North East art organisation Pink-collar Art Gallery has launched a new series of art history talks, Art Goss, alongside interactive workshops, Art Goss Zine Club, with meetings taking place this November.
The series of events, created by PCAG founder Michaela Wetherell, with art history talks from our BA (Hons) Fine Art and MA Design History alumnus Liv Askwith, “came from a desire to make art history feel less intimidating, less academic and a lot more fun,” said Michaela. “We wanted to create a space where people could come along, have a laugh, ask questions and learn about the artists and stories that often get left out of traditional art history. It’s about bringing art history into the real world and showing that you don’t need to be an expert to have an opinion about art.”
The programme of art history talks explores a wide range of subjects, from Baroque art to the women who have been labelled ‘evil’ throughout art history. Art Goss Zine Club offers an alternative to the traditional art talk format, providing participants with a hands-on, creative way to learn about women artists through drawing, painting, collage, stitching and zine-making.
Northern Art graduate Liv Askwith, joined the gallery as a freelancer in 2024. She said, “Art Goss is a strand of the gallery’s programming made up of two facets: the monthly Art Goss art history talks, taught and facilitated by me, and the Art Goss zine-making sessions, taught and facilitated by Michaela.”
Speaking about working on the talks, Liv said, “Teaching art history is extremely important to me. I aim to make the Art Goss talks as accessible as possible, delivering content that anyone without an academic background can digest and, more importantly, enjoy. Access to our artistic and cultural history shouldn’t be gate-kept, and it’s vital for our critical thinking and understanding of culture. If you come to one of my Art Goss talks, you can expect chill vibes and lots of drama.”
“I wanted the talks to make art history fun, informal and accessible, without the jargon or feeling that there are silly questions,” Michaela continued. “When I studied art history we barely learnt about women, queer people or ethnic minorities. It was still a very white, male-centred version of art history, so that has been really important in shaping what we want Art Goss to explore.”
You can find all the upcoming Art Goss events and details here. Students can get 50% off our Art Goss talks with the code PINKUNI when booking through Eventbrite.
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