Exhibitions

Below are details of all our exhibitions. Email contact@millbridgegallery.co.uk for all enquiries and requests for invitations to our preview evenings.

Present

Sarah Roche Art in Felt

1st Feb 24 – 30th Mar 24

| We are delighted that the very talented Sarah Roche will be Mill Bridge Gallery’s Artist in Residence in February and March. She will be working on commissions and other new work and will be happy to show and talk about her artwork on most days that the gallery is open. Do contact the gallery beforehand if you are visiting the gallery specifically to meet Sarah to ensure she is there on the day of your visit. If you would like to learn more about felt art, and create your own piece similar to the beautiful landscape shown, Sarah is running 2 workshops at the gallery, details in gallery news. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Sarah Roche Art in Felt

Future

There are no upcoming exhibitions. Between exhibitions, Mill Bridge Gallery showcases and sells a diverse range of photography and sculpture by a number of local artists

Past

Mixing up the Media

16th Nov 23 – 30th Dec 23

Artist in Residence Peter Wilkin opens his residency with an exhibition of current work.

Peter, who lives in Lothersdale, North Yorkshire, is an international, award-winning artist who uses both digital and conventional methods to create his art.

‘Mixing up the Media’, features exciting new work created on his iPad, together with several original cyanotypes and some tantalising, hybrid versions created by combining these two mediums.

Working in Procreate, Wilkin uploads both the original digital image and a sun print that’s been created from a negative version of that image. After joining the two pieces together, he gradually paints in more layers with his digital brushes to develop a colourful cultivar from the two parent images.

Besides filling the Exhibition space with his work he will be present at the Gallery on every opening day, working on new pieces and eager to chat about his art and creative processes.

Mixing up the Media

Ways of Seeing: Historic Craven

26th Oct 23 – 11th Nov 23

‘Ways of Seeing: Historic Craven’ develops from the recent ‘Challenge 1675’ exhibition, where gallery artists produced miniature artworks inspired by the date of the re-building of the recently Grade 2 listed gallery.

This exhibition reflects the artists different approaches to their art, the variety of medium they enjoy working in, and their personal responses to the diverse historic architecture and timeless landscapes of our beautiful area of Craven.

Works include paintings in a variety of medium, prints, sculpture, feltwork, textiles and embroidery. Some of the pieces have previously been exhibited in The Folly, Settle, which was built in 1679, and at Skipton Castle, others are being shown for the first time.

Ways of Seeing: Historic Craven

Ways of Seeing: Historic Craven

Ways of Seeing: Historic Craven

Granary Arts ~ Life Studies

5th Oct 23 – 21st Oct 23

'Life Studies' is an exhibition showing artwork by Granary Arts. Established in 2008 by Roma Crossland and named after the Granary at Skipton Castle Granary Arts has been delivering tutored life drawing by Helen Peyton since its inception.

This exhibition is a testament to the joy of figure drawing and draw of the life class.

The human form is arguably the hardest subject to draw and it is legend that if you can draw the human figure, then you can draw anything. In this exhibition we look at our student journey from the bright spark of the beginner to the seasoned response of the regular attendee. Always marvellous and always full of life, this exhibition is testament to the exceptional students of Granary Arts and a celebration of the quality and diversity that are gifted to us all but nurtured in the right environment by these dedicated individuals and their beautifully expressive exhibition.

Stitch, pencil, print, ink and paint are rendered in the individual response that is only achieved by the drawing your subject live. Time restraints mean that exciting mark making and personal response is key.

Granary Arts ~ Life Studies

The Big Six

15th Sep 23 – 30th Sep 23

This exhibition by John Sherwood, Artist in Residence, focuses upon the series of six amalgams (The Big Six!) that John produced during the first two months of his residency. Additional work relating to the 'Big Six!', and spontaneous pieces ensuing from the remainder of John's residency will also be on display. Amalgams are improvised arrangements in which ideas and materials come together producing collaged image and text compositions. ‘The Big Six!’ are the latest additions to an ongoing 'lifetime series' of around three hundred pieces so far named the 'Sixty By Forty Fives', so-called because each one measures approximately sixty by forty-five centimetres.

