LINK TO ARTICLE
Fan who masterminds Spice Girls exhibition wins plaudits from Mel B
Published Date: 24 January 2011
As a schoolgirl, Liz West loved nothing more than dancing around to her favourite Spice Girls hits.
But Liz, 25, was no ordinary Spice Girls fan – and has masterminded an extraordinary exhibition due to open at Leeds City Museum later this week. Over the years, Liz has collected a staggering 4,000 pieces of Spice Girls memorabilia, ranging from badges and pencil sharpeners to dresses worn by the girls, worth thousands of pounds. A whole series of items, including a pink and blue Spice Girls scooter endorsed by the girls at the height of their fame, will go on display at the museum as part of Spiceworld: The Exhibition. And Liz's exhibition now has the ultimate blessing – from Leeds's very own Spice Girl Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B.
The 35-year-old star, now living in Los Angeles, said: "I'm very excited that this Spice Girls exhibition is showing in my hometown of Leeds. It makes me even more grateful that not only people around the world, but the people of Leeds, are still showing so much support for the Spice Girls. "I really hope that everyone will like this exhibition. It is truly an honour to have such an extensive collection of our past be brought out for everyone to enjoy."
Liz's own fascination with Mel B and the rest of the Spice Girls started when they released first hit single Wannabe in 1996. Like most 11-year-old girls at the time, Liz bought their debut album Spice and memorised the words and dances to all the songs. She soon developed a thirst for collecting Spice Girls memorabilia, starting with items available for £1 at her local pound shop. Liz, now an artist and photographer, said: "I used to save my pocket money and if I wanted something more expensive, I just had to save up for a bit longer. "My family thought it was going to be a phase and didn't want me to spend my savings or a huge amount of pocket money because they thought it would be a flash in the pan. I was always quite determined it wasn't going to be." Liz's collection was boosted by the rise of online auction website eBay, where she successfully bid for some Spice Girls bargains.
After the band split up in 2001 after nine number one singles, three albums and a blockbuster film, Liz started collecting items from the girls' solo careers. Collecting memorabilia can be frustrating as well as rewarding – Liz once asked a shop worker for a carrier bag from Victoria Beckham's DVB Denim range and was turned down, despite the jeans costing hundreds of pounds. Liz said: "That made me really really angry. The carrier bag was so beautiful and I was desperate to add it to my collection. "It wasn't Victoria's fault and it was nothing to do with her but I was so angry. At that moment I thought about getting rid of the collection but I calmed down again in a few hours, as always."
Liz, a former student at Leeds College of Art, came up with the idea for the exhibition herself after completing a work placement at a museum and art gallery. She wrote to museums all over the country suggesting the idea and was delighted when Leeds City Museum agreed to meet her. She said: "I was over the moon when they agreed to hold the exhibition. I've really enjoyed organising it and putting it all together – it's something I definitely want to do again in the future. "I just hope that other people enjoy seeing it. For me as a schoolgirl, the girl power message really hit home. I love the strong, powerful female vibe – nobody since the Spice Girls has captured my attention quite so much."
The Spice Girls – also known as Melanie Brown (Mel B), Melanie Chisholm (Mel C), Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell – scored their first hit with Wannabe in 1996. They went onto enjoy a string of number ones, including Say You'll Be
There, 2 Become 1, Spice Up Your Life and Viva Forever. Geri Halliwell left the band in 1998, with the rest of the band splitting in 2001 to concentrate on motherhood and solo projects. Mel B, who was born in Harehills and grew up in Burley, now lives in LA with husband Stephen Belafonte and daughters Phoenix Chi, 11, and Angel, three.
Leeds City Museum curator of exhibitions Helen Langwick said: "We are really excited about the Spiceworld exhibition starting at Leeds City Museum this week and it is fantastic to have the support of our own Mel B for it. "The exhibition is free so is the perfect way for all Spice Girls fans to see this amazing collection all together for the first time and for people of all ages to take a trip down memory lane." Spiceworld: The Exhibition opens to the public on Friday and runs until Sunday, July 3.
