The NewBridge Project Gallery is closed throughout March. NewBridge Books will be open as usual.
Throughout April artist Lady Kitt, in collaboration with their children Ada and Finn, will be working in our gallery, inviting people to join them in “Home-rearing”, an 18th century English phrase for a community building a barn or dwelling together.
Wednesday 5 April – Saturday 29 April
12pm – 5pm (some event times may vary!)
The NewBridge Project Gallery space
Throughout April, Kitt and their two children will be working in our gallery every day we are open. For Kitt, Ada and Finn, ‘home’ is not so much a place, but more a series of cooperative activities. During their residency, they are inviting NewBridge communities to join them in “Home-rearing”. Each day will offer something slightly different including drop-in activities, bookable workshops, sound baths, drag performances, talks, chats and parties.
Kitt invites people who live locally, studio holders, staff, volunteers and other curious folk to join them in collaboratively rearing:
Many of the activities, techniques, games and questions Kitt will use during “Home-Rearing” have been developed as part of:
Lady Kitt, Ada and Finn will be in residence throughout April in our Gallery. Sometimes the Gallery will just be open for you to look round, sometimes there will be programmed activity. See below for dates, times and booking requirements for their collaborative series of ‘Home-rearing’ events and do get in touch if you have any questions!
Stay tuned for more info on how to book and what to expect!
Wednesday 5 April
10am – 11am
Throughout the residency, Kitt will attend regular NBP staff meetings.
Wednesday 5 April
12pm – 2pm
“Closed” session with invited participants, all disabled artists, to illustrate the NBP access policy with artist Sofia Barton.
Wednesday 5 April
3pm – 5pm
Informal, drop in, making and playing session with Kitt, sculpting giant sheets of paper. Turning them into oceans, dens, shrines, creatures, homes, hideouts. Chatting and finding out more about who calls NewBridge home. This session is open to anyone, but may particularly appeal to children and family groups.
Thursday 6 April
12pm – 5pm
Gallery open for visitors to look round and get involved in some self led activities, assisted by NewBridge staff.
Wednesday 12 April
10am – 11am
Throughout the residency, Kitt will attend regular NBP staff meetings.
Wednesday 12 April
11am – 12pm
Closed session led by Kitt with NBP staff building an access obstacle course. You are invited to work together to navigate, dismantle and re-imagine our way(s) around it. We’ll then think of commitments we can make to avoid / navigate access obstacles and ways of sharing these which will appeal to the people who we share our work and spaces with.
Wednesday 12 April
12pm – 4pm
Gallery open for visitors to look round and get involved in some self led activities, assisted by NewBridge staff.
Wednesday 12 April
1pm – 4pm
Kitt and Dan will be working with The Collective Studio in the Gallery. This session is just for The Collective Studio members but the Gallery is open to visitors.
Wednesday 12 April
4pm – 5pm
Informal, drop in, making and playing session with Kitt, sculpting giant sheets of paper. Turning them into oceans, dens, shrines, creatures, homes, hideouts. Chatting and finding out more about who calls NewBridge home. This session is open to anyone, but may particularly appeal to Shieldfield Youth Programme members.
Thursday 13 April
12pm – 5pm
Informal, drop-in, making and playing session with Kitt, their children and artist Sarah Li to build a shrine structure out of the paper shapes, environments and elements made during the last 2 weeks. Chatting and finding out more about who NewBridge’s Kith (friends, family and collaborators) are. This session is open to anyone, but may particularly appeal to children and family groups.
Friday 14 April
12pm – 5pm
Join Kitt, their children and artist Sarah Li to craft flower garlands out of old plastic bags and enormous loom band bunting. Chatting and finding out more about who NewBridge’s Kith (friends, family and collaborators) are, who makes NewBridge their home, who wants to but hasn’t yet and who may feel excluded. This session is open to anyone, but may particularly appeal to children and family groups.
Saturday 15 April
12pm – 2pm
The Gallery Space is open for visitors to wander around. Some activities will be available for people to get involved in.
Saturday 15 April
2pm – 5pm
Informal, drop in, making and playing session with Kitt and their children building a shrine structure out of the paper shapes, environments and elements made during the last 2 weeks. We will be chatting and finding out more about who NewBridge’s Kith (friends, family and collaborators) are.
Wednesday 19 April (gallery closed till 4pm)
10am – 11am
Throughout the residency, Kitt will attend regular NBP staff meetings.
Wednesday 19 April (gallery closed till 4pm)
2pm – 3pm
Join this online or in-person conversation and Q&A between Kitt and Dr Susan Jones, as they discuss fair, accessible and equitable residencies with a particular look at parent artists and disabled artists.
