Photographic work exhibited in 'Where There’s Space to Grow', Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Sunderland

Early photographic work from Billingham's 'Ray's a Laugh' series was selected by Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as part of the 'Where There’s Space To Grow' exhibition (8th January - 13th March 2022).

It was curated by 'Celebrate Different Collective', a group of young people 13-25 years old from across Sunderland. The exhibition creatively reflected on the industrial decline of the 1980s in North East England, whilst looking ahead to a shared progressive future. Arts Council Collection artworks were exhibited alongside new works created by local Sunderland communities.

The exhibition sought to champion diversity in a shifting cultural and physical landscape and asked: how can we create space for all of us to grow?

'Where There's Space to Grow' was the third and final exhibition in a series curated by young people across the Arts Council Collection National Partners Programme. Firstsite, Colchester presented 'House Share' curated by Young Art Kommunity (YAK) from June to September 2021, and Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange opened the exhibition, SEEN, co-curated by young LGBTQIA+ people from Cornwall, October 2021 - January 2022.

All three exhibitions aimed to bring young people together from across the country, connecting them with each other and with the Arts Council Collection.