For more information, visit www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Saturday, 22 January 2011
HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER Newspaper Article: (13/01/2011)
LINK TO ARTICLE
Girl Power takes over Leeds City Museum – Liz West’s collection of Spice Girl memorabilia to go on show
LIZ West was 11-years-old when Girl Power spiced up the world. She heard Wannabe on the radio and became hooked on the Spice Girls. Now the 25-year-old, who lives in Lindley, has amassed a collection of 4,000 pieces of Spice Girl memorabilia. And they’re all going on show for the first time – with some rare pieces included in the exhibition at Leeds City Museum.
For Liz, she was a fan first and a collector second, but the artist is now able to make a career out of her collection. Liz, originally from Barnsley, said: “I was listening to the Top 40 on the radio when Wannabe went to number one. It was such a catchy song which I could sing along to. “There were five different personalities which me and my friends could relate to. We made up dance routines but it was only by the time the second album came out I started buying the singles.” Liz started her collection with the band’s single Spice Up Your Life at the age of 12 in 1997. Two versions of the single were released and Liz bought both. She quickly bought the Spice Girls back catalogue and over the years has added mass produced and very rare items to her collection.
Included in the exhibition is the Union Jack boots famously worn by Geri Halliwell at their first ever live concert in Istanbul. Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s performance at the Brit Awards will go on show, along with Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit and crystal-studded ‘Mel B’ belt. Outfits from the Spiceworld tour are included, a Victoria Beckham Chopard watch, the director’s script from Spiceworld: The Movie and a platinum disk the band were awarded selling four million copies of their album Spice in America in 1997. “I’ve no idea how much I’ve spent on it, if I ever worked it out I’d probably be quite shocked,” Liz added.
She has met three members of the Spice Girls. “I met Emma Bunton outside Radio Clyde One when I was a student in Glasgow,” Liz added. “She was adorable, absolutely stunning, very petite and friendly. There were only two fans waiting for her so I got a lot of time with her. “I met Mel C outside the Phoenix Theatre in London after she’d been in Blood Brothers and I met Mel B at Leeds Seacroft Tesco where she was doing a signing. “I’ve never met Geri or Victoria but I’d love to. “All my friends think it’s quirky collecting the items, but fun too.”
Liz first mooted the idea of the exhibition in 2007 and it’s taken until now to coordinate it. The free exhibition runs from Friday, January 28, until Sunday, July, 3 at Leeds City Museum.
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST Newspaper Article: (20/01/2011)
LINK TO ARTICLE
Leeds's connection with all things Spice Girls
It's been 15 years since they burst onto the pop scene and celebrating the anniversary next week is the opening of an exhibition revelling in girl power.
We look at the special connection between Leeds and all things spice. Yes, it's hard to believe. What was once thought of as recent must now be viewed through the prism of nostalgia. The Spice Girls first arrived back in 1996, hooking legions of teenagers with their catchy debut
Wannabe. Up until the Millennium, Scary, Posh, Baby, Sporty and Ginger dominated pop music. They even cracked America with hit after hit, global tours, not to mention Spiceworld and countless money-spinning merchandising deals. When it all started to disintegrate in the year 2000 the attentions of the next generation suddenly switched to the products of reality TV shows. From Girls Aloud to Will Young and JLS, the Noughties produced a new breed of stars to scream at. But as they reach this milestone it's timely to see a new exhibition celebrating their success is to be unveiled at Leeds City Museum. It's also apt as Leeds has strong connection to the girls. Melanie Chisholm, better known as Mel C, would frequently pop into Churwell, near Morley to visit her dad Alan Chisholm. After splitting with the Scouser's mum in the 1980s he moved to Leeds. And when the Spice Girls became huge, he later moved to a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburb thanks to multi-millionaire sporty shelling out for him to have a new house.
Meanwhile Mel B was born and raised in the city. Before moving to Horsforth when their daughter hit the big time, mum and dad, Andrea and Martin, lived in a three-bedroomed terrace in Burley. Throughout their ascent to megastardom the house was frequently at the epicentre of attention for the girls. When they reunified in 2008 the Yorkshire Evening Post chatted with the girl band about their vivid Leeds memories.
Gesturing to the girls, Geri said: "Do you remember all of us sleeping in your bed in Kirkstall? It must have been 10 or 12 years ago, we were recording up there, we didn't even have a record deal then."
Mel B said: "Oh yes, it was my mum's house."
