In 2014, we lost our local library, it was one of fourteen to close due to austerity-driven budget cuts across the Welsh valleys. It felt like we'd lost the heart of the village. With the help of the local and the art community we saved the building from being lost at auction. With the support of many people - locally and across the UK and beyond, we have made the Workers Gallery into an important art and community hub. We are still here running as an independent small business, during the 'lock downs' - we moved shows into our windows so that they could still be enjoyed. We actively engaged artists of all ages & abilities across social media to help run and contribute to creative projects and we delivered many small orders and handwritten cards and gifts to loved ones for their families and friends. It's hard to run as a business in these challenging times - and the pandemic revealed just how precarious making a living was for self employed artists and writers. We are acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic on individual jobbing artists and creatives. We are ironically having to be even more creative to survive! But happily there is always someone ready to lend a hand or ear, to inspire us to carry on! We are uniquely NOT publicly funded we are not a charity or social enterprise. We're trying to create a sustainable model for future artists and our community where artists can find and nurture support for their practice by building sustainable relationships with art lovers and those who value the arts. We are a collection point for the Rhondda Foodbank and we actively seek to exhibit work that challenges the narratives of the 'worthy poor' or 'areas of deprivation' and we support local schools & groups through creativity and play. We even won a Big Draw (International Drawing Festival) Award in 2019 for our work! Support from our patrons is crucial to help us to keep art flourishing in our creative community. We post updates, content about our activities, events and exhibitions. We bring
If you are interested in supporting the Workers Gallery find out more via www.patreon.com/artgayle
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