To coincide with The Football Art Prize, we are also running a community engagement project in Rochdale with funding from Arts Council England and the support of a range of local partners across the arts, football and health. From October 2021 artists Neville Gabie and Alan Ward will work closely with a small group representative of Rochdale’s diverse communities to research, development and deliver a programme of activity exploring the creative links between football and art. The activity will run during the exhibition in Rochdale, but also shape the engagement programmes of the tour partners in Sheffield and Sunderland.
As the project develops we will be sharing news and information on this page.
About the Artists
Neville Gabie has an established international reputation for his work, which often involves significant community engagement. Many of those projects, are built around his own passion for football. His ongoing project photographing informal goalposts found around the world, has been exhibited worldwide including at three World Cup Finals, Tate Modern and at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland. Images from this series Posts were also published by Penguin Books, 1999. More about Neville here.
Alan Ward is an artist based in Manchester. His projects are informed by research and engagement, whether that be historical or community led. Archives, both personal or institutional have become a significant reference point for exploration and reflection on a collective cultural heritage. More about Alan here.
They have collaborated on several football related projects. These include…
Ladies of Gent
A European Ex[S]ports commission with the Gent Women’s Football team resulted in a Panini-style sticker book, exploring specific regional art and cultural references alongside a contemporary football environment. Inviting the sticker book’s owner to cover up misconceptions about women’s football and explore the cross-over of art and sport.
Breaking Ground
Commissioned by the National Football Museum and ACE, focused on the former home of Bradford Park Avenue FC and involved an archaeological dig of their abandoned ground. Developed with fans, exploring memorabilia and involving other artists, the resulting book was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports book of the Year 2018 – the first time a crowd-funded artist publication had been shortlisted.
Cambridge Rules
Most recently Alan and Neville have completed a major public art commission in Cambridge which marks the location on Parker’ Piece of the first ever written rules for football in the modern era, Cambridge Rules 1848: written in stone – interpreted worldwide – brought back to Cambridge. The sculpture, spilt into nine pieces is also installed at five worldwide locations including the Maracana, Brazil; Shanghai, China; Cairo, Egypt; Chennai, India; and Mombasa, Kenya. This was made possible by a close working relationship with NGO Street Child United and Cambridge United Football Club. www.cambridgerules1848.com
