north west - a-n The Artists Information Company

Built in 1971 and all but abandoned by the cash-strapped local council in 2013, Turnpike Gallery in the former mining town of Leigh near Wigan, is entering a new stage in its history with the creation of a community interest company to run its programme. Natalie Bradbury speaks to arts manager Helen Stalker as the gallery relaunches with the Jerwood Drawing Prize touring exhibition.

What makes a city an art market centre? Hosted by The Manchester Contemporary in September 2016, the Fair Cities symposium brought together a number of speakers to discuss the ecologies and infrastructure of developed art markets in the key cities of Basel, Brussels and London. As a partner in the event, a-n captured the insights of these international art world professionals to produce a new set of video resources.

Coming ten months into PAPER Gallery’s year-long mentoring scheme Tracing PAPER, a new exhibition showcases the work of the nine artists involved. Polly Checkland Harding talks to the gallery’s director and two of the artists involved in the scheme.

As part of the Super Slow Way programme in Lancashire, Los Angeles-based artist Suzanne Lacy is bringing the local community together through Sufi chanting, shape-note singing and a banquet for 500 people. Bob Dickinson finds out more.

The latest project in Castlefield Gallery’s New Art Spaces programme sees a former 1960s office block in the centre of Bolton turned into a temporary work/gallery/studio space for artists. Sara Jaspan takes a look.

The Salford-based artist Maurice Carlin hopes to use his time as the first-ever Clore Visual Artist Fellow to, among other things, “change perceptions… of what it means to be an artist”. He shares his thoughts on the fellowship, its personal and wider significance, and why artists – and the artist-led sector in particular – need to recognise the importance of good leadership.