Ian Beesley

Ian Beesley(born 1954) is a Britishsocial documentary photographerwho has focused onNorthern England,particularlyBradford,since the late 1970s.^[1]^[2]^[3]He was course leader for the MA in photography at theUniversity of Bolton.^[4]Beesley's work is held in the collections of theScience Museum GroupandSmithsonian Institution.^[1]^[5]In 2012, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of theRoyal Photographic Society.^[6]

Life and work

Beesley was born inEccleshill,Bradford.^[7]He studied at Bradford Art College and Bournemouth & Poole College of Art.^[8]

Since the late 1970s, he has documented the changing social landscape ofNorthern England,particularly in Bradford.^[2]^[3]^[9]He photographedSalts Millin Saltaire as it was closing down in 1986.^[10]He spent five years working on the seriesThe Art of Clubbing,aboutnightclubculture in the UK.^[11]

He was course leader for the MA in photography at theUniversity of Boltonin Greater Manchester.^[4]

Publications

Books

Where Sky & Water Meet.Arts Council, 1982.
Through the Mill.NMPFTV, 1987.
Victorian Bradford.Ryburn, 1987.
Now I can tell.McMillan, 1990.
Warwickshire Hatters.Ryburn, 1988.
Calderdale.Ryburn, 1988.
Victorian Manchester & Salford.Ryburn, 1988.
Leeds Architectural Heritage.Ryburn, 1993.
A Place of Work.The Keeled University press, 1995.
Claret & Amber.Darkroom/NMPFTV, 2000.
Building Sights.Leeds City Council, 2001.
The Power, the Pride, the Passion.Darkroom, 2001.
Orphans of the Fallout.Darkroom, 2001.
Heavy Metal.Darkroom, 2002.
The End of the Shed.Darkroom, 2001.
Meltdown Heads.together productions, 2004.
Shining Out.Darkroom, 2006.
The Leap.Darkroom, 2010.
The Drift.NCME, 2011.
T'Ales.Carlsberg/DRP, 2011.
Born in Bradford.Incline, 2012.
- Darkroom, 2014. WithIan McMillan.ISBN 978-0-9569049-3-5.
The Book of damp.Darkroom, 2014. Photographs by Beesley, poems by Ian McMillan.ISBN 978-0-9569049-1-1.
A box full of cuckoos.Darkroom, 2014.
Magic Lantern Tales.Darkroom, 2014.
Taraxacum Officinale.Darkroom, 2014.
Grafters: Industrial Society in Image and Word.Unified Theory of Everything, 2016. Curated by Beesley, poems by Ian McMillan.ISBN 978-0957134270.
Life.London: Bluecoat, 2023. A retrospective.

Zines

Esholt Sewage works Bradford 1977–78.Southport:Café Royal,2016.
Through the Mill.Southport: Café Royal, 2016.
The Drift.Southport: Café Royal, 2016.
Tetleys Brewery Leeds.Southport: Café Royal, 2017.

Solo exhibitions

A touring exhibition across Finland, organised by the National Museum of Labour History, 2003^[12]
Life,Salts Mill,Saltaire, Bradford, 2022. A retrospective.^[2]^[13]

Collections

Science Museum Group,London: 131 prints (as of 17 March 2023)^[1]
Smithsonian Institution,Washington, USA: 5 prints (as of 17 March 2023)^[5]

Awards

2012: Honorary Fellowship of theRoyal Photographic Society,Bath^[6]

References

^^a ^b ^c"Ian Beesley - Science Museum Group Collection".Science Museum Group.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^^a ^b ^c"Four decades of photographs of Yorkshire grit by Ian Beesley go on display for the first time".17 September 2022.
^^a ^bWarner, Marigold."Ian Beesley's 45-year documentation of working life in Bradford - 1854 Photography".British Journal of Photography.Retrieved2023-03-18.
^^a ^b"Industrious Ian scoops two awards".Oldham Evening Chronicle.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^^a ^b"Ian Beesley - Smithsonian American Art Museum".americanart.si.edu.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^^a ^b"Fellowship honour for city artist".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^"From Premier League City to old mills - Beesley's camera captures it all".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^Phillips, Sarah (16 January 2013)."Ian Beesley's best photograph: a sewage foreman captured in tears".The Guardian.ISSN 0261-3077.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^"Life, Bradford style: the work of Ian Beesley – in pictures".The Guardian.19 August 2022.ISSN 0261-3077.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^"New exhibition captures Salts Mill 30 years on".BBC News.8 September 2017.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^"BBC - Bradford and West Yorkshire - Going Out -".BBC.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^"Mill photos under spotlight in Finland".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.
^Fairclough, Steve (28 July 2022)."First career retrospective of Ian Beesley to open in Saltaire".Amateur Photographer.Retrieved2023-03-17.

External links

Official website

[sciencemuseumgroup-1] "Ian Beesley - Science Museum Group Collection".Science Museum Group.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[yorkshirepost-2] "Four decades of photographs of Yorkshire grit by Ian Beesley go on display for the first time".17 September 2022.

[bjp-3] Warner, Marigold."Ian Beesley's 45-year documentation of working life in Bradford - 1854 Photography".British Journal of Photography.Retrieved2023-03-18.

[oldham-chronicle-4] "Industrious Ian scoops two awards".Oldham Evening Chronicle.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[si-5] "Ian Beesley - Smithsonian American Art Museum".americanart.si.edu.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[thetelegraphandargus-rps-6] "Fellowship honour for city artist".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[thetelegraphandargus-2020-7] "From Premier League City to old mills - Beesley's camera captures it all".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[8] Phillips, Sarah (16 January 2013)."Ian Beesley's best photograph: a sewage foreman captured in tears".The Guardian.ISSN 0261-3077.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[9] "Life, Bradford style: the work of Ian Beesley – in pictures".The Guardian.19 August 2022.ISSN 0261-3077.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[10] "New exhibition captures Salts Mill 30 years on".BBC News.8 September 2017.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[11] "BBC - Bradford and West Yorkshire - Going Out -".BBC.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[12] "Mill photos under spotlight in Finland".Bradford Telegraph and Argus.Retrieved2023-03-17.

[13] Fairclough, Steve (28 July 2022)."First career retrospective of Ian Beesley to open in Saltaire".Amateur Photographer.Retrieved2023-03-17.

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