Gallery Oldham

Gallery Oldham stands in the Cultural Quarter of central Oldham, Greater Manchester. The building combines a museum and an art gallery under one roof. Architects Pringle Richards Sharratt designed the original structure, completed in February 2002. In April 2006 an extension added the Oldham Library and Lifelong Learning Centre. The library and learning facilities share the space with the gallery. Visitors find displays that cover art, social history and natural history together. The gallery’s programming mixes Oldham’s civic collections with touring and contemporary works. It holds the civic collection of Oldham and much of the wider borough’s heritage. Exhibitions include Oldham Stories, a permanent display of objects and specimens. Two temporary galleries host changing shows throughout the year. The programme is one of the busiest in the region, mixing touring shows with pieces from the gallery’s own art, social history and natural history collections. Local artists such as Helen Bradley, William Stott and Alan Rankle are represented in the gallery. The collections also include works by British artists L. S. Lowry, John William Waterhouse and Bridget Riley. In recent years the gallery has built up a strong collection of studio pottery. Modern ceramic makers have work on display alongside historical pieces. Visitors can explore these varied collections within the building’s integrated spaces.