PHOTO CONNECT: NEW NETWORK SEEKS VIEWS TO HELP CHAMPION PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

Photography in the North of England is set to get a new collective voice with a pilot network designed to champion and support photographers, photographic artists and photography organisations across the region.

Anyone involved with photography in the region is invited to take part in helping to shape Photo Connect and have their say on how the network can best support and facilitate connection, collaboration and celebration of northern photography.

The pilot scheme aims to amplify the voice of northern photographers, photographic artists and photography organisations from the grassroots up. The network is open to anyone wishing to collaborate whether individuals, community groups, organisations or educational institutions, working with Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery and Side Gallery.

Whether you’re a Sunday hobbiest, a photography student, a photography teacher or a world-renowned name; a wedding photographer or a conceptual photographic artist; a grassroots community facility or a major city gallery, if you’re in the North of England then Photo Connect wants to hear your views. A survey is open to submissions until the end of June or you can send your views directly to hello@photoconnect.org. Stay in the loop on instagram @photoconnectnorth or Facebook page.

Sarah Fisher, Executive Director at Open Eye Gallery, said: “People share their lives using photography – 1.8 billion photographs are uploaded to social media daily. The economy is driven by photographs: we choose what we buy, where we go on holiday, where we eat, what we do, by looking at photographs online. Yet visual literacy is not taught in school. Photo Connect will share opportunities to engage with photography exhibitions, clubs, education and, of course, the masters of visual storytelling – photographers!”

Anne McNeill, Director of Impressions Gallery in Bradford, said “We know that photography is under-funded across the North of England with only two organisations receiving National Portfolio support from Arts Council England – Impressions Gallery and Open Eye Gallery. This is at odds with both the public’s engagement and interest in photography and the spectrum of rich and powerful work being made by photographers  based in the north. The new pilot network will provide resources to identify and connect with photographers and organisations, with the ultimate goal of lobbying for and attracting increased investment for photography in the North of England.”

Ellen Stone, Creative Director at Side Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne said: “Photo Connect is a huge opportunity to address some of the current fragmentation, identify gaps, network across the region and encourage greater collaboration as well as address some of the under-funding issues. Latest Arts Council data shows that the north significantly misses out on arts funding – not just photography related – compared with the south, particularly in the very large rural areas that the region includes. Yet the north has a vibrant and active arts community producing lots of great work in defiance of that under-funding. With Photo Connect we want to showcase that work and address that imbalance.”

Photo Connect is made possible by Arts Council England project funding.