Young Gallery Curator hard at work to showcase its unique collections

The Young Gallery has been in its current location since 1974 and is an accredited museum established in 1913. It holds collections of artworks by Edwin Young, John Creasey, Edgar Barclay, Robin Tanner, Mick Maslen.

It’s an exciting time for Salisbury’s Young Gallery with a new curator working hard behind the scenes and putting plans in place to showcase the opportunities the unique and diverse collections have to offer.

Dr Emily Dunbar has been the Curator at Young Gallery since February and has been cataloguing the collection, ready to relaunch an exciting exhibition programme next year. Emily has previously worked at Salisbury Museum and has most recently been the Curator at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. The Young Gallery operates as a charitable Trust with Wiltshire Council as the sole trustee.

Before that though there is a smaller, community-focused exhibition on display including the Wiltshire Works Exhibition 2023. This is a vibrant collection of artworks created during 2021-2023 in Wiltshire.

Produced through local, social, creative activities, the exhibition features work by The Skittle Alley in Devizes, The Gate Room in Salisbury and the Bemerton Heath Project.

The Young Gallery was also recently awarded a grant from the South West Museum Development Small Grant Award with thanks to funding from Arts Council England, to install visitor counter technology. This will help the Curator understand how many people visit the gallery and use that data to create a more vibrant programme.

The Young Gallery is located on the first floor of Salisbury Library, although the council is in the early stages of developing plans that could potentially see it move as part of its City Hall project.

Emily said: “I am very excited to work with such a prestigious gallery here in Salisbury and the diverse collection offers unique opportunities to engage with art. I cannot wait to share with the local community what I’ve been working on.”

Wiltshire Council’s Leader, Cllr Richard Clewer said “We are delighted to have Emily lead the creative future of the Young Gallery. A new Curator brings new ideas and a fresh perspective and with her expertise and talent she’s in the midst of developing the gallery so that it continues to be a must-see venue for both residents and visitors alike”.

“As stated in our Business Plan we are committed to giving people access to arts and heritage and The Young Gallery remains a cultural focal point in the city.”

More information about the Young Gallery can be found at https://younggallerysalisbury.co.uk/.