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Artwork by young carers from Lambeth on display at Grayson's Art Club: The Exhibition at MAC Birmingham, November 2022
Artwork by young carers from Lambeth on display at Grayson’s Art Club: The Exhibition at MAC Birmingham, November 2022

Last Thursday evening, a colleague and I had the privilege of attending the private view of “Grayson’s Art Club: The Exhibition” at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham. Ahead of the public opening the following day, the event brought together dozens of incredible artists whose work – and stories – featured in Channel 4’s popular TV series during March and April 2022, hosted by acclaimed artists Grayson and Philippa Perry.

Our visual art project with a group of young carers from Lambeth was featured during the episode themed “Heroes and Heroines”. Working with our professional artist Rachel McGivern, the young people created three life size “hero(in)es”: Army Guy; Boss Girl; and Ocean Cleaner. You can read more about the project and Philippa Perry’s visit in the blog that we published back in March. Seeing their monumental artwork displayed in the exhibition alongside work by so many other artists including Grayson and Philippa Perry made me feel both proud and moved. Young carers cope with so much in their lives and it was incredibly special to see their creative talent showcased for all to witness and enjoy.

A further highlight of the evening was meeting other artists and hearing their stories. We met Juno Walker on the bus and during the evening, who told us that their powerful image Juno Moons was “like a little blueprint for my future. I’m a non-binary trans man … and I’ve been thinking a lot about what that means for me.”* Seeing their reaction to meeting Grayson was truly uplifting. We met Yvonne Haines who told us that she painted the moving picture of her mum Sun Over the Yardarm shortly before her mum moved into a care home. It is deeply personal and so full of love. I enjoyed chatting with Holly Unwin: she told us that she painted Stop kissing in public it’s mingin’ after she split up with her partner, when she got fed-up seeing public displays of affection everywhere.

Finally, it was so joyful to meet Pauline Farrar and see her glorious The Throne of Succulents, which was stunningly lit in an outside space. She explained: “I am one of the hundreds of disabled artists in the UK. I am also housebound and to combat the isolation I created a very unique garden on my doorstep.”* She continued by explaining that around 100 people a day now visit, giving her connection and conversation. “One person told me they had walked 40 minutes to visit it. I can well understand why. It is gorgeous and we only saw part of it.

In the exhibition catalogue*, Grayson writes: “One of the great purposes of art is to celebrate. … Art helps us cope. One recurring theme in the art sent in was that normal life for a lot of you is tough and making art can help you deal with difficulties, both physical and emotional. … Art is a place in our heads where we can retreat to in times of stress, a sanctuary. … Art can be an act of love. … Art is also a platform from which to broadcast opinion, garner support and express outrage.”

A brief clip of Grayson Perry addressing the audience at the launch of Grayson’s Art Club: The Exhibition, and a glimpse of the Create artwork

The use of art for all of those purposes was clear to see in the exhibition and the conversations we had: artists used art as a means of self-expression, as a way of coping, as a way of capturing love, as a way of expressing their outrage.

As the founder of a creative arts charity, I am passionate about the power of the creative arts to bring people together, to give people a voice, to inspire, empower and upskill people. This wonderful exhibition, of which we are so proud to be part, demonstrates so powerfully why the creative arts should be made available to everyone.

Creativity is not a nice to have; it is a vital part of who we are as individuals.

Nicky Goulder
Founding CEO

Grayson’s Art Club: The Exhibition is open at MAC until Sunday 16 April 2023.

* Text taken from “Grayson’s Art Club The Exhibition Volume III”

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