Tramway (arts centre)

Tramway is a contemporary visual and performing arts venue located in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Based in a former tram depot in the Pollokshields area of the South Side, it consists of two performance spaces and two galleries, as well as offering facilities for community and artistic projects. The Hidden Gardens is situated behind Tramway.^[1] The new extension to Tramway is the home of the Scottish Ballet, and is claimed to be one of the leading venues of its type in Europe.^[2]

History

The Tramway occupies the former Coplawhill

European City of Culture celebrations. It has been protected as a category B listed building since 1990.^[4]

It has hosted many leading international and Scottish performers and artists, including

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

.

Exhibitions have included the seminal new works by Christine Borland and Douglas Gordon. In Autumn 1992, Tramway hosted a seminal exhibition Read My Lips: New York AIDS Polemics (exhibition catalogue editor Nicola White), featuring Gran Fury's advertisement/poster with a photo of bi-racial men kissing.^[5]^[6]

Tramway also has a very successful company for young people called Junction 25, run by Tashi Gore and Jess Thorpe of Glas(s) Performance, who have endured international success as well as having a biannual Edinburgh Festival Fringe run. The group celebrated their tenth anniversary in March 2015. Tramway was also the base for Glas(s) Performance's 2013 project, Albert Drive.

In 2003, plans to close the arts centre and convert the building to rehearsal and ancillary space for Scottish Ballet resulted in massive opposition from the arts community and the wider public.^[7] Eventually it was decided to house the Ballet facilities in formerly derelict space to the rear of the building, retaining the arts centre in the existing structure. Scottish Ballet has moved into its new home in 2009. Sarah Munro was appointed the first General Manager of Tramway in 2008 and remains in her capacity as part of her role as Director of Glasgow Life.

In January 2013, it was announced by Tate that Tramway would host the 2015 Turner Prize.

References

^ "Home". thehiddengardens.org.uk.
^ Glasgow Museums website
^ Contemporary British Theatre, ed. Theordore Shank
^ Historic Environment Scotland. "25 Albert Drive and 522 Pollokshaws Road, Tramway (Category B Listed Building) (LB33365)". Retrieved 20 March 2019.
^ "Two men kissing; advertisement for an exhibition about New York AIDS Polemics by Tramway. Colour lithograph, 1992". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^ McCormack, Chris (February 2019). "Love AIDS Riots" (PDF). Art Monthly. 423: 8.
^ The List: Losing Their Tramway Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Media related to Tramway (arts centre) at Wikimedia Commons
Tramway - official site

55°50′27″N 4°16′02″W / 55.84075°N 4.26721°W / 55.84075; -4.26721

[1] "Home". thehiddengardens.org.uk.

[2] Glasgow Museums website

[3] Contemporary British Theatre, ed. Theordore Shank

[4] Historic Environment Scotland. "25 Albert Drive and 522 Pollokshaws Road, Tramway (Category B Listed Building) (LB33365)". Retrieved 20 March 2019.

[5] "Two men kissing; advertisement for an exhibition about New York AIDS Polemics by Tramway. Colour lithograph, 1992". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 28 January 2021.

[6] McCormack, Chris (February 2019). "Love AIDS Riots" (PDF). Art Monthly. 423: 8.

[7] The List: Losing Their Tramway Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[1]

[2]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Museums and art galleries of Scotland
National Museums Scotland	National Museum of Scotland National Museum of Flight National Museum of Rural Life National Museums Collection Centre National War Museum
National Galleries Scotland	Modern Two Royal Scottish Academy Building Scottish National Gallery Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Art galleries and collections	Aberdeen Art Gallery Broughton Gallery Burrell Collection City Art Centre Dick Institute Dundee Contemporary Arts Fruitmarket Gallery Gallery of Modern Art Georgian House Gracefield Arts Centre Groam House Museum Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery Inverness Museum and Art Gallery Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kirkcaldy Galleries Meffan Institute McLean Museum McLellan Galleries McManus Galleries Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum Montrose Museum Perth Art Gallery Pier Arts Centre Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum Queen's Gallery Talbot Rice Gallery Tramway V&A Dundee
History	Alloa Tower Broughty Castle Museum David Livingstone Centre Museum of Childhood Provand's Lordship Surgeons' Hall Writers' Museum
Local history	Aberdeenshire Farming Museum Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum Angus Folk Museum Biggar Museum Trust Campbeltown Heritage Centre Clydebank Museum Dumfries Museum Fife Folk Museum Gairloch Museum Gladstone's Land Glenesk Folk Museum Highland Folk Museum Highland Museum of Childhood Inveraray Jail John Knox House King's Museum Meffan Institute Montrose Museum Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume Museum of Edinburgh Museum of the University of St Andrews New Lanark North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre Old Haa Museum The Orkney Museum People's Palace People's Story Museum Pier House Museum Provost Skene's House Scalloway Museum Scotland Street School Museum Shetland Museum Signal Tower Museum Skye Museum of Island Life St Andrews Museum Stewartry Museum Stonehaven Tolbooth Stromness Museum Tain & District Museum Tangwick Haa Museum The Tolbooth, Aberdeen
Maritime	Aberdeen Maritime Museum Böd of Gremista Discovery Point HMS Unicorn HMY Britannia Mull of Galloway Lighthouse Museum of Scottish Lighthouses Scottish Fisheries Museum Scottish Maritime Museum Signal Tower Museum Skerryvore Lighthouse Museum The Tall Ship
Military and war	Bannockburn Visitor Centre Black Watch Museum The Cameronians Museum Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum Fort George & The Highlanders Museum Gordon Highlanders Museum John Paul Jones Cottage Museum Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre Morayvia Orkney Wireless Museum Scapa Flow Museum
Natural history	D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum Dick Institute George Waterston Memorial Centre and Museum Marischal Museum McManus Galleries
Religion	Blairs Museum Dunblane Museum Scalan Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Science and industry	Barry Mill Mills Observatory Museum of the University of St Andrews Museum on the Mound New Lanark Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum Robert Smail's Printing Works Scotland’s Jute Museum @ Verdant Works Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
Sport	R&A World Golf Museum Scottish Football Museum
Transport	Dundee Museum of Transport Grampian Transport Museum Museum of Scottish Railways Myreton Motor Museum Riverside Museum Scottish Industrial Railway Centre Scottish Vintage Bus Museum
Scotland portal