Newcastle and Gateshead have been selected to host the ‘Great Exhibition of the North’ in 2018, winning the bid over three other shortlisted bidders.
The exhibition will be held over 77 days, showcasing art, design and innovation from the North of England.
The Government will be contributing £5 million towards the exhibition itself and a further £15 million into a legacy fund to attract further cultural investment in the Northern Powerhouse.
Proposed highlights of the exhibition include:
– An opening ceremony on June 21 (2018) will take place on the Quayside, featuring a bridge of illuminated drones over the River Tyne.
– During the event, three themed walking routes will guide visitors to venues and attractions. The Arts Circuit, Design Circuit and Innovation Circuit will start at an exhibition about northern pioneers and trailblazers at the Great North Museum: Hancock.
– Visitors will then traverse Newcastle before crossing the River Tyne and converging on the Baltic art gallery, which will invite five northern and five international artists to create work on the exhibition’s themes.
– Fifty writers will be tasked with “rewriting the narratives of the north”, while the organisers promise to “connect artists with scientists and inventors to work closely”.
– Organisers hope to bring Robert Stephenson’s early steam locomotive The Rocket from the Science Museum in London to Newcastle, where it was built.
– Finally, there will be a summer camp for families and a closing ceremony will take place just before the Great North Run.
We have come up with our own culture walk which will follow a similar route to the proposed walk in 2018, along with some suggestions for just some of the fantastic cultural sites to showcase.