The Big Six

Challenge 1675

1st Sep 23 – 30th Sep 23

Mill Bridge Gallery Artists have taken on the challenge of creating a miniature art work inspired by the recent Grade 2 listing of the gallery. 3 Mill Bridge was re-built in 1675 with money donated by Lady Anne Clifford following the bombardment of Skipton Castle and surrounding buildings during the Civil War. As part of the challenge each artwork will be no more than 16.75cm in any dimension. The gallery artists work in a variety of mediums and the exhibition will reflect this important point in history.

Challenge 1675

John Sherwood ~ Artist in Residence

6th Jul 23 – 30th Sep 23

Skipton-based artist John Sherwood, is now Artist in Residence in the exhibition space at Mill Bridge Gallery.

John paints & draws, makes photographs & digital art, and works with text. His objective for his three-month residency at Mill Bridge Gallery is to work on his 'Amalgams'. These are collage-like compositions, drawing together the elements of his mixed practice. He works with various materials on paper, board, and canvas, developing different pieces simultaneously.

John is working in the gallery until the end of September and welcomes visitors to view and discuss his art. There is also an exhibition of John's completed works.

John Sherwood ~ Artist in Residence

John Sherwood ~ Artist in Residence

John Sherwood ~ Artist in Residence

Rachel Errington: Finissage

30th Jun 23 – 1st Jul 23

This exhibition marks the end of Rachel's 3 month residency at Mill Bridge Gallery and showcases the body of new work she has created during this time. Using landscapes and seascapes as her inspiration and acrylic pouring paint as her primary medium, Rachel allows the work to reveal itself, often with very little control and expectation of the final outcome. Working with layering and texture she creates great depth and movement. The resulting paintings are often ethereal and abstract, focusing on the elements of nature and universal laws.

Please join us for this special celebration!

Rachel Errington: Finissage

Spring Relaunch

7th Apr 23 – 24th Jun 23

Mill Bridge Gallery is undergoing a transformation and on April 7th will be opening with all new artwork and many new artists. A Private View is planned for Friday April 7th, 2-7pm. Please email for details. A special opening event is planned for Easter Sunday, 11-4pm. Please join us!

Spring Relaunch

Spring Relaunch

Spring Relaunch

Self

1st Dec 22 – 24th Dec 22

| An exhibition by Textilia 3, a group of 14 contemporary textile artists based in the North of England, who have exhibited widely in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria over the last 25 years.

This exhibition explores ideas of self: what makes us who we are, our identity, how we present ourselves to the outside world, our place in society, the journeys we travel...

The artists have been exploring what self means to them, and the resulting work is both very personal and very varied. Susie has been investigating some of the complex chemical interactions that affect mind and body, while Catherine has been recreating the mental ‘walks’ she takes when unable to sleep. Margaret has used fragments of fabric collected over the years to evoke the different role she plays as wife, mother, daughter and friend, and Kirsty has been using a pared back palette and different weights of paper to explore layers of personality.

The group uses many diverse textile and mixed media techniques, including hand and machine stitch, felt, appliqué, mixed media and painting, ceramics, dyeing and resists, print and manipulated fabrics and fibres. The work is diverse, and whilst each artist has their own distinctive style, the artwork is linked by the common theme.

The exhibition includes a range of wall art, 3D and wearable art, and small textile items and cards.

Self

Self

Self

Self

Self

On Hoof through Hawthorn

3rd Nov 22 – 26th Nov 22

| | In this exhibition Craven Arts artists Bev Parker and Sarah Roche present their unique perspectives on two iconic features of the Dales landscape: our sheep and our hawthorns.

Bev is an established landscape and agrarian artist known for her distinctive, vibrant representations, through watercolours, mixed media and earthy textures, of native animals and fauna. Here she showcases the many different breeds of sheep to be found in the Dales, each alive with their own distinctive colour and character.

