It was great to attend the inaugural meeting of a new arts venture ‘the Fruit Factory Network’ at Humber Street Gallery on Friday. Run in partnership with Absolutely Cultured, Hull College & IVE (Creative Innovative Supportive) the network will bring together Hull based artists to encounter and reflect on best practice in cultural venues across the North, thinking about how some of the learning might be transferred, adapted and applied to our own communities. Together with peer support and specific mentoring/masterclass sessions the network year is a great opportunity to collaborate with other artists on potential new ventures, and will culminate in a group exhibition in the project space at Humber Street Gallery. Speaking of which… I got chance before the first Fruit Factory meeting to take a look at Ella Dorton’s amazing work on show in the space right now –
Working in fabric and painted collage, Ella Dorton has brought together snippets of conversation, imaginary scenes of environmental decline, and portraits of a wide variety of people from within the community of Hull. Hung in a circle into which the viewer enters, her collages are detailed, challenging and poignant. Socially engaged art with a visually colourful and well-lit presentation. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Ella Dorton’s Journey to the Centre of the Couch, and other good ideas is in Humber Street Gallery until July 7th 2019.
