'Mayday' call from gallery looking for new home

A community arts group has put out a "mayday" call for help to find a new home after being told it had to leave its soon-to-be-demolished base in Bradford.

Trapezium Arts was founded by a collective of local artists eight years ago and has been based in empty retail units in the Kirkgate Shopping Centre.

But the centre is due to be knocked down to make way for the 1,000-home City Village development.

The group will open its final public exhibition on Saturday in its current home at 54 Kirkgate.

Pauline Cooke, one of the co-founders, said: "It's called May Day!

"Obviously it's happening in May, but it's also a bit of a call for help really.

"We just need a building that we can rent very cheaply and carry on doing what we're doing, which is providing a space for Bradford artists to exhibit in the city centre."

The group has occupied various units in the building over the years, including the current gallery - a former travel agents - for the last 18 months.

Pauline said: "We've been told we've got to exit the venue on June 18.

"So after eight years it's going to be quite a wrench to leave the building."

Bradford artist Lauren Kelly studied art at the University of Newcastle and then returned to her home city.

Lauren joined the collective four years ago and will be displaying some of her work in the final show.

"Bradford city centre doesn't have another space like this," she said.

"Hopefully we will be able to find another one so we can just keep doing what we do best - keep supporting people and keep making a really accessible place for anyone and everyone to come in and enjoy art."

Ann Driver, an artist and co-founder of the group, said Trapezium Arts puts on community events in between the main art exhibitions, including a recent collaboration with Bradford College students.

Ann said: "At our first exhibitions we'd have 30 or 40 people, and I'd sit all day in my little chair in the gallery freezing to death and maybe have two or three people come in.

"Now there's a constant stream of people, on our opening days there are often between 200-400."

She added: "I'm just going to miss it so much, I really am."

May Day! runs from 2 to 30 May on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Fridays between 11:00-15:00 BST and is free.

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