Golden Thread Gallery
Coordinates: 54°36′14″N 5°55′30″W / 54.604°N 5.925°W
The Golden Thread Gallery is an art space in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of Northern Ireland’s leading international contemporary art spaces, offering a programme of contemporary art exhibitions and participatory events. As one of Northern Ireland's largest visual arts venues, the Golden Thread Gallery acts as a platform for a mix of international and local artists, hosting six large-scale exhibitions in the main gallery spaces and twelve exhibitions in its project space.
The Golden Thread Gallery was established in 1998 by Gail Prentice in a former linen mill on an 'interface' in North Belfast. In 2001, it was reconstituted to become the Golden Thread Gallery Ltd., a limited company with charitable status. In 2002, Peter Richards, artist and curator, was appointed as the gallery's new director. The Gallery exhibits a blend of Northern Irish and international artists. It has also developed a program to facilitate exhibitions of Northern Irish art in other venues across the globe.
Outreach is at the core of the gallery’s activities, working off-site and in partnership with a wide range of communities and groups, devising projects in addition to providing a range of contextual activities such as artists’ talks, gallery tours and workshops. The gallery also publishes exhibition catalogues and books exploring further contemporary practices.
In recent years the Golden Thread Gallery has been working with a number of artists living and working in Northern Ireland to create a “not-for-profit” form of artists’ representation and has championed their work at national and international art fairs, such as the London Art Fair, Berliner Liste and Scope New York as well as establishing a dedicated in-house sales room.
The Golden Thread Gallery is free to the public and is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, National Lottery, Belfast City Council and supported by RMI and ASHP YEHA. Many of the gallery's exhibitions have been reviewed by Circa Art Magazine and featured in the Visual Arts Ireland newspaper.[citation needed]
CEO and Creative Director - Peter Richards,
Development Officer – Ruth Graham,
Engagement Officer – Deirdre McKenna
Gallery Manager - Sarah McAvera