Geri continues: "We were top-and-tailing in this tiny house in Kirkstall, mucking in together, eating chips and, erm, what do you call those things....?"
"Scraps!" laughed Mel B.
"That's right, scraps, love those, " said Geri.
"Oh and bread cakes!" chips in Emma.
Mel B said: "We didn't go out in Leeds though, it wasn't quite as happening 10 or 15 years ago as it is now."
"But I seem to remember we did have a great house party there, " recalls Emma.
"Leeds has totally made me who I am today, " said Mel B. "Apart from being with this lot and travelling the world – your childhood experiences mould you completely."
Lifelong supporter Liz West has brought the museum exhibition together featuring over 4,000 pieces of memorabilia from back in the heyday, but she's just one of legions of fans who will always worship girl power...
* SpiceWorld: The Exhibition, from Jan 28 to July 3, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, free entry, open Bank holiday Mondays, Tue, Wed and Fri, 10am to 5pm, Thu 10am to 7pm, Sat and Sun 11am to 5pm, Tel. 0113 214 1560 www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum
WHEN Scary Spice dropped into the children's wards of St. James's Hospital in Leeds some of the parents thought it was little more than a PR stunt.
Mel B, spedning Christmas in her home city in December 1997, said she wanted to raise the spirits of babies and kids separated from their parents.
When she came to visit 20-month-old Rhiann Watson, her mum and dad, Samantha and Neil, initially thought they were just models in a photo opportunity, albeit one which produced a heart-melting image.
"It just wasn't like that at all." said Mr Watson. "She sat with us all for a good 20 minutes or so chatting away and seemed genuinely interested in our situation.
"She even chatted away with Rhiann's big sister and when she ran away from her she went chasing after playing games, it was lovely and really did give us a boost."
But the experience was bittersweet for the Watson family. Doctors told them that little Rhiann, who had suffered kidney failure, probably only had 12 weeks to live.
Thankfully she pulled through and after a kidney transplant is now 14-years old and, suffice to say, a lifelong Spice Girls fan.
UNFORTUNATELY student Sophie Larner-Vincent, 18, of Kirkstall, can't recall the lengths her late grandfather went to in 1998 to ensure his beloved grandaughter got to see the Spice Girls in concert.
Mr Ron Short, who sadly passed away five years ago, knew how much little Sophie, then just six years old, adored the fab five.
"I had everything," she recalls. "I had every single CD they released, I had the dolls and anything with them on it I wanted to have.
"It's just a shame I can't actually remember seeing them in concert or what granddad did for me."
And just what was Mr Short prepared to do for her? Well, after an exhaustive search for tickets to see the girls at Manchester Arena he discovered the only way he could guarantee Sophie a place in the audience was to join the Spice Girls fan club. AT 62.
Thankfully the Yorkshire Evening Post heard of his plight and, after featuring in the paper with Sophie, a kind reader came forward with two tickets.
Sarah Dawson, now 24, of Churwell, Leeds, has been a Spice Girls fan since she was 10 years old. "The first time I saw them they were on Top Of The Pops singing Wannabe, and from that moment on I loved them." she said.
"All my friends liked them too, but I was obsessed. I bought all their singles and albums, all the official merchandise. I even had a life-size cardboard cut-out of Ginger Spice in her Union Jack dress in my room that my mum and dad bought me for Christmas.
"Part of the reason I loved them so much was the outrageous clothes they wore. Although they all looked very different, each Spice Girl had something to offer in the fashion department for a 10-year-old.
"When Scary and Ginger started wearing big platform boots, called Buffalo boots, I wanted a pair too. In fact I begged my mum to buy me some but the originals were from a store in Covent Garden in London. We couldn't go all the way there for a pair so I settled for some cheap imitation ones in black and white instead.
"Even though, with hindsight, Posh Spice had the best wardrobe, I wanted to look like Ginger Spice, with her outrageous clumpy boots, bright red hair and crop tops. She looked a bit like a cartoon character and I wanted to be her.
"I really missed Geri when she left. When the others talked about girl power, you could tell it was a nice catchy slogan, but Geri looked like she lived and breathed it.
"I saw the Spice Girls twice in concert, the first time was in 1998 on their big world tour, before Ginger left, and they were great.
