Originally known as Love Art North East, the collective became The Tin Shed during the pandemic, when it established online artist studios to help keep them in the public domain. The studios now run alongside, but separate, to live events which include artist pop-ups and exhibitions.
The Tin Shed doesn’t take commission from artists, enabling them to take part in events on their own terms, either to exhibit only, to sell or a bit of both. It was the first arts organisation to hold gallery-quality, pop-up art fairs and exhibitions in the North East. These included a monthly art fair on the main concourse at Newcastle’s Central Station and also an annual exhibition there called NorthBound. NorthBound was a collaboration with Virgin Trains, enabling artists and artisan makers to exhibit larger sculptural pieces in a very busy, public place, taking art to a wider audience, They worked closely with Newcastle City Council to give quality artists opportunities to reach wider audiences with their work by taking art out onto the streets via annual two-day ArtFests in the city.
The Tin Shed has gone on to found The Louisa Waterford Prize and annual exhibition at Ford and Etal in Northumberland and to stage informal exhibitions and art pop-ups in rural communities.
