First Women UK: Liverpool Opening Highlights

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Editor in 100 Women // 0 Comments

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Photos by John O’Grady and Gareth Jones

Tuesday June 18^th 2019: Nearly 200 guests filled Liverpool’s St George’s Hall basement gallery, for our Merseyside launch evening. The 100 portraits, newly installed, gazed down on a very special evening of good cheer, flowing wine, and – we might add – some fantastic hairdos!

The show was officially opened by native Liverpudlian ‘First’, Janice Long and another eleven ‘Firsts’ joined us for the party, including champion beatboxer Bellatrix, who honoured us with an impromptu set.

A poignant event as well as a joyful one. The very space in which we stood amongst a visual celebration of modern women’s achievement and inspirational action, we were but twenty steps away from the original prison cells in which activist suffragettes were held for trial little more than 100 years ago.

St George’s Hall itself took a decade to build. It sits at the heart of the Liverpool community, both geographically and literally; a gathering place for large city events and celebrations.

A mirror of sorts for the First Women show itself, which also took a decade to complete and gathers together in celebration the very heart of British women’s pioneership.

Enormous gratitude to all the brilliant folks who helped set us up in Merseyside; particularly Thomas Dukes and the tech team at Open Eye Gallery, my husband John (for his tireless running about), to RISE for the opportunity to join in their inspiring year-long programme of events and last, but not least, to the Liverpudlians themselves – never have I met a group of locals more welcoming and up for it!

Stay tuned for more show news later in the Summer.

All 100 portraits of First Women UK continue to show at St George’s Hall until

August 27^th 2019. For further information, click here.