"They reunited almost 10 years later in 2007. This time I was 21, and in my growing-up years I had realised they were a manufactured pop band. But on stage that second time, they were actually a lot better than I expected. I think a part of me will always love the Spice Girls, and I've never thrown away my Geri cardboard cut-out – though she lives in the loft now."
Leeds's connection with all things Spice Girls
It's been 15 years since they burst onto the pop scene and celebrating the anniversary next week is the opening of an exhibition revelling in girl power.
We look at the special connection between Leeds and all things spice. Yes, it's hard to believe. What was once thought of as recent must now be viewed through the prism of nostalgia. The Spice Girls first arrived back in 1996, hooking legions of teenagers with their catchy debut
Wannabe. Up until the Millennium, Scary, Posh, Baby, Sporty and Ginger dominated pop music. They even cracked America with hit after hit, global tours, not to mention Spiceworld and countless money-spinning merchandising deals. When it all started to disintegrate in the year 2000 the attentions of the next generation suddenly switched to the products of reality TV shows. From Girls Aloud to Will Young and JLS, the Noughties produced a new breed of stars to scream at. But as they reach this milestone it's timely to see a new exhibition celebrating their success is to be unveiled at Leeds City Museum. It's also apt as Leeds has strong connection to the girls. Melanie Chisholm, better known as Mel C, would frequently pop into Churwell, near Morley to visit her dad Alan Chisholm. After splitting with the Scouser's mum in the 1980s he moved to Leeds. And when the Spice Girls became huge, he later moved to a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburb thanks to multi-millionaire sporty shelling out for him to have a new house.
Meanwhile Mel B was born and raised in the city. Before moving to Horsforth when their daughter hit the big time, mum and dad, Andrea and Martin, lived in a three-bedroomed terrace in Burley. Throughout their ascent to megastardom the house was frequently at the epicentre of attention for the girls. When they reunified in 2008 the Yorkshire Evening Post chatted with the girl band about their vivid Leeds memories.
Gesturing to the girls, Geri said: "Do you remember all of us sleeping in your bed in Kirkstall? It must have been 10 or 12 years ago, we were recording up there, we didn't even have a record deal then."
Mel B said: "Oh yes, it was my mum's house."
Geri continues: "We were top-and-tailing in this tiny house in Kirkstall, mucking in together, eating chips and, erm, what do you call those things....?"
"Scraps!" laughed Mel B.
"That's right, scraps, love those, " said Geri.
"Oh and bread cakes!" chips in Emma.
Mel B said: "We didn't go out in Leeds though, it wasn't quite as happening 10 or 15 years ago as it is now."
"But I seem to remember we did have a great house party there, " recalls Emma.
"Leeds has totally made me who I am today, " said Mel B. "Apart from being with this lot and travelling the world – your childhood experiences mould you completely."
Lifelong supporter Liz West has brought the museum exhibition together featuring over 4,000 pieces of memorabilia from back in the heyday, but she's just one of legions of fans who will always worship girl power...
* SpiceWorld: The Exhibition, from Jan 28 to July 3, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, free entry, open Bank holiday Mondays, Tue, Wed and Fri, 10am to 5pm, Thu 10am to 7pm, Sat and Sun 11am to 5pm, Tel. 0113 214 1560 www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum
WHEN Scary Spice dropped into the children's wards of St. James's Hospital in Leeds some of the parents thought it was little more than a PR stunt.
Mel B, spedning Christmas in her home city in December 1997, said she wanted to raise the spirits of babies and kids separated from their parents.
When she came to visit 20-month-old Rhiann Watson, her mum and dad, Samantha and Neil, initially thought they were just models in a photo opportunity, albeit one which produced a heart-melting image.
"It just wasn't like that at all." said Mr Watson. "She sat with us all for a good 20 minutes or so chatting away and seemed genuinely interested in our situation.
"She even chatted away with Rhiann's big sister and when she ran away from her she went chasing after playing games, it was lovely and really did give us a boost."
But the experience was bittersweet for the Watson family. Doctors told them that little Rhiann, who had suffered kidney failure, probably only had 12 weeks to live.
Thankfully she pulled through and after a kidney transplant is now 14-years old and, suffice to say, a lifelong Spice Girls fan.