Sarah is a felt artist who uses her medium so effectively as to pull the viewer into the scenes she portrays – using dyed wool tops and natural fibres to ‘paint’. You could easily imagine yourself to be standing in the landscape, braced against the wind, sheltering behind the Hawthorn’s gnarled branches.

Both employ their specialist techniques to great effect to tell the stories of these quintessential features of the Yorkshire Dales.

On Hoof through Hawthorn

On Hoof through Hawthorn

Balance

6th Oct 22 – 29th Oct 22

| 'Balance’ is an exhibition of mixed media artwork by Craven Arts artist Rachel Errington.

Rachel’s art alternates between two very different approaches, which she finds work comfortably alongside each other.

In the ancient process of mandala making, Rachel uses the structure and guidance of grid work. In the loose connection of pouring art, Rachel allows the work to reveal itself, often with very little control and expectation of the final outcome.

Rachel’s exhibition is a response to the changing world situation of the past few years, during which she has found it important to retain balance. “We have needed outlets to help with our emotional stability. Art has given me and others the opportunity and time to explore our creative expression.
Both of my approaches involve allowing the universe to interact with the process, often ‘letting go and releasing.’ These two ways of working have been very therapeutic and have helped me and others to relax, forget and reduce stress levels. My art is often ethereal and abstract, often focusing on the elements of nature and universal laws. I mostly work with layering and texture to create depth, movement and interest in my mark making. I hope to gain further understanding and acceptance of the law of impermanence. That nothing lasts forever and everything is in constant change. We are never really in control of anything.”

Balance

Travellers' Tales

8th Sep 22 – 1st Oct 22

| An exhibition of stained glass, watercolour paintings and drawings by father and son Jonathan and Thomas Cooke.

Travellers' Tales focuses on journeys of all kinds, real and imagined, through time and landscape. Jonathan’s quirky stained glass narrative panels and watercolour landscapes are complemented by Thomas’s images of a fictional world steeped in the aesthetic of the Northern European late middle ages.

Fascinated by stained glass since childhood, Jonathan Cooke served a four-year traditional apprenticeship at the York Glaziers Trust, where he worked on the restoration of York Minster's world-famous medieval glass following the fire in 1984. Jonathan has been in private practice since 1987 and for nearly thirty years, he has taught glass painting throughout the UK, as well as in Norway and the USA.
Made to commission and for exhibitions, sometimes "because an idea won't go away", Jonathan's images are highly original, employing a wide repertoire of glass painting techniques from the conventional to the experimental, resulting in idiosyncratic narrative pieces, usually small-scale, often intricately detailed panels, which address the human condition.

He is joined in this exhibition by his son, Thomas Cooke, an autistic art historian and philosopher with eight years of teaching experience. Thomas has been interested from a very young age by the history of art and architecture, and, in particular, by the aesthetics and culture of late medieval Northern Europe. As a child, Thomas began creating a paracosm - an imaginary world - as a coping mechanism. He now portrays this through his highly detailed landscape and architectural pencil drawings of 'The Principality', a central part of that world.

Travellers' Tales

Travellers' Tales

Themes and Variations

11th Aug 22 – 27th Aug 22

|Paintings by Brian Burton

‘Themes and variation’ is a popular musical form in which a composer states a melody and then repeats it several times with changes to create more interest and variety. In this instance Brian’s themes are local Yorkshire landmarks or, as he prefers “marks in the land”.

Each image develops an idea presenting a different take on the subject.

Brian has lived and worked in North Yorkshire as a painter and textile designer for over 30 years and many of his landscapes pay homage to the drama of Malham Cove.

Themes and Variations

Blue Earth

14th Jul 22 – 6th Aug 22

Avneet Cheema and Marisa Marquez have created sculptures, drawings and paintings inspired by our beautiful common dolphins and other marine life.

Avneet Cheema is both a vet and artist. He grew up loving animals and his career as a vet and work as an artist are both driven by his love of the natural world. Avneet also travels widely and his recent journey to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef has inspired his recent work. The work he is exhibiting includes sketches, paintings, and wire sculptures.

