The Synergy Community Art Gallery provided a large open space with four white-walled spaces and three panelled spaces available for the use of artists. Every two months we hosted a new exhibition working with local established and emerging artists and outside organisations and charities that work with the disadvantaged.
The Gallery team were open to ideas for using the space in a more accessible environment that might not be found in a conventional art gallery using all mediums, holding a running programme of events and workshops on a monthly basis.
The venue also hosted a wide variety of events such that any exhibition benefited from attracting an audience that would not otherwise visit a conventional art gallery.
As well as providing space in which artists can exhibit and present their work, Synergy were also keen to create a space in which discussions could be held about the development of the Arts sector in Brighton and Hove and to promote networking, collaboration and partnership development between individuals and organisations working in the sector.
Prospective Partners
Brighton University Arts Faculty
A partnership was being developed with the Arts Faculty at Brighton University with a view to offering the Centre as a space in which students studying on a variety of different courses can exhibit their work and thereby get a foot on the professional ladder.
Synergy was also developing a partnership with City College, Brighton, who were to be assisting with the renovation of the other venues within the wider Synergy Centre, and who also expressed an interest in referring their art students to the centre to have them showcase and exhibit their work in the venue.
Synergy Creative Community (SCC) is a not-for-profit community organisation led and run by people with an interest in and experience of mental health care. The group’s mission is to develop a community network of peer support and creative exchange. Through peer support and building links within the community, SCC aims to break down barriers, stigma and discrimination and work to promote a sense of individual and collective identity. They host a variety of workshops in visual art, music and theatre and were keen to use the Centre as an exhibition, workshops and performance space.
Creative Future exists to nurture marginalised artists/writers in their creative development, leading them to high quality professional creative practice. They provide skills training, mentoring, exhibiting, promoting and publishing opportunities. They aim to inspire aspiration and artistic excellence amongst marginalised artists and writers, increase their confidence, enabling them to re-engage in the community by offering publishing and exhibiting opportunities to ‘get their work out there’; challenging their own and other people’s perception of their potential.