Creative Futures – Taking Stock

Manchester Art Gallery is taking a fresh look at its collections to understand what has relevance in the 21st Century.

As part of this Taking Stock programme we commissioned six Manchester College alumni artists from the Creative Futures programme to explore artworks from the Rutherston Loan Collection to illuminate what work still sparks interest and to generate new perspectives by creating art based personal responses.

The artists have documented their making process – the thinking, experimenting and research and shared their responses and insights with The Manchester College’s visual arts tutors and students through talks, tours and workshops.

These experiences have been integral in informing the direction of the student’s Final Major Project, along with the opportunity to be taught at the gallery during their course and seeing parts of the Rutherston Loan Collection firsthand.

The students and artists ‘s contemporary creative responses will be at the heart of The Manchester College end of year show opening at 6pm on Friday 5 July 2024 at City Campus Manchester.

The Exhibition, Cream of Manchester 2024 will celebrate work made by students from Level 1 to 3 studying Visual Arts qualifications.

Creative Futures Artworks and performances will also be in the gallery from 2pm on the day, giving fresh responses, perspectives and insights to this collection.

Find out more about the event here

Bring art into your world and help us reimagine a 21st century loan scheme

If you are attending the event make sure to grab one of the of 374 unique artworks created by talented students from The Manchester College. These pieces are inspired by the Rutherston Loan Collection, a remarkable assortment of painting, prints, photographs, drawings and sculptures. This collection began in 1925 with Charles Rutherston giving 500 works of art to enrich lives and enhance education by displaying these works beyond the gallery walls. For almost 100 years the collection was added to and shared through a series of loans schemes.

Join the creative journey

We’re on a mission to discover the enduring educational and creative value of the Rutherston Loan Collection and envision a modern, shared collection. We invite you to be part of this journey by displaying a piece in your home, workplace, or any place you feel it belongs.

Snap a photo of your displayed print and share it with us on social media. Tag @mcrartgallery and @mag_inspired using the hashtag #FCPopup24