Marisa Marquez is a Spanish artist, now living in Skipton, who has exhibited internationally. Having lived on a boat for more than 10 years, she also has a great knowledge of, and connection with, the sea and marine life, often sailing in the company of dolphins. Marisa paints every day, with a freedom, a joy, and a response to whatever inspires her, creating uplifting works using acrylics, fabrics, sand and other found materials. The artists will be contributing 20% of all sales to marine animal charities.

Blue Earth

Blue Earth

The Beat of my Art

16th Jun 22 – 9th Jul 22

| Peter’s art is strongly influenced by his experiences & insights gained during a career as a psychiatric nurse & psychotherapist.

His portraits & human figure work are usually driven by song lyrics, a piece of poetry or a work of art, which is reflected in the title of the work. Alternatively, inspiration is sometimes generated by an issue that arouses strong feelings. Peter believes that any therapeutic journey involves a search for the hidden self: a true representation of oneself that lies buried beneath protective defence mechanisms, and It is this concept which drives his art.

Using only his iPhone & iPad, Peter deconstructs his original photographic image to build a comprehensive, visual narrative, burrowing beneath the gloss until the whole, colourful story emerges. Whilst the process itself is quite technical it is balanced by periods of ‘unconscious creativity’ where imagination runs riot & the art becomes a fusion of honesty, curiosity & adventure. The finished image is a visual representation of Peter’s understanding & interpretation of the subject matter.

Peter has exhibited widely in Europe and received a number of Mobile Art awards for his work. This exhibition features six of his award-winning images in addition to newly created works.

The Beat of my Art

Art Forms in Nature

19th May 22 – 11th Jun 22

| 'Art Forms in Nature' features framed bronze pieces by Grassington artist Mark Butler, inspired by the drawings of Ernst Haeckel and accompanied by texts from many different contributors.

On 1st January 2022, Mark started a creative challenge to make 100 new artworks, making a new clay design every day for the first 100 days of the year. Posting images of these creations on Instagram, he invited viewers to contribute words inspired by these pieces. After casting the pieces in bronze, he then combined these with one of the selected texts to create 100 new pieces of art for this fascinating exhibition.

Art Forms in Nature

Fragments and Inspirations

21st Apr 22 – 14th May 22

| Julie Jones’ love of textiles began as a young child learning knitting and sewing from her mother. She trained to be a silversmith at the Sir John Cass School of Art and in jewellery design and manufacture at the Royal College of Art, going on to run a successful jewellery manufacturing business in London making jewellery for clients including The British Museum, De Beers, celebrities, and royalty.

Her love of textiles always stayed with her, and this combined with attention to detail following her years in jewellery making has resulted in her current work entitled ‘Fragments of Autumn’. The leaves are produced in silk by free hand machine embroidery, then wired and shaped to mimic natural leaves, and held in place by tiny invisible stitches in patterns of fallen leaves. The result is a kaleidoscope of colour from a distance, and close up an intricacy of stitched detail. All her pieces are framed in solid tulip wood.

Julie also produces lino cut prints, with a range of cards and framed prints.

Kelvin Harvey works in a variety of media borne from the materiality implicit in paint, clay and other materials, and often dictated by the surface on which he is working.

Whilst interested in art and design from an early age, the opportunity to become visually more expressive did not come until later in life, initially in design followed by metals, glass and ceramics and degree in ceramics.

Kelvin’s work does challenge the viewer. Rather than using a ‘formula’ to guide the viewer, his process creates outcomes that can confound expectation, either in the use of material or the visual impact implied by the application of paint and colour. His work is made in an intense ‘crucible of thought and movement’, often becoming immersed in the creation of a piece of work to an almost mediative state of being during the process, lost in a conversation with the materials, sometimes colours and intuitive gestural movements are informed a background of music or sounds. The work in this exhibition represents some recent ideas generated during the restrictions of covid resulting in work on a smaller scale than usual.

Fragments and Inspirations

Fragments and Inspirations

Amidst The Garden and Other Landscapes

24th Mar 22 – 16th Apr 22

In this exhibition Mark Pilkington is showing both a series of photographs entitled ‘Amidst The Garden’, made during 2020 and 2021, and a number of landscapes. This is Mark’s first solo exhibition since moving to Yorkshire in 2018.