Ticketed event, limited capacity. To book email info.ladykitt@gmail.com with the subject: “Home from home? Session booking”
Wednesday 19 April (gallery closed till 4pm)
4pm – 5pm
Self led activities available for visitors in the gallery.
Wednesday 19 April
7pm – 9pm
Join Newcastle based DGA (Drag King, Gender Chaos and Alternative Drag) Collective to collaboratively plan the home-rearing post view / closing celebration. Expect a warm welcome, yummy snacks, chats and an opportunity to try out a few party games like the pacifist piñata. DGA formed in 2019, they run access focussed drag workshops and performance events around the North East.
Ticketed session, email info.ladykitt@gmail.com with the subject: “Really Gentle Party Planning” to book a place.
Thursday 20 April
12pm – 5pm
Self-led activities available for visitors in the Gallery throughout the day.
Friday 21 April
12pm – 2pm
Informal, sound bath drop-in with musicians Bridie Jackson and Debora Nash, who will create an improvised sound bath with singing and talking about what home means to them. Kitt will quietly continue to build our shrine to Kith. You are invited to sit, stand, lay, rest, move softly and gently in the space. Materials will be available for self-led writing and making. Please note: this session will be audio recorded.
Friday 21 April
3pm – 5pm
Kitt quietly continues to build our shrine to Kith with pre-recorded music. You are invited to sit, stand, lay, rest, move softly and gently in the space. Materials will be available for self-led writing and making.
Saturday 22 April
1pm – 3pm
Join SAN North East co-lead artist Sarah Li for a drop-in session sharing and developing idea about making social / social art more environmentally sustainable and less human centric.
Tuesday 25 April
6pm – 8pm
Closed session for Kaleidoscope Network Social Practice Surgery with Kitt and Dan Russell.
Wednesday 26 April
10am – 11am
Throughout the residency, Kitt will attend regular NBP staff meetings.
Wednesday 26 April
12pm – 5pm
Informal drop-in for writing and drawing offerings and commitments to our Kith with Lady Kitt. Write or draw on a small postcard sized piece of card, detailing what you would like to give to NewBridge communities and what you would like NewBridge to offer you!
Thursday 27 April
12pm – 5pm
Durational action / performance where Kitt will work with a paddling pool full of raw clay, adding elements to sections of the shrine. Visitors are invited to drop-in and stay as long as they wish, chairs, bean bags, snacks and drinks will be available.
Friday 28 April
12pm – 5pm
Informal drop-in for chatting and organising with Kitt and DGA Collective to help out prepare for the two closing parties the following day,
Saturday 29 April (final day!)
1pm – 3pm
Karaoke, biscuit decorating and makeovers with the young people of Shieldfield Youth Programme.
Saturday 29 April (final day!)
7pm – 9pm
A really gentle closing party or “post-view” of the exhibition, with the opportunity for our friends, kith and kin to celebrate the project and experience the shrine we’ve build before it is dismantled and recycled the following day. Expect cabaret with food, live music, drag acts and access themed games!
Lady Kitt is a disabled artist and drag king, describing their work as “Mess Making as Social Glue”. Kitt works on long term, collaborative projects driven by insatiable curiosity about how art can be useful. Projects are usually punctuated by the creation of large-scale, vibrant installations / sites for exchange made from recycled paper, reused plastics and raw clay, which Kitt calls shrines.
Kitt uses crafting, performance and research to create objects, interactions and events with the wild ambition of dismantling / mischievously re-crafting spaces and systems they find discriminatory, obsolete or just quite dull.
Some stuff that has happened as part of this work is:
Kitt is a trustee for Crafts Council and founding member of “kin collective” (North East Culture Awards “Newcomer of the Year” winner 2022). Kitt’s work has been longlisted for the 2023 Aesthetica Art Prize, shown at Atlanta Contemporary (USA), Saatchi Gallery (UK), National Centre on Restorative Justice (USA) and commissioned by Craftspace (“Drag Declares Emergency” 2022-23), Arts&Heritage (“This, our hive of voices” 2020-22) and BALTIC (‘Open. Bloom. Flourish. Nourish’, 2021).
The NewBridge Project
Shieldfield Centre
4-8 Clarence Walk (off Stoddart Street)
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1AL
The NewBridge Project is accessible. You can find out more here, or feel free to contact us prior to visiting if you require additional information regarding access and facilities.
The NewBridge Project is supported by Arts Council England, Newcastle Culture Investment Fund, Newcastle University’s Institute for Creative Arts Practice and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