UNFORTUNATELY student Sophie Larner-Vincent, 18, of Kirkstall, can't recall the lengths her late grandfather went to in 1998 to ensure his beloved grandaughter got to see the Spice Girls in concert.
Mr Ron Short, who sadly passed away five years ago, knew how much little Sophie, then just six years old, adored the fab five.
"I had everything," she recalls. "I had every single CD they released, I had the dolls and anything with them on it I wanted to have.
"It's just a shame I can't actually remember seeing them in concert or what granddad did for me."
And just what was Mr Short prepared to do for her? Well, after an exhaustive search for tickets to see the girls at Manchester Arena he discovered the only way he could guarantee Sophie a place in the audience was to join the Spice Girls fan club. AT 62.
Thankfully the Yorkshire Evening Post heard of his plight and, after featuring in the paper with Sophie, a kind reader came forward with two tickets.
Sarah Dawson, now 24, of Churwell, Leeds, has been a Spice Girls fan since she was 10 years old. "The first time I saw them they were on Top Of The Pops singing Wannabe, and from that moment on I loved them." she said.
"All my friends liked them too, but I was obsessed. I bought all their singles and albums, all the official merchandise. I even had a life-size cardboard cut-out of Ginger Spice in her Union Jack dress in my room that my mum and dad bought me for Christmas.
"Part of the reason I loved them so much was the outrageous clothes they wore. Although they all looked very different, each Spice Girl had something to offer in the fashion department for a 10-year-old.
"When Scary and Ginger started wearing big platform boots, called Buffalo boots, I wanted a pair too. In fact I begged my mum to buy me some but the originals were from a store in Covent Garden in London. We couldn't go all the way there for a pair so I settled for some cheap imitation ones in black and white instead.
"Even though, with hindsight, Posh Spice had the best wardrobe, I wanted to look like Ginger Spice, with her outrageous clumpy boots, bright red hair and crop tops. She looked a bit like a cartoon character and I wanted to be her.
"I really missed Geri when she left. When the others talked about girl power, you could tell it was a nice catchy slogan, but Geri looked like she lived and breathed it.
"I saw the Spice Girls twice in concert, the first time was in 1998 on their big world tour, before Ginger left, and they were great.
"They reunited almost 10 years later in 2007. This time I was 21, and in my growing-up years I had realised they were a manufactured pop band. But on stage that second time, they were actually a lot better than I expected. I think a part of me will always love the Spice Girls, and I've never thrown away my Geri cardboard cut-out – though she lives in the loft now."
Spiceworld: The Exhibition
LINK to Official Leeds City Museum Website
Love them or hate them, this interactive exhibition celebrates Brit Pop's most successful girl group. Through the extensive collection of local fan Liz West, explore the music industry at the height of Brit Pop - manufactured bands, the media, the glamour, the pressure of celebrity status and of course the music and merchandise that so often made the Spice Girls front page news.
Take a journey from the stage door to the bright lights of a performance and see if you’ve got what it takes to be a star!
The memorabilia on show will include a number of eye-catching items, such as the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Geri Halliwell in ‘Spiceworld: The Movie’, Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s memorable performance at the 1997 Brit Awards (where Geri made her first appearance in the Union Jack dress) and Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with ‘Mel B’ crystal-studded belt.
Other items among those which have never been seen together on public display before will include outfits worn by Emma, Geri and Mel B on their ‘Spiceworld’ tour, a gold and diamond-studded Chopard watch worn by Victoria, the directors’ script from ‘Spiceworld: The Movie’ and the multi-platinum CD the band were awarded for selling over four million copies of the album ‘Spice’ in America in 1997.
You know its what you want, what you really, really want!
Follow the the private collector Liz West on twitter @SpiceGirlMuseum.
Love them or hate them, this interactive exhibition celebrates Brit Pop's most successful girl group. Through the extensive collection of local fan Liz West, explore the music industry at the height of Brit Pop - manufactured bands, the media, the glamour, the pressure of celebrity status and of course the music and merchandise that so often made the Spice Girls front page news.
Take a journey from the stage door to the bright lights of a performance and see if you’ve got what it takes to be a star!
