The Shipley Art Gallery, on Prince Consort Road, Gateshead, opened to the public on 29th November 1917. Local solicitor Joseph Ainsley Davidson Shipley (1822-1909) had left his collection of paintings and part of his fortune to fund a public gallery. The classical building, designed by Arthur Stockwell, was built in 1915. When it opened the gallery included 359 of Shipley's collection plus another 145 provided by the Gateshead committee overseeing the gallery.

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The Shipley Art Gallery's craft and design collection began in 1977. 

"The Shipley’s craft and design collections are wide-ranging and most significantly include one of the UK’s most important and largest collections of contemporary craft and the UK’s most comprehensive collection of Sowerby’s and Davidson’s glassware." (Gallery Website)

The Shipley Art Gallery building, designed by Arthur Stockwell was made a listed building on the 22nd of Febuary 1982. The gallery is a Grade II listed building. Details of the listing are available on the National Heritage List for England, which is maintained by Historic England. The building is protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

The Henry Rothschild Study Centre at The Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead was opened in 2010. Henry Rothschild (1913 - 2009) was a craft collector, promoter and gallery owner. He had a long-standing relationship with the Shipley Art Gallery and donated over 300 pieces from his collection to the gallery. As part of Rothschild's legacy, the Gallery, in partnership with Northumbria University, awards bursaries, to UK-based early-career ceramic artists.