Beverly Buchanan at Spike Island

The heat of the summer is over and the international art world re-emerges for the new season. In Bristol, we don't see our galleries take a summer recess, but it's certainly been a while since our visit to Martin Parr in May! Hopefully you got a chance to see some of the incredible shows this summer, such as Jonathan Baldock at Arnolfini and Dance Out at the RWA.

This October, we'll be heading back to Spike Island for their new exhibition of work by American artist, Beverly Buchanan. Covering 5 decades of her work, this will be a fascinating and comprehensive exhibition to get to know her work in the very first European survey show on the artist. I really hope you can make it!

A bit about the artist:
Rooted in the landscapes and histories of the American Southeast, Buchanan developed a singular practice shaped by memory, materiality and place, exploring the enduring legacies of slavery through the histories embedded in architecture, landscape and everyday materials.

Abstraction became her first visual language, inspired by the weathered surfaces of derelict buildings in the city. What Buchanan described as the ‘aesthetic qualities of decay’ informed her early series of Wall paintings (c.1975–77), first vividly coloured and later almost exclusively black.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Admin costs:
Recent events have charged a small fee for the admin cost (now over £300 a year to run a Meetup group) although this has proven a barrier to people coming along, especially new people. So these events are free again, though cash donations are of course welcome if you'd like to support the group.

Event details:
12pm: We'll meet at The Orchard Inn, nearby to Spike Island. Please arrive at any point over the hour before 1pm.
1pm: We'll head into the gallery and congregate in the reception/lobby area before heading around the exhibition and space. Spike Island usually deliver a talk for us as a group, so I'll push for this as always.
2:30pm: We'll finish and enjoy a coffee and food at the Spike Island Gallery cafe.

Before the event:
You'll receive a MeetUp message ahead of the event letting you know on any updates to the event, so make sure you check this before coming along.

What to bring:
A notebook if you want to write down your thoughts.

Preparation:
Extra marks for anyone who does some research on the exhibition.

Etiquette:
As always, if you can't make it just send a message to let me know and take your name off the RSVP list.

Donations:
If you'd like to support the running of the group, you're welcome to support with a cash donation on the day, or use the link below to do a PayPal equivalent. Thank you for your support 🙏
Support the group here

Health & Safety:
If you are feeling unwell, please do not attend the event (just send me a message if you could).

See you there!
Dominic

(If you need to contact me if you're going to be late or can't find us, please use the MeetUps messenger app or message me on 07889789965).