The memorabilia on show will include a number of eye-catching items, such as the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Geri Halliwell in ‘Spiceworld: The Movie’, Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s memorable performance at the 1997 Brit Awards (where Geri made her first appearance in the Union Jack dress) and Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with ‘Mel B’ crystal-studded belt.
Other items among those which have never been seen together on public display before will include outfits worn by Emma, Geri and Mel B on their ‘Spiceworld’ tour, a gold and diamond-studded Chopard watch worn by Victoria, the directors’ script from ‘Spiceworld: The Movie’ and the multi-platinum CD the band were awarded for selling over four million copies of the album ‘Spice’ in America in 1997.
You know its what you want, what you really, really want!
Follow the the private collector Liz West on twitter @SpiceGirlMuseum.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
THE LEEDS GUIDE Magazine Article (14/01/2011)
LINK TO ARTICLE
Spice Girls Exhibition Set For Leeds
Locals and visitors to the city will have the opportunity to spice up their lives when a new Spice Girls themed exhibition opens this month.
Leeds City Museum’s highly anticipated ‘Spiceworld: The Exhibition’ will be running from Friday 28th January until Sunday 3rd July. The exhibition aims to celebrate the most successful girl band of all time, the Spice Girls. The exhibition will also be exploring what it takes to be a modern celebrity.
Yorkshire-based collector Liz West is providing the basis for the exhibition with her extraordinary collection. She is believed to be the foremost collector of official Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise in the country with almost 4,000 items of all kinds devoted to the band.
Leeds City Museum curator of exhibitions Helen Langwick said: “The Spiceworld exhibition will be a really fun way to start the new year and we are excited about it coming to Leeds City Museum. Whether you are a Spice Girls fan or not this free exhibition is sure to trigger lots of memories from their heyday when you couldn’t move for seeing and hearing them seemingly everywhere.”
The exhibition at the museum on Millennium Square will be the first time that Liz West’s collection has ever been available for the public to view in its entirety. Her fixation with the world famous girl band has seen her collect a huge range of Spice Girls items including outfits worn by the band, accessories, platinum discs, books, magazines and dolls sourced from all over the world, over the course of some 14 years.
Among the collectables on show will be the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell in the group’s first-ever live concert in Istanbul; Baby Spice Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s memorable performance at the 1997 Brit Awards (where Geri made her show-stealing appearance in the Union Jack dress), and Leeds’ own Scary Spice Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with ‘Mel B’ crystal-studded belt. Other impressive items include the director’s script for Spiceworld: The Movie and the multi-platinum CD the band were awarded after selling over four million copies of the album Spice in America in 1997.
Liz West said: “I am very excited about the Spice Girls exhibition taking place at Leeds City Museum. I was always extremely keen for this museum to play host to my collection, mainly because of the impressive nature of the venue but also because Leeds is Mel B’s hometown.
“I am looking forward to seeing the public’s reaction to the exhibition. It will be a great experience for all the family - there will be something to appeal to everyone.”
The Spice Girls revelled in worldwide success after their debut single ‘Wannabe’ topped the charts in 31 countries in 1996. They sold over 80 million records worldwide, achieved nine UK number one singles and starred in their own feature film as they spread their own brand of ‘girl power’.
Spiceworld: The Exhibition, 28 January - 3 July. Free admission.
Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, LS2 8BH, 0113 224 3732, www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum
Posted on Friday 14th January 2011
Gemma Feltham
Leeds City Museum
Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH
Spice Girls Exhibition Set For Leeds
Locals and visitors to the city will have the opportunity to spice up their lives when a new Spice Girls themed exhibition opens this month.
Leeds City Museum’s highly anticipated ‘Spiceworld: The Exhibition’ will be running from Friday 28th January until Sunday 3rd July. The exhibition aims to celebrate the most successful girl band of all time, the Spice Girls. The exhibition will also be exploring what it takes to be a modern celebrity.
Yorkshire-based collector Liz West is providing the basis for the exhibition with her extraordinary collection. She is believed to be the foremost collector of official Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise in the country with almost 4,000 items of all kinds devoted to the band.
Leeds City Museum curator of exhibitions Helen Langwick said: “The Spiceworld exhibition will be a really fun way to start the new year and we are excited about it coming to Leeds City Museum. Whether you are a Spice Girls fan or not this free exhibition is sure to trigger lots of memories from their heyday when you couldn’t move for seeing and hearing them seemingly everywhere.”
