Never more relevant than now, the fantastic connections of musicians like Santana, John and Alice Coltrane…Sun Ra….how music of all kinds can connect and transform us….
(Listen to this wonderful tribute to the phenomenal soul mate of a master...)
And Caravan Gallery, like Museumand, Syson Gallery, Nottingham Contemporary, The New Art Exchange, Surface Gallery and the whole fantastic trek through, around and in art, artists and makers in Nottingham are yours. Nottingham’s Art Map evolved out of Jennie Syson’s groundbreaking work creating Nottingham Visual Arts .
Jennie Syson’s energy and drive to document, build, respect and nurture the local in the global and the global in the local has enabled us all to open doors in our work and lives and is at the heart of regeneration in Nottingham. She made the hinterland of our city a real place with people and consequence.
Jennie worked with the lovely gallery curator, now art consultant, Stella Couloutbanis, who started as a volunteer but built the Bonnington Gallery at Trent University into a wonderful nurturing space for students, artists and makers over more than twenty years…She now chairs Unexamined Lives the story of the 2oth century written by the residents of Borrowash and works as a consultant.
And the wonderful stories in a suitcase: below Linda Burrell and Catherine Ross the mother and daughter team behind the new national Caribbean Museum
an accessible and beautiful way of valuing people: stories, objects and ways of thinking and living in Britain…….
And Caravan Gallery is part of that: invited by the Renewal Trust to come for two weeks, map and connect the histories and stories of people living in Sneinton now as well as those who’ve lived here in the last fifty years……
Caravan Gallery is part of a long story reveal: for our eyes which are baggy with culture, we can’t see what’s on our doorsteps. Here’s their website:
Above some images from some of the community books Caravan have produced over the last sixteen years. You can buy them here
Caravan live with communities for short periods, completely immersed and produce a really unique take on the what, who and why of place. So you can live with a bit more of a hip and a skip and a hop.
Because you always knew this about your area but there just wasn’t the time or opportunity to get everyone together, to pull all those photos, objects, conversations about place and space and times and change out of the drawers and have a laugh.
Caravan produce books as evidence of a different way of thinking and living and postcards from the edge of the cities, towns and places they’re invited into with a sense of story and connection and future.
signsofanopencity 
The way museums and art galleries stimulate us all is phenomenal: we need more conversations with more people, more of the time…it is the time of busyness and achievement. We are very, very lucky in Nottingham…..
LikeLike