When work on our new gallery - Nicholas Cliff - in Scarborough came to a halt due to rising costs, we went public and asked for help getting the ball rolling again. We were tired of seeing it as a shell of what it could be. So we had a think and came up with the idea of an open call as a way to raise funds and get us motivated. We settled on the General Strike of 1926 as a theme, then invited artists, makers, writers and members of the public to respond creatively to the themes of solidarity, labour, community and resistance. ​

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Nicholas Cliff Gallery

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We took on what was the Topical Print Shop at 34 St. Nicholas Cliff just over 12 months ago and had a dream of turning it into a gallery. Since then it has been a struggle to get to a position where we could open. We have battled with uneven floors, flood damage to the ceiling and limited funds to do what we really want to do with the space. We have never gone down the funding route as we like our independence too much, so a direct appeal to the public seemed like a good way to go. Fast-forward over the long hot summer and not only is Nicholas Cliff now open, we have a beautiful exhibition happening inside.

 

What visitors stand in today however is not finished. The ceiling still needs completing. There is a new floor to come, a new partition wall toward the opening and the walls need plastering and painting. So, after this exhibition which closes at the end of October, we plan to carry on and get the rest of the work done, and then re-open again in Spring 2027. But we are here now because enough people decided this project was worth doing.

 

The General Strike of 1926

 

The General Strike of 1926, an event that happened a hundred years ago this year, saw more than a million and a half people walk out in support of the miners. This caused the country to briefly come to a standstill. Trains, presses, docks, factories all ceased production over a nine-day period. It was a time of solidarity, hardship, argument, community and speaking up with one voice. Speaking truth to power. Saying – ‘No’.

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Humble Surfaces

 

We asked people to work on two humble and workaday surfaces: newsprint and postcard. Materials you can easily post. Materials that do not pretend to be precious before the work begins. Over 360 people answered the call and from the 226 returned pieces, 21 works on newsprint and 20 postcards were selected to go through to exhibition. That's 41 artworks now hanging in a room that did not exist as a gallery this time last year.

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Our Judges

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We had some very special judges that helped adjudicate the open call, all of whom have been recent winners and finalists on TV's most popular arts programme - Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. It was a tough decision for the judges but after much deliberation, two winners were selected.

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There was a lot of conversation and debate during the judging process and many of the works were contenders for the prize. Each judge had their own shortlist of winners as well as runners-up. So it was when opinion overlapped that progress could be made. It was a really difficult decision, but they did finally come to a single entry in each category that they could all get behind.

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The Winners

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The winner of the newsprint category is Katherine Rousselange for her piece “Coalface” created using seacoal and gum arabic. The judges felt Katherine’s piece really cut through and connected most strongly with the premise of the theme, taking viewers to the heart of the matter. Katherine turned up to the event, but only found out she won when her name was announced. Her face was a picture of delight and surprise.

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The winner of the postcard category is Paula Hall for her piece “Not a Penny More” whose muted daubs of watercolour depict individuals - you can see their flat caps and collars - dissolving into one movement. The collective demands; that collective 'No' to power, however, is softened into dainty floral embroidery which women in the community would have sewn into protest banners. Paula’s piece suggests you can speak truth to power, but will they listen?

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Both Katherine and Paula each win £500, contributed from all those who entered the competition. Congratulations to them both.

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Starting With No But Ending With Yes

 

This open call – this lending a hand – has helped us get Nicholas Cliff to a point where we can open our doors and invite people in. Every entry helped. Every person who posted work back to us got us to this stage. As we often like to say, we are not a top-down institution. We are a bottom-up initiative and it only works if people turn up. If people say – ‘Yes’. And many did. We thank them. 

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A People's Vote

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​​​​With that in mind - and because we were so impressed with the quality of ALL the work sent to us - we'd like to show it all off and let the general public decide on two people's winners, one for each category - newsprint and postcard. All entries, including those through to exhibition, are included in the people's vote.

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How To Vote

 

We have documented everything that was sent to us and created two separate online galleries - one for newsprints, the other for postcards.

 

To vote, simply visit the newsprint and postcard galleries by clicking on the green buttons above. Once inside, click on an artwork so it opens in its own page and then click on the heart icon. You can vote for as many artworks as you like. A tally will be counted on the last day of the exhibition (25 October 2026) and the winning entrants - one from each category - will be contacted and presented with £100 worth of Bookaclass vouchers to spend in our art supplies shop in Scarborough.