Ian Beesley

Ian Beesley (born 1954) is a British social documentary photographer who has focused on Northern England, particularly Bradford, since the late 1970s.[1][2][3] He was course leader for the MA in photography at the University of Bolton.[4] Beesley's work is held in the collections of the Science Museum Group and Smithsonian Institution.[1][5] In 2012, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.[6]

Life and work

Beesley was born in Eccleshill, 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 of Northern England, particularly in Bradford.[2][3][9] He photographed Salts Mill in Saltaire as it was closing down in 1986.[10] He spent five years working on the series The Art of Clubbing, about nightclub culture in the UK.[11]

He was course leader for the MA in photography at the University of Bolton in 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. With Ian 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

Awards

References
  1. "Ian Beesley - Science Museum Group Collection". Science Museum Group. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  2. "Four decades of photographs of Yorkshire grit by Ian Beesley go on display for the first time". 17 September 2022.
  3. Warner, Marigold. "Ian Beesley's 45-year documentation of working life in Bradford - 1854 Photography". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  4. "Industrious Ian scoops two awards". Oldham Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  5. "Ian Beesley - Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  6. "Fellowship honour for city artist". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  7. "From Premier League City to old mills - Beesley's camera captures it all". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  8. Phillips, Sarah (16 January 2013). "Ian Beesley's best photograph: a sewage foreman captured in tears". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  9. "Life, Bradford style: the work of Ian Beesley – in pictures". The Guardian. 19 August 2022. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  10. "New exhibition captures Salts Mill 30 years on". BBC News. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  11. "BBC - Bradford and West Yorkshire - Going Out -". BBC. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  12. "Mill photos under spotlight in Finland". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  13. Fairclough, Steve (28 July 2022). "First career retrospective of Ian Beesley to open in Saltaire". Amateur Photographer. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
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