Oriel Wrecsam: One Year Off-Site

What happens when an art gallery loses its exhibition space? Oriel Wrecsam is the creative space of North East Wales. In 2015 the gallery moved from its former home in Wrexham Library to a temporary shop/workshop space in the People’s Market. This was a time of transition, as OW prepared to develop the town’s market into the county’s new Arts & Cultural Space. Through developing a new creative program at the heart of Wrexham’s communities, responding to the hopes and interests of residents and tapping into ongoing activities, the town itself became a gallery. This research project investigated how people found value in participating in OW’s year offsite.