A Gallery in the Making

The idea for the Gallery on the Green came about when a group of residents living around the Green in Settle heard that BT were writing to local parish and town councils offering them the opportunity to buy under-used phone boxes for £1. A group formed and contacted Settle Town Council, who agreed to sponsor the project. Settle Town Council duly paid the £1 and also provided a small grant to the project, which was supplemented by funding from Craven District Council. The funding was used to buy paint and other materials and to pay for some initial publicity. During spring 2009, the volunteers  repainted the phone box and fitted it out for use as a gallery. The mosaic floor and ‘Sistine Chapel’ ceiling were designed and made. A grand launch party was held in July 2009, with the Mayor of Settle officiating in cutting the ribbon.

 

 

A few months later, the BT Adopt-a-Kiosk scheme ran a competition for the best community project using one of their phone boxes. The Gallery on the Green was awarded the regional first prize. Our most famous exhibition took place in the autumn of 2010, when Brian May came to Settle with an exhibition created with collaborator Elena Vidal

 

Are you thinking of trying this yourself?

 

Here are a few hints and tips to get started, but please feel free to contact us with any specific questions.

 

  1. Getting paints and other spares to refurbish the phone box – Unicorn Kiosk Restorations will not only supply all you need, but are also a great source of practical advice
  2. Promotion and marketing – we have found that partnerships with other local community groups, art galleries and tourist attractions has been really helpful. The local Tourist Information Centre hold our leaflets and regularly send people up the hill to look at the Gallery on the Green. It is worth putting effort into having a really good website and promoting it through online social networking. We also send regular press releases out to local papers and others.
  3. Finding exhibitors  – word of mouth has been fantastic for us. We try to keep a balance between big names and local talent. Some of our most popular exhibitions have been created by school children groups.
  4. Vandalism – we have been very lucky and had almost no problems, but we are in a very quiet rural area. It helps that we have great support from the local community who keep a watch out. In the few cases where we have had problems, we’ve been sure to rectify the damage as quickly as possible.