THE launch of Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art ten years ago was likened at the time by founder director Godfrey Worsdale to the landing of a spaceship, writes Jan Hunter.

Over the past decade it has certainly proved to be a space that has something for everyone, with a buzz about the place, a creative energy and feeling of welcome.

“People believed in the culture of the town,” said Mr Worsdale, “and I had with me a strong and courageous team passionate about getting our message of being a useful civic space out there.”

As part of mima's tenth anniversary celebrations there is a new permanent presentation of the Middlebrough Collection comprising work by local, national and international artists from the 19th to 21st centuries.

At a party last month more than 1,000 people from community groups joined tours, performances and discussions around the collection.

Mima classes itself as a useful museum with a social function. In 2015, the theme of Localism was launched as a celebration of the history of art in Teesside. There were artists-in-residence and its ethos of inclusion led to visitors being encouraged to help write the narrative through workshops, talks and feedback sessions.

Last March, the exhibition If All Relations Were to Reach Equilibrium, Then This Building Would Dissolve, about immigration in Teesside, was developed with charities and service providers.

It gave a voice to under-represented people, providing sessions and workshops, raising debate on asylum seekers and refugees who are welcome in this space.

Saturday afternoons and during school holidays there is experimental art making and play, and Thursdays see dementia-friendly creative activities for adults, as well as adult drawing classes, a community garden and interactive workshops for under-fives.

“As public spaces diminish, these spaces become more important,” said senior curator, Elinor Morgan. “We want to be connected and responsive to local people and also connected to a wider international context.

"We are shaping our programmes with the local community and discuss what is important to them. We have a weekly community lunch with a broad spectrum of people to talk about ideas in society.

"We are working both inside and outside the building, having very close connections with schools and universities, too.”

Visitor numbers add up to more than 100,000 a year and footfall has increased year-on-year by 11 per cent. The first decade has seen over a million visitors.

“The future is bright for galleries,” said Alistair Hudson, the current director. “We work closely with community leaders and are socially active. For example, as part of our Localism project, Adam Clark from New Boosbeck Industries taught people who were unemployed at the time, to make furniture.”

At one of the tenth anniversary talks Mr Worsdale explained how the name, mima, came about. Thinking about how the lettering on the Baltic gallery in Gateshead helps assert its identity, he wanted Middlesbrough's new space to do the same. Spanish associates said mima sounded like mother, and when his children heard the name they started shouting "mima mima mima" imitating the sound of an ambulance.

He thought if children could remember the name, so would the community.

See visitmima.com to find out details of exhibitions. Also new for 2017 is The Smeltery, a cafe offering slow-cooked wholesome food by Luke Harding, from The Waiting Room; also open in the evenings.