Beyond the Mainstream: Exploring Outsider Art
We’re thrilled to share details of Beyond the Mainstream: Exploring Outsider Art, a series of talks to unearth unchartered creativity and the worlds of outsider artists, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
There are three events taking place over the next few weeks and they are all free to attend – but please book a ticket in advance to guarantee a place.
The Williamson Art Gallery, Saturday 22 March 2025, 2-4pm
Angela Samata CF travelled across Japan, America and Switzerland in search of what defines ‘Outsider Art’.
In this lecture, she will share her Churchill Fellowship research, looking at what and who she found in search of answers.
Angela is a TEDx speaker who was the lead on the Walker Art Gallery’s John Moores Painting Prize until 2015 and now chairs Tate Liverpool’s Transformation Advisory Board. She has worked alongside many established artists and is currently a Trustee of Hospital Rooms which has a free digital art school, working with artists, patients and staff to transform mental health hospitals and over 200 inpatient units.
Ron’s Place and other visionary environments
Make Hamilton, Saturday 29 March 2025, 2-4pm
International Emmy and Royal Television Society award winner Martin Wallace will discuss Ron’s Place in the context of other visionary environments he has visited across the world, many in connection with the Channel Four series he directed, Journeys Into The Outside with Jarvis Cocker.
In particular, Martin will focus on the liminal qualities of Ron’s Place – a threshold between the deeply personal expression of a single person’s private obsessions and the universal experience of the home as a refuge for the self.
Breaking Boundaries: The Voices of Outsider Artists
Make Hamilton, Saturday 5 April 2025, 2-4pm
Join Angela Samata and a panel of outsider artists as they offer a unique and eye-opening exploration into the world of self-taught creators who exist outside the mainstream art world. Each artist will share their journey, shedding light on how their background, struggles, and non-traditional paths influenced their work.
The audience will gain an insight into the power of self-expression that comes from personal experiences rather than academic training.