The exhibition at the museum on Millennium Square will be the first time that Liz West’s collection has ever been available for the public to view in its entirety. Her fixation with the world famous girl band has seen her collect a huge range of Spice Girls items including outfits worn by the band, accessories, platinum discs, books, magazines and dolls sourced from all over the world, over the course of some 14 years.
Among the collectables on show will be the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell in the group’s first-ever live concert in Istanbul; Baby Spice Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s memorable performance at the 1997 Brit Awards (where Geri made her show-stealing appearance in the Union Jack dress), and Leeds’ own Scary Spice Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with ‘Mel B’ crystal-studded belt. Other impressive items include the director’s script for Spiceworld: The Movie and the multi-platinum CD the band were awarded after selling over four million copies of the album Spice in America in 1997.
Liz West said: “I am very excited about the Spice Girls exhibition taking place at Leeds City Museum. I was always extremely keen for this museum to play host to my collection, mainly because of the impressive nature of the venue but also because Leeds is Mel B’s hometown.
“I am looking forward to seeing the public’s reaction to the exhibition. It will be a great experience for all the family - there will be something to appeal to everyone.”
The Spice Girls revelled in worldwide success after their debut single ‘Wannabe’ topped the charts in 31 countries in 1996. They sold over 80 million records worldwide, achieved nine UK number one singles and starred in their own feature film as they spread their own brand of ‘girl power’.
Spiceworld: The Exhibition, 28 January - 3 July. Free admission.
Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, LS2 8BH, 0113 224 3732, www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum
Posted on Friday 14th January 2011
Gemma Feltham
Leeds City Museum
Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
BBC News Article: Spice Girls make history in Leeds
LINK TO ARTICLE
A new Spice Girls exhibition will display Leeds-born Mel B's trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with 'Mel B' crystal-studded belt. The exhibition is built around the extraordinary collection of Liz West. She is the foremost collector of Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise in the country with almost 4,000 items devoted to the girl band.
Collector Liz originally hails from Barnsley but now lives in Huddersfield.
Mel B, 35, was born in Harehills and lived in Burley she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.
Visitors to Leeds City Museum will be able to add a touch of spice to their lives when the new special exhibition begins in January.
Impressive nature
Spice Girls collector Liz West said: "I was always extremely keen for this museum to play host to my collection, mainly because of the impressive nature of the venue but also because Leeds is Mel B's hometown." Liz started her collection by buying two copies of the band's single 'Spice Up Your Life' at the age of 12 in 1997. So began an obsession which over 14 years has seen Liz collect Spice Girls items including outfits worn by the band, accessories, platinum discs, books, magazines and dolls from all over the world. The exhibition will be the first time Liz's full collection has ever been on public display.
As well as the cat suit it will also include the famous Union Jack boots worn by Geri Halliwell in Istanbul for the group's first-ever live concert, Emma Bunton's blue sequin dress from the band's performance at the 1997 Brit Awards where Geri made her show-stealing appearance in a Union Jack dress. Other items include outfits worn on the Spiceworld tour, a gold and diamond-studded watch worn by Victoria, the director's script from Spiceworld: The Movie and the platinum CD the band were awarded for selling over four million copies of the album Spice in America in 1997.
The band Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams were referred to all over the globe by the nicknames Scary, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Posh.
Girl power
Following debut single Wannabe which topped the charts in 31 countries in 1996, the Spice Girls enjoyed phenomenal success selling over 80 million records worldwide, having nine UK number one singles, starring in their own feature film and creating the 'girl power' mantra. The group finally disbanded in 2008. Latterly the band have moved on to many different solo projects. The Leeds exhibition was announced at the same time as news broke of Victoria Beckham's (née Adams) fourth pregnancy. The free exhibition runs from Friday 28 January until Sunday 3 July, 2011 at Leeds City Museum.
Monday, 10 January 2011
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST Newspaper Article: Leeds to host Spice Girls exhibition
LINK TO ARTICLE
Published Date: 10 January 2011
It's been 15 years since the Spice Girls, featuring Leeds lass Mel B, had their first number one hit with Wannabe.
