Newcastle's Side Gallery has published an update on its future which includes confirmation that the gallery will not re-open. This has prompted a backlash on social media from those who had supported the gallery's appeal for support, previously noted on BPH (see here), and had expected the gallery space to return.
Managing Director, Laura Laffler, posted a statement on the gallery's website summarising its journey from 2023 when it closed the galery and looking ahead to a partner and community-base future: 'When Side closed its building in 2023, the response was overwhelming. #SaveSide grew faster than any of us expected. People shared memories, sent messages and stepped in to keep the organisation alive. Your support covered basic costs we could not avoid, ensured the AmberSide Collection continued to be cared for responsibly, and brought us the time we needed to secure grants from Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Archives, Community Foundation and to commence the next phase of our education programme funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Quite simply, Side would not still exist without you.
That time allowed us to deliver Transforming Amber, our National Lottery Heritage Fund programme. It rebuilt the organisation from the inside out. We catalogued the AmberSide collection into a new accessible digital content management system, launched a new website, opened up access for schools and communities, shared our work nationally, and supported people to make and show their own work. It was a year of consolidation, allowing Side to move forward with focus and purpose. This project has now come to an end and we move forward into 2026 stronger and more resilient.
What comes next is grounded in our renewed commitment to our region. The North East has always been our centre of gravity. Its communities, photographers, cultural life and irreplaceable heritage continue to shape who we are. From our home here, we are expanding our cross-region remit that lets us support more people while staying rooted in the place that made us. At the same time we remain committed to linking the North East to the rest of the world through documentary projects and sharing working class solidarity across borders.
After consultation and expert guidance from across the arts and heritage sector, from December 2025, Side will no longer be a solely gallery based model and will not be reopening our Quayside location. Instead we have become a vibrant and multi-faceted organisation: working with high-profile exhibition partners and local community and heritage centres, building digital access, continuing our established education programme, and supporting incredible creativity in lens-based documentary arts.'
What seems to have upset supporters who had donated to Side's appeal was the burying of news of the gallery's closure deep in the statement with one claiming 'a dirty trick' and others unimpressed with the decison. Many had expected their support would lead to the public gallery space being part of the future. Laffler notes, in repeated standard responses to individual comments, that 'Amber Film & Photography CIC has never owned the Side Gallery buildings' and the location was sold to a new landlord in 2024. Side was offered a longterm lease but 'the cost of the rent along with other operational costs meant that it was not a sustianable base for our future.'
The closure of Side Gallery highlights the lack of permanent gallery space for photography in the north east.
See: https://sidegallery.co.uk/blog/a-year-of-transformation and https://www.instagram.com/
