Ten years of free exhibitions in The Gallery at the Library of Birmingham

The Gallery is on Level 3 (the third floor) of the Library of Birmingham. There has been several exhibitions in this space between 2013 and 2023. From the Reference Works exhibition in September 2013 to The Birmingham Allotment Project in September 2023. Plus a couple related to Shakespeare and Watt in between.

2013: Reference Works

3rd September to 29th December 2013.

The very first exhibition in The Gallery at the Library of Birmingham, from September 2013 was Reference Works. Birmingham Central Library in 2010 commissioned four photographers - Michael Collins, Brian Griffin, Andrew Lacon and Stuart Whipps to make individual creative responses to the emergence of the Library of Birmingham. The four artists also mentored students and graduates from Birmingham City University. There was also an exhibition outside of the Library of Birmingham at the time in Centenary Square, with historic images of the old Central libraries from the 1882 to 2013.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/RW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Sep%202013)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/RW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Sep%202013)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/RW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Sep%202013)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/RW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Sep%202013)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/RW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Sep%202013)%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2014: Voices of War

29th September to 31st December 2014

Voices of War: Birmingham People 1914-19 transports us back to Birmingham during the First World War and tells the stories of local people.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/VoW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Nov%202014)%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2015: Mat Collishaw - In Camera

18th September 2015 to 10th January 2016.

The room was dark with this art installation by Mat Collishaw. In Camera means Camera Obscura (Latin for dark chamber). It features a series of 12 crime scene negatives made for the Birmingham City Police Force during the 1930s and 1940s. Collishaw discovered the uncatalogued images. Using flashing bulbs.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/MCiC%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Oct%202015)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/MCiC%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Oct%202015)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/MCiC%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Oct%202015)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/MCiC%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Oct%202015)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />
 

2016: Our Shakespeare

22nd April to  3rd September 2016.

It commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of the bard William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616). Also relating to the Shakespeare Memorial Room and George Dawson.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/OS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Apr%202016)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/OS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Apr%202016)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/OS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Apr%202016)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/OS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202016)%20(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/OS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202016)%20(2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2017: Pavel Brázda is Here! 

1st June to 1st July 2017.

Didn't go to this one, just saw the signs from outside of the library at the time.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/PBiH%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202017)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/PBiH%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202017)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2017: Connecting Stories

Around October 2017 there was an Indian tricycle (Rickshaw) in front of The Gallery. Behind was an exhibition at the time called Connecting Stories (didn't go into that one).

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/CS%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Oct%202017).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2018: Wholesale Memory

29th January to 7th April 2018.

Friction Arts presents the Wholesale Memory Exhibition. The Smithfield Wholesale Markets have been on their present site for 900 years but they moved later in 2018 to Witton to make way for the Smithfield redevelopment.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/WM%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(Feb%202018)%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2018: The Empire Windrush Generation Exhibition

24th May to 30th June 2018.

Celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship with Black Britions who emigrated to the UK from the Caribbean, in 1948.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/TEW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202018)%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/TEW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202018)%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/TEW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202018)%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/TEW%20The%20Gallery%20LoB%20(May%202018)%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2019: Watt in the World

12th July to 2nd November 2019.

Commemorated the bicentenary of the death of James Watt (1736 - 1819). As well as his life and legacy.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Watt%20in%20the%20World%20LoB%20(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Watt%20in%20the%20World%20LoB%20(2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Watt%20in%20the%20World%20LoB%20(4)%20.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Watt%20in%20the%20World%20LoB%20(6)%20.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Watt%20in%20the%20World%20LoB%20(8)%20.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

 

 

2022: Everything to Everybody

22nd July to 5th November 2022.

Was part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Was about creating the Shakespeare Library.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/E2E%20Gallery%20LoB%2006082022%20(6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

2023: The Birmingham Allotment Project. Wotta Lotta Culture!

Saturday 16th September to Saturday 25th November 2023.
A snapshot of Birmingham's vibrant allotment culture from the 1960s to the present day.

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham%20Allotment%20LoB%2018092023%20(5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham%20Allotment%20LoB%2018092023%20(7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham%20Allotment%20LoB%2018092023%20(9).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham%20Allotment%20LoB%2018092023%20(12).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="The Gallery" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham%20Allotment%20LoB%2018092023%20(14).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos by Elliott Brown