Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

The opening of Baltic in 2002 was part of the revitalisation of the Gateshead Quays which began in the early 1990s and included the opening of the Millennium Bridge in 2001 and the Sage (now The Glasshouse) in 2002.

Baltic has thirteen floors in total with five main levels showing a wide range of art exhibitions. On other floors there is Six Baltic restaurant, community spaces and a viewing platform which offers pretty amazing views along the Tyne. There is also a cafe on the ground level which is currently a 'pay as you feel' type cafe selling teas, coffees and snacks. The shop is one of the highlights though and if you ever need a Frieda Khalo plant pot or David Bowie socks, this is the place to come.

The exhibitions change regularly and as the title suggests, they are always modern art including mixed media, sculpture, photography, film etc. They also hold talks by artists now and again and I was lucky enough to see Martin Parr talking about his photography in 2004 (though too chicken to get his autograph!)

Another lovely little feature about the Baltic is that it is home to 100 pairs of nesting Kittiwakes who nest comfortably under the Baltic Flour Mills sign. This is the furthest inland nesting site for Kittiwakes in the world! You can get fairly close to them on level 4 in the outdoor viewing terrace. They nest there from March to August with eggs hatching June/July time.

Baltic is free, but as always donations are welcome. You can see what's on at Baltic on their website: The Baltic.