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Image Credit : © View of Fleetwood (1842) by Francis English, Courtesy of Lancashire County Museum Service

 

The Atkinson opens its new season of exhibitions on Saturday 23 August with three fascinating vintage and coastal themed galleries.

Unseen Southport includes never seen before images of Southport that were recently discovered here at The Atkinson.  The images of Southport from the 1850s to the 1920s have all been taken from magic lantern slides and glass negatives discovered here and include the earliest image of the town in our collection of Lord Street from 1830.

The exhibition opened a little earlier than the others on Saturday 16 August and has already been a huge success with over a 1000 visitors seeing the exhibition.

Sea Change: The Art of England’s North West Coast is a major exhibition of paintings, poetry, sculpture and artists’ film inspired by the North West coast that will feature a wide range of work, from Martin Parr’s iconic photographs of New Brighton to Paul Scott’s ceramics as well as a newly commissioned work by contemporary photographer Paul Kenny made of found materials from Ainsdale beach.

Wish you were here?  a selection of artists’ postcards from the Jeremy Cooper collection, including work by Gilbert and George, David Hockney and Carl Andre.

Working in close collaboration with Jeremy Cooper, Art Circuit Touring Exhibitions are delighted to tour this unique exhibition. It will be a chance to preview the remarkable way artists use the postcard as a medium in its own right, before this exquisite collection’s donation to the British Museum Print and Drawing Department in 2018. The exhibition is curated by Jeremy Cooper and Cynthia Morrison Bell.

The Atkinson’s vintage summer theme, in celebration of Southport’s glamorous heyday in the 1920’s and 1930’s, has welcomed vintage seaside into the craft and gift shop, has run museum and object talks, displays and music as well as hosting its first and very successful Vintage Fair on Saturday 16 August which saw over 3500 people come to The Atkinson to enjoy the event.

You can find more information about the exhibitions online at theatkinson.co.uk or by calling The Atkinson Box Office on 01704 533333. Don’t forget to join The Atkinson’s mailing list to find out about the full programme of events and activities, including the next Vintage Fair.

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