By Leah Conway –
Huddersfield Art Gallery is temporarily relocating to the Piazza Shopping Centre.
The centre will host the gallery while the current Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery receives significant building works.
Work on transforming the unit into Huddersfield’s new, temporary art gallery will begin soon. It will change the unit, formerly occupied by USC, into a large gallery space.
The temporary move enables visitors to continue visiting the gallery and for the exhibitions programme to continue.
Unit 7 will launch on Saturday 6 November with the return of the Contemporary British Painting Prize exhibition 2021.
The gallery has hosted the Contemporary British Painting Prize exhibition since the first one in 2016. The national prize always premieres in Huddersfield before travelling to London.
Contemporary British Painting is an artist-led organisation that explores and promotes current trends in British painting through group exhibitions, talks and publications.
Their annual prize aims to promote the best contemporary painting produced in the British Isles. This year a record number of 1,067 artists applied and the organisation is currently shortlisting the applications.
Read more: Dewsbury Creative Town initiative reveals giant ‘Urban Rewild’ mural
“Delighted”
Councillor Will Simpson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said: “This is an exciting time for Huddersfield Art Gallery and for our cultural ambitions all across Kirklees.
“Huddersfield Art Gallery closed in Closed January 2020 when specialist contractors began working to move the fine art collection into storage in preparation for the Cultural Heart renovations to the building.
“We are delighted that now work can not only begin with the building improvements but Unit 7 will also enable our curators to try different approaches to our fantastic programme of exhibitions and events. Best of all you don’t have to climb up several sets of stairs!”
The building work to Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery is part of the Huddersfield Blueprint renovations. The blueprint aims to improve the vibrancy of Huddersfield’s cultural heart.
