CREATIVE students are to be given the opportunity to make a show of themselves at a new arts venue on Teesside.

Cleveland College of Art & Design graduates Bobby Benjamin and Keren Pearson, have opened the doors to a new artistic venture in Middlesbrough to encourage talented young artists to exhibit their work.

The House of Blah Blah, on Exchange Square, features a gallery, studios, archive and storage facilities, a band practice room and project spaces for exhibitions, workshops and photo shoots.

“Opening our own arts venue is something that Keren and I have wanted to do for a long time,” said Bobby 31, who studied photography at The Northern School of Art before graduating with a fine art degree from university.“We really want to encourage young artists from across Teesside, including CCAD, to come and use the facility, put work on display and show what incredible talent we have here in the North East.” The House of Blah Blah, which has been three years in the planning opened with an exhibition of nine local and international artists, all former The Northern School of Art graduates, showing a diverse range of artistic mediums from photography and installations to sculpture, painting, film and textile design.

“It’s great to be able to offer event space for creative people, run by artists who understand their creative vision,” said Keren, 27, of Billingham who studied art and design, textiles and fashion at CCAD.

“It has been a lot of hard work getting The House of Blah Blah off the ground. The building had been empty and lying derelict for over ten years and it took us six months alone just to restore it for the opening. “Now we hope that it will be a real focal point buzzing with creative artists, writers, musicians, film makers all coming together to help support the arts on Teesside and across the country.” The House of Blah Blah will be opening up more space on its second floor over the summer to accommodate musicians and a library, as well as a submission area for new artist to sell their work.

For more information on opportunities at The Northern School of Art contact (01642) 288888 or log on to www.ccad.ac.uk.