Our Journey So Far
We started as Loveartnortheast in 2013 with 12 artists and one small monthly event at Jesmond Dene at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Within a few months we'd doubled in size and spread to several other venues across Newcastle. They included Newcastle Central Station, St Nicholas' Cathedral and outdoors at Grey's Monument/Grainger Street.
These monthly and annual events continued until covid lockdowns, when we set up online artists' studios and fairs in a bid to keep things going. We began attracting artists from further afield, hence the name change.
The online studios have continued to grow and are now home to over 50 artists and makers from across the north of England and southern Scotland.
Although we have returned to live events, changes to our previous spaces meant we couldn't return to them.
This coincided with a house move to North Northumberland, so we took the brave decision to find new venues and start new events from scratch.
We are now heading into our third year at Etal, Whalton and Ayton Castle.
See our Events page for 2024 dates and venues.
Meet the Team
The Tin Shed's talented team is its expanding community of artists and makers who are with us online and at live events. We wouldn't be what we are without them.
Attempting to lead them all to success and riches is our founder and creative director Lesley McNish. After a career as a journalist and tv reporter spanning over 30 years, she began jewellery-making, which in turn led her to notice a gap in the market at that time, for a regular, good quality arts' event in Newcastle. She set about gaining trading licences from the city council and finding special venues.
The Tin Shed has led Lesley to discover skills she didn't realise she had (though probably lurking in the background) acquired through years of creative broadcast editing, production/filming planning and working in her parents own colourful wool shops from the age of eight.
Visit our online Artists' Studios here
Join Us
If you're an artist or maker and interested in finding out more about joining us, please email info@thetinshed.co.uk and tell us about yourself and your work. Please attach a few pics or a link to it.
If you run a venue or an event which may benefit from hosting a pop-up fair or exhibition, we may be able to help, so please get in touch.