The content of this publication was taken from the archive of Castlefield Gallery, through the archive of Thomas Dukes, via the archives of George Gibson & Grace Collins. This archive, like many, is a messy, cherry-picked, vaguely annotated, incomplete subsection, selected to cover a large enough portion of the project while still fitting into the remaining exhibition budget.

 

*Archives at Play is a research project led by curator Thomas Dukes as part of a collaborative PhD between Castlefield Gallery and Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University. This project is part of a process of discovery as the gallery approaches its 40th year in 2024 and looks ahead to the next 40 years of working with artists. Through events, exhibitions and collaborations, we explore how we can activate the archive of Castlefield Gallery with the communities around us. As well as working with artists through his research process, Dukes has drawn many voices into Archives at Play, including Castlefield Gallery’s volunteers, placements, students / learners, peers, partners and supporters, and many of the gallery’s creative communities, including working with Back on Track, Venture arts and Castlefield Forum.