Information and links on organisations and galleries locally and nationally which show photography and offer support to photographers at all stages of their careers. Lots of these spaces have very long histories and have their roots in photographic collectives from the 1960s and 70s, many of them have archives and facilities which are open to the public too and since Covid have started running events online.
North East
North East Photography Network (NEPN) – Providing opportunities and support for photographers based in North East England NEPN runs talks and seminars bringing in international practitioners as well as commissioning photographers. Check out their website for information on mentoring opportunities and support, recordings of previous talks and info on up and coming events. http://www.northeastphoto.net/
Amber Film and Photography Collective / Side Gallery – Documentary collective set up in the 1960s with an amazing archive of work made in the North East and a regular programme of exhibitions and events with an international remit. https://www.amber-online.com/side-gallery/
Star and Shadow Cinema -DIY cinema space, café, with darkrooms currently being built, volunteer led and programmed. A great hub for experimental work of all kinds from the North East and beyond – open to all and you can get involved. https://www.starandshadow.org.uk/
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA) – An excellent contemporary art gallery and one of the few spaces in the North East to regularly show and collect contemporary photography, check out previous exhibitions and also the public collection.
National
Autograph – London Regular exhibitions with an international remit, mentoring, workshops and commissions. Originally established in 1988 to support Black photographic practice, Autograph has done a huge amount to shape public policy and continues to share work which engages with issues around identity and social justice. They have a fantastic archive and regular online events. https://autograph.org.uk/
Photographers Gallery – London Does what it says on the tin! Regular exhibitions, talks, workshops (online and in person), Shop and print sales. https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/
V&A Photography Galleries and Collections – London New photography galleries which opened a couple of years ago showcasing the V&A’s substantial photographic collections, lots of info on their site. https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/photographs
Photoworks – Brighton based with National remit. Organisation supporting photographers through commissions, events and publications. Check out their exhibition in a box developed in response to the first lockdown. They have an annual photography graduate showcase, lots of online content here. https://photoworks.org.uk/
Stills – Edinburgh – Gallery space with international photography exhibitions, talks and shop, the space also has darkrooms for hire and runs technical workshops. https://stills.org/.
Streetlevel Photoworks – Glasgow – Gallery, photographic facilities and shop. A great space which shows a mixture of national and international work from artists based locally and work with communities. https://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/
Impressions – Bradford Regular exhibitions by international photographers, talks and discussions (online and in person), shop and mentoring and support for photographers from across the UK. Another organisation with a long history, their website has an archive of recent events and exhibitions and a link to their older collections which are held in the national media archive in Bradford. https://www.impressions-gallery.com/
Open Eye Gallery – Liverpool based with National / International remit Exhibitions and events, photography festivals, community based work, publications, and archives developed over the organisation’s forty plus year history. https://openeye.org.uk/
Redeye – Organisation based in the North West but supporting photographers from across the UK. They run a graduate mentoring scheme and have lots of information on exhibitions and events. https://www.redeye.org.uk/. Info on the graduate scheme here. https://www.redeye.org.uk/opinion/introducing-redeyes-graduate-award-winners-2021
Format – Derby based photography festival with international remit, the current festival is still available to view online. They also organise regular exhibitions at Derby Quad and run talks and opportunities for photographers. https://formatfestival.com/