Platform A Gallery: Help us support the space

Aim

Platform A is a non-profit contemporary art gallery in the heart of Middlesbrough, working to support and empower new professionals.

Founded as an extension to Platform Art Studios in 2011, Platform A is a gallery dedicated to innovative developments in contemporary art through its diverse programme of exhibitions.

Located in the railway station of central Middlesbrough, Platform A represents emerging and established artists. Platform A is committed to working creatively, exploring new approaches to arrive at the best outcomes to provide the highest calibre exhibition programme. Platform A has long been recognised for nurturing talent, building relationships with collectors, creating client lists for artists, and maintaining support for mid-career artists to continue growth. We are the only art facility in the region that consistently exports local culture internationally while bringing international culture back to Middlesbrough.

In recent years, creative projects and spaces across the region have felt the hit of arts cuts - Arts funding across the UK have been cut by 16% (with council arts funding dropping by 61% in England since 2010), fewer overall grants and funding pots are becoming available and arts sector representatives across the country feel arts funding and accessibility has reached a crisis point. It's becoming increasingly difficult to create real, meaningful opportunity and support to the visual artists and professionals in the sector. 

Whilst Platform A has had great passion and success for supporting mid-career artists who have committed to their craft, in recent years we have developed our interests into closing the gap between mid-career and emerging professionals. We don’t want to simply offer opportunity to emerging talents, we want to develop our programme to support consistent growth to support them to feel skilled and professionally capable on their own. In light of recent hardships in the sector, and despite two rejected bids from the ACE, Platform A Gallery has launched a new programme centered around mentorship and sustainable career support. Each exhibition will involve the mentoring of an emerging artist, curator, or student during the installation and development of the show. The exhibiting artists—established practitioners and experienced lecturers—will provide hands‑on guidance, studio visits, critiques, and professional insight. This will help both mentee and mentor cultivate a working relationship, and support both the growth of the mentor and the emergence and experience of the mentee. 

 Platform A has helped to springboard numerous careers with the experience we can offer.  We embrace this and view it as vital, especially in the current social and political climate where traditional means of career progression in the arts have become difficult to access, unsustainable and too costly, We have and will continue to act as a conduit for careers, with focus on constructing our newest programme to focus on this sustainable opportunity for emerging professionals in varying skills. 

Your support means that we can continue to empower and mentor, using the gallery as a central hub for support and the sharing of experience. All money raised will go straight back into our programme, aiming to pay artists and professionals fairly as we develop this programme into a project we can sustain in the long-term future.

We believe that arts and culture should uplift all, and everyone should have access to the skills necessary - please, help us to help create opportunity and nurture the next generation of creative professionals.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 8th December 2026 at 1:30pm