In the ‘Amidst The Garden’ series he presents a pictorial/impressionist approach, one that concentrates on feeling and exploration rather than documentation. Mark mentions that ’it is difficult for photographs not to be literal’ and that ‘rather than holding up a mirror to the subject I am trying to photograph something more personal, something sublime’.

The landscape photographs on display are quite minimal in their composition and vibrancy and, like the garden series, concentrate on interpretation rather than pure description of place. In Mark’s photographs he is attempting to make equivalents to what is being photographed, the results refer more to fine art and the aesthetic than to traditional photography.

The prints are made on heavyweight archival paper with archival inks and presented as artist proofs.

Mill Bridge Gallery will be open on Sundays in addition to the usual opening days of Thurs-Sat during Mark's exhibition.

Amidst The Garden and Other Landscapes

Amidst The Garden and Other Landscapes

Carte Blanche

3rd Mar 22 – 19th Mar 22

| Janet Allsebrook’s Carte Blanche exhibition uses mixed media including print, graphite and textile work to explore the theme of walking with maps.

Carte Blanche: a blank map, a blank postcard, cheque, bank card, boarding pass or a menu offering free choice and most used today in English as complete freedom to act as one wishes.

Developments in mapping were associated with the ownership of estates and the protection of the coasts in times of feared invasion. The Ordnance Survey was given carte blanche to survey this country and the colonies as required. It was a division of the British Army and continued to be until 1983 when the last military personnel left. The idea of making OS maps public was controversial and it was not until late in the 19th century that they were generally available. It was thought better to keep map information under government control. Now we have given Google carte blanche, the observation is constant: down to the square metre, down to the human individual.

How do we feel about that?

Carte Blanche

Yorkshire and Beyond

18th Nov 21 – 18th Dec 21

|A joint exhibition by Jane Wallbank and Anna Hewlett.

Both Jane and Anna have grown up and have spent most of their lives in Yorkshire – so no better reason to use scenes in Yorkshire, particularly the Yorkshire Dales as the theme running through their paintings – perhaps a little further afield as well. Where better to paint than God’s own county!

Anna’s work is mainly in watercolour and acrylics, occasionally pastels or oils. She is an associate of the British Watercolour Society.

Jane principally works in acrylic but also uses mixed media, incorporating textiles, paper and embellishing with embroidery. Experimenting recently with mark making in oil and cold wax, Jane is also exhibiting small abstract paintings based on the landscape.

Yorkshire and Beyond

Yorkshire and Beyond

A Moment in Time

21st Oct 21 – 13th Nov 21

A joint exhibition of new work by painter Nicole Dickinson and ceramicist Howard gardiner. Nicole lives in North Yorkshire close to Elslack Moor finding her source of inspiration all around her. She is fascinated by the sky and its atmospheric influence on the landscape. There is something magical about the sky flooding the land with light, shadows and mystery. Her aim is to communicate the constant and often dramatic movement of the clouds created by the wind in the sky and the moorland, as well as the sense of space and vastness of her surroundings. Whilst walking with her dog, sketchbook, and camera, she takes time to explore and capture these special moments. Back in her studio, using her feeling, memory, and imagination, she starts to work straight away with paint brushes and other media to recreate the fleeting changes and colours in the landscape. She wants to communicate her emotional response to a particular place in a moment in time.

Howard’s work is mainly produced in stoneware and earthenware using a variety of ceramic techniques: thrown and hand built pieces with clay slips and oxides and a variety of glazes, which are influenced by different historical ceramic connections. Under lockdown he studied World Ceramics from the British Museum and reference books to inspire him on a quest to understand pottery from past civilisations. This exhibition arises from the study of Roman, Greek, Cypriot and Chinese ceramic forms and the question 'How did other civilisations actually make these wonderful pots?' Howard has created pieces in which the aesthetic shapes show the delicate balance between shape. These groups of unique pots capture a sense of the past and are only the beginning of a long-term project exploring these connections.

A Moment in Time

A Moