We drove over to the little town of Mirfield today, in order to check out the possibility of my exhibiting work in the local art centre. It was an interesting experience. The place is clearly supplied with a good variety of services, well connected by public transport, and has a strong sense of community. There must be places all over the UK like this, which have no great pretensions, but in which it would be possible to live a satisfying life. I did wonder, however, whether the plans of politicians of all parties ever really take account of this kind of place, preoccupied as they usually seem to be with the concerns of the large metropolitan centres.
The art centre (the “Creative Hub”) offered a very friendly welcome, and there was clearly a good deal of activity there, with a number of artists’ studios. A craft group was in session, and (to my surprise) a war gaming club was preparing a display. It looked as if it might be a mock-up of Sarajevo at its worst, which gave me a bit of a jolt.
I suspect that my reception might turn out to be typical of many places at the moment. They are very welcoming of a proposal for an exhibition, but because of the pandemic they have quite a long waiting list of postponed engagements.