over a year. I was curious to explore what drove the need to set up this group, its purpose and what direction it will take in the future as a Community Interest Company and how this will serve the needs of Gloucester based artists. The GCA committee has 6 directors: John Steed, Deborah Harrison, Martyn Dymott, David Finch, Gilly Hill and Wendy Golding. All are artists in their own right with varying backgrounds in the arts and a range of experiences in business.

Why was GCA formed?
Art is seen by many as the sole preserve of the professional artist who appears in exclusive galleries around the world that aim to make art as exclusive, expensive and untouchable by the majority of the world’s population as possible. This view of art and artists is something that is hard to shake until you dig below the surface to discover just how many aspiring artists there are in the world at large and in Gloucester and the surrounding area more specifically, that never see the light of day and certainly never have the opportunity to see their work in a gallery.

Many are full time professionals, most are part-time artists holding down a full-time job to support their practice but the vast majority of artists see their hard-won skills as never leading to any kind of income either part or full time. This is the sad truth not only for artists but for art and culture in general. An Arts Council report highlighted many areas around the UK that were deprived of culture and Gloucester fell into that category.

It was mentioned that there is no dedicated public or private gallery in Gloucester and Gloucester is the only city in England that does not have an art gallery. There are organisations such as Jolt that aims to encourage and support young artists and designers including performance artists and musicians. But this does not consider those who have been working on their art for many years and well past the point where they fall into the ‘young’ category. I’m 61 at writing this blog and have been an artist for over 40 years and only recently had my work accepted into a gallery.

GCA’s Purpose
So this was the issue when members of the current committee and others decided to try and pull together anyone they knew who was working in the arts, crafts or other arts discipline to meet up and talk about what they could do about the situation. They met at Longlevens Community Centre one day. Some were already seeking out other artists with a shared goal to raise the profile of their work. Others who joined them were looking for a better way forwards seeking a more dynamic visual arts group in Gloucester.

What united them was their shared indignation that there was no significant exhibition space for Gloucester based artists and no plans to create one for all those hidden artists struggling to get their work seen and share what they were doing with others. Out of that first meeting came some aims that they could all agree on:
· Create a supportive and sustainable network of artists
· Create a reputation for art in Gloucester
· Create an arts centre
These aims seem unattainable to individual artists but as a group with determination, skill and persistence the committee considered that these aims could address the needs of artists in Gloucester. The three aims became actions they were all prepared to commit to. Not an easy task but as the committee assured me, the effort would be worth it in the long term.
In order to achieve these goals, the group needed more gravitas and presence than a regular art group. So they decided to form into a Community Interest Company, a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders. The wider mandate to benefit the community resonated with the spirit of reaching out to Gloucester people to bring the arts into their lives in one form or another, bringing beauty within reach of those deprived of ‘culture’ in Gloucester and enriching their lives. Exhibitions, workshops, events and engagement with the public became important and in 2024 the GCA’s committee proposed the first venture as an Art Trail to offer a display of artist’s and crafts people’s work which took place throughout August.

Several venues were researched and contacted which led to showing work in The Cathedral Quarter shop in Westgate Street, an exhibition of work in St Mary de Crypt in Southgate Street and a hugely successful campaign to get shops and businesses to display artists work in a venture called ‘Adopt an Artist’. This was so successful and beneficial to both artist and business that all the businesses were happy to do it again in 2025 and possibly beyond. As well as this an ‘Art Trail’ leaflet was created and a week-long ‘Open Studios’ around Gloucester where artists threw open their homes for people to visit and buy their work. The feedback from the public was glowing and The Cathedral Quarter had a viewing with the Mayor in attendance who loved what she saw and congratulated the committee for their achievements.
But to move forwards with the aim to create an Arts Centre the GCA committee know it will not only take time and determination but will need to be funded somehow and this could take 5 to 10 years to bring about. So the committee is reaching out to any local and national movers, shakers and philanthropic organisations who might consider getting involved and support this worthwhile cause. The arts enrich our lives and have a value that is not appreciated to lift spirits, improve mental health, improve our quality of life and generally make us feel better about ourselves.
The arts in all its many forms from paintings, drawings and sculpture, crafts such as ceramics and jewellery making, dance, performance, poetry and all forms of the written word are of value to those who engage with it as creators or observers. Engaging with the arts in a way that is accessible and inclusive is one of the major aims of GCA and considering the drive, motivation and determination that has shown great success so far, it won’t be long before Gloucester is on the map of important places to visit if you want to see contemporary art.