Find Your Art Crush!

4 November 2022

A new app showcasing work from the Arts Council Collection is now available for download. Art Crush is the first digital-led project developed through the National Partners Programme and has been developed by Newcastle-based digital design agency Bloom as part of Sunderland Culture’s partnership with the Arts Council Collection (ACC). Sunderland Culture  is one of three organisations nationwide that were chosen to participate in the second round of the partnership; a three-year programme of exhibitions, creative learning opportunities and digital projects based around the Arts Council Collection’s extensive collection of British art. 

The Art Crush app is a free, fun and accessible way for families and young people to explore art, in an experience that everyone can enjoy via their mobile device or tablet. Art Crush aims to present an exciting and playful platform for audiences to discover works from the Arts Council Collection for the first time.

The Art Crush app features roughly 1,000 artworks from the Arts Council Collection by artists such as Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Sonia Boyce, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Mona Hatoum, Anish Kapoor and many more. 

Art Crush allows people to interact with the Collection by selecting artworks they like by swiping left or right, almost like ‘Tinder’ for art. The works that are ‘liked’ form a personal digital art collection which determine the user’s ‘Art Personality’, the Boundary Breaker, Truth Seeker, Dreamer, or Explorer for example, and describes the user’s characteristics as an art lover. The user can then share their ‘Art Personality’ through social media and challenge others to find theirs. This interactive ‘art personality’ test can reveal different results based on people’s changing taste, mood or interests from day to day and allow users to find new favourites in the Collection for them to return to.

The fun Art Personalities have been developed by the Sunderland team in collaboration with their community of ‘Art Champions’. Newcastle-based illustrator, Josie Brooks, has produced horoscope inspired illustrations to depict each of the personalities.

 

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Rebecca Ball, Creative Director at Sunderland Culture, said: "We're excited to be working with the ACC on Art Crush which will enable new audiences to explore and fall in love with hundreds of pieces from the ACC. The Collection includes important and often early works by all of the most important artists working in the UK over the last 70 years, and we believe everyone, regardless of background or geography, should be able to connect with the Collection. That's exactly what Art Crush will do."

Art Crush comes at a critical time when most people are unable to visit the galleries in person due to the ongoing pandemic. The app will allow people to connect with artists and artworks from the comfort of their own home, when they might not be able to in person. It could be the starting point for a family activity, a way for friends to connect over shared art interests or used to help students to learn more about British art.

As artist Matthew Krishanu states: "At a time of increased online browsing of public collections, the Art Crush app seems a great way to engage people with visual arts directly and personally. I am delighted to have my paintings featured and hope users find inspiration and entertainment from exploring the Arts Council Collection in a new and enjoyable way."

 

 

Art Crush App has been commissioned by Sunderland Culture in partnership with the Arts Council Collection and has been  licensed for a 12 month period with a view to possibly extending beyond this, to be used more widely.

Find out more about the app and where to download it here

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Programme Curator, Cat Gibbard, reports on Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange’s on-going project to take the Arts Council Collection into local classrooms as part of the galley’s National Partners Programme.
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Video: Breaking the Mould Study Day

14 January 2022

On Saturday 4 December 2021, in collaboration with Arts Council Collection, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham hosted an informal and engaging day of presentations and discussion to shed light on the important contribution made by women to the field of modern and contemporary British sculpture.

The day-long programme of talks and discussions was presented alongside the Arts Council Collection Touring Exhibition, Breaking the Mould, and was programmed in partnership with Djangoly Gallery, Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham, the day aimed to be an open and informal forum to discuss and delve into areas of research prompted by the exhibition context and themes. Areas of focus ranged from intersectional reflections on the relationship between sculptural practice and identity, formal and informal networks; alternative exhibiting strategies and spaces, market forces and the commercial context and the challenges involved with sustaining a career.

Chaired by the Curator of Breaking the Mould, and former Senior Curator of Arts Council Collection, Natalie Rudd, the panel included leading artists, curators and scholars who shared their latest research and thinking highlighting areas ripe for further investigation.

Watch the event below.

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.