Inside the Gallery consists of a series of interviews with staff at the Whitworth, held over a period of two years, organised and facilitated by Ruby from the Visitor Team. The project aims to demystify what happens behind the scenes of an art gallery and how individuals make up the collective gallery team, from our Visitor Team Assistants to artists in residence, to members of our Civic Engagement and Education department, this series shows a variety of ways people can work in the arts and how this gallery works day-to-day.
Inside the Gallery Part 1: Queering the Whitworth.
Ruby interviews Dominic Bilton, the lead on the project ‘Queering the Whitworth.’
Inside the Gallery Part 2: The Whitworth Young Contemporaries.
Ruby talks to Sally Thelwell. Sally is the Youth Engagement Coordinator whose youth-led group, WYC, has been giving young people agency in the gallery for years.
Inside the Gallery Part 3: The Visitor Team Manager.
Hear from Ashleigh Owen. Ash is the Visitor Team Manager, who works with the “eyes and ears” of the gallery.
Inside the Gallery Part 4: The Cultural Park Keeper.
Ruby sits down with the Whitworth’s Cultural Park Keeper, Francine, to discuss what it’s like to develop a new role, representation, and working with artist Ibrahim Mahama.
Inside the Gallery Part 5: Outsiders, Archaeology and Manchester Bands.
Adam is a musician and a member of the Whitworth’s Visitor Team. With Ruby he covers topics such as Outsider Art, Daniel Johnston and the ins and outs of commercial archaeology.
Inside the Gallery Part 6: Meet the Director.
Alistair Hudson, Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery from 2018-2022, sits with Ruby and discusses his beginnings in the art world and what it means to be a director of a gallery.
Inside the Gallery Part 7: Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss.
Lucy Turner, Early Years Producer, and Imogen Holmes-Roe, Historic Fine Art Curator, sit with Ruby to discuss Still Parents; an exhibition and an engagement programme which looks at baby loss and supports and engages with parents who have experienced it.
Inside the Gallery Part 8: Meet our Collections Care Manager and Conservator (Textiles)
Ann French, Collections Care Manager and Conservator (Textiles), sits with Ruby now as a part of her interview series, Inside the Gallery. They discuss the art of conservation, the ethics of archaeology and why you shouldn’t touch artwork (no matter how much you want to!)
A Place Between The Trees 