And Leeds City Museum is celebrating "girl power" in style – by opening an exhibition set to delight fans of the fiesty fivesome. Spiceworld: The Exhibition, which will open at the museum on January 28, features an extensive collection of Spice Girls memorabilia owned by Yorkshire's ultimate fan Liz West.
Liz became hooked on the band at the age of 11 after buying their debut album Spice – and closely followed the antics of Baby, Sporty, Scary, Ginger and Posh as they rose to global superstars. She now owns almost 4,000 pieces of official Spice Girls merchandise, including clothes worn by the band during their 1990s heyday. Items set to go on display at the exhibition include the Union flag boots worn by Geri Halliwell in Spiceworld: The Movie, Emma Bunton's blue sequin dress from the 1997 Brit Awards and Mel B's trademark giraffe print catsuit, complete with 'Mel B' crystal-studded belt.
Liz said: "Popular music is directly related to people's personal histories and whilst the Spice Girls connect with my own youth, I hope the exhibition will act as a trigger to allow the public to recall past memories. "I am looking forward to seeing the public's reaction to the Spice Girls exhibition – it will be a great experience for all the family."
The Spice Girls – Geri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown (Mel B) and Melanie Chisholm (Mel C) – leapt to fame with Wannabe in 1996 and enjoyed a string of hits, including Spice Up Your Life, Say You'll Be There and Who Do You Think You Are. They split in 2000, two years after Geri left the band, but reunited for a brief spell in 2007.
Mel B was born in Harehills and grew up in Burley. The 35-year-old now lives in Los Angeles with husband Stephen Belafonte and daughters Phoenix Chi, 11, and Angel Iris, three.
Leeds City Museum's curator of exhibitions Helen Langwick said: "The Spiceworld exhibition will be a fun way to start the new year and we are excited about it coming to Leeds City Museum. "Whether you are a Spice Girls fan or not this free exhibition is sure to trigger lots of memories from their heyday when you couldn't move for seeing and hearing them seemingly everywhere. "This will be the first time this amazing collection has been seen together in its entirety anywhere in the world so we are really looking forward to it."
Spiceworld: The Exhibition will run from Thursday, January 28 to Sunday, July 3.
For more information on Leeds City Museum, visit: www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum
Saturday, 1 January 2011
'Spiceworld: The Exhibition' Catalogue
Published to coincide with the touring exhibition Spiceworld: The ExhibitionLeeds City Museum 28th January - 3rd July 2011
£12.00
by Liz West
Foreword by Nicholas Oddy
Designed by Matt West & Designers Front
Paperback
102 Pages
Published by Kroma Press
Friday, 31 December 2010
New additions to collection:
Geri Halliwell Mi Chico Latino 7” UK Promo
Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper 7” USA Promo
Geri Mi Chico Latino/Summertime 7" USA Promo
Wannabe French 12” Promo
Mel B I Want You Back USA 12” Promo
VB Signed Poster
Geri halliwell 2CD French Box Set
Mel B PS3 UK Game
In America a Tour Story Australian VHS
Emma Free Me USA CD
Brazilian Wannabe, Say You’ll Be There, 2 Become 1, Stop & Viva Forever CD’s
Korean Greatest Hits CD
Spiceworld The Movie Thai VCD
Mel C I Turn To You USA Promo CD
Spiceworld French CD
Mel B Hot Cassette Middle-Eastern
Geri Halliwell USA Geri Yoga, Schizo-Phonic, Forever CD’s
Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper 7” USA Promo
Geri Mi Chico Latino/Summertime 7" USA Promo
Wannabe French 12” Promo
Mel B I Want You Back USA 12” Promo
VB Signed Poster
Geri halliwell 2CD French Box Set
Mel B PS3 UK Game
In America a Tour Story Australian VHS
Emma Free Me USA CD
Brazilian Wannabe, Say You’ll Be There, 2 Become 1, Stop & Viva Forever CD’s
Korean Greatest Hits CD
Spiceworld The Movie Thai VCD
Mel C I Turn To You USA Promo CD
Spiceworld French CD
Mel B Hot Cassette Middle-Eastern
Geri Halliwell USA Geri Yoga, Schizo-Phonic, Forever CD’s
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