The Whitworth is Back!

The Whitworth is Back!

September 16th was “Whitworth Wednesday”, as far as we were concerned. Other Galleries and institutions were opening their doors (welcome back to you too, Manchester Museum!), but for us, there was only one place to be and that was the Whitworth Gallery.

The sun was shining and it was hard to believe that it was 6 months since we were there last. Everyone looked the same - behind their masks, of course, and from a suitably covid-safe distance! It was great to meet up again with old Friends. We are also very pleased to welcome Gemma King, whose photo you can see here. Gemma works for the NHS and is a regular visitor to the Gallery so it was a real pleasure to make her our newest member with our “welcome back prize” of a year’s free membership and one of our Friends of the Whitworth silk scarves.

It didn’t take long for many of us to find our way to the Cafe in the Trees.

We know some people regard Gallery Cafes as an inessential extra. As far as we are concerned, however, serious  (and even unserious) art requires and deserves serious sustenance and the Whitworth cafe delivers.  As well as tea and coffee, the cakes are as delicious as ever and for those of us who returned later for lunch, the soup, salads and sandwiches didn’t disappoint. Fewer and more spaced out tables and table service rather the queue at the counter were part of  new system designed to keep us safe.

And then there is the art!

We were pleased to see that two exhibitions which we had seen before closure, but wanted to see again, “Standardisation and Deviation” and “Utopia”, were still open. “Exchanges”, which juxtaposes old and new works in the collection in order to explore and address historic gaps, has been refreshed. To add to this there are two new exhibitions. “White Psyche” uses wallpaper of the French Neoclassical period, printed from about 1816, to reveal and question the aesthetics of white supremacy which is encapsulated in the story of love and good looks, and echoed throughout both high and popular culture. Not least, in the Collection Centre downstairs, you can visit “Other Transmissions”. Using the Whitworth’s Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, a group of six Artists, some disabled, some not, investigate the term, outsider artist - and give us much to think about, look at and enjoy in the process.

So, the Whitworth is back. The Visitor Team, Building Team and all the other staff have done wonderful work creating an environment that is welcoming and friendly but with plenty of space to move around. Do visit soon!