Work is well underway to develop the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018, including the recruitment of key members the delivery team, development of our marketing and communications strategy to promote the event on a national and international stage and work to ensure we engage effectively with partners and stakeholders right across the North. Now’s the time to sign up to the Great Exhibition of the North mailing list to be amongst the first to hear about any opportunities, developments and events.
Carol Bell – previously our Culture and Major Events Director – is now leading work to develop plans for the programme in her new role as Executive Director for Great Exhibition of the North, supported by newly appointed Assistant Producer, Laura Hunter.
A creative tender has recently been issued to designers and agencies to help shape and develop the creative and visual identity for Great Exhibition of the North going forward.
The Great Exhibition of the North was first announced by Government in April 2016; a competition was launched to secure £5m of government funding for a two-month exhibition celebrating the best of art, design and culture in the North of England.
In October 2016, NewcastleGateshead was selected to host the Great Exhibition of The North; we (NGI) led the bid and are the lead delivery partner for the Exhibition, working closely with colleagues at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Sage Gateshead, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and a project board chaired by Sir Gary Verity.
The NewcastleGateshead programme for the Great Exhibition of the North 2018 will celebrate innovation and creativity across Northern England; it will help boost investment and tourism while leaving a lasting cultural and economic legacy.
Ambitious plans will use the whole destination as the stage, with a newly commissioned creative programme taking place in a range of venues and outdoor spaces across NewcastleGateshead.
Three walking trails will be created, focusing on arts, design and innovation. Each trail will help to tell the story of the North and how its inventors, engineers, artists and designers create and export life-changing products and services across the world – not just in the past, but importantly today.
The content along the walking trails will inspire and be inspired by a major exhibition hub at the Great North Museum: Hancock (curated by our partners at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums) and major new work commissioned by BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Sage Gateshead.
Other important elements of The Great Exhibition of the North 2018 include inspiring opening and closing events, an entertaining and informative summer camp at Exhibition Park for families (part of an extensive learning and engagement programme) and a Business Expo.
NewcastleGateshead was successful in its bid to host Great Exhibition of the North 2018 thanks in no small part to the wide-ranging support of partners and stakeholders across the region. It is this spirit of collaboration and drive to succeed which will ensure that we create a meaningful showcase and statement for the North.
Sign up here to ensure you receive regular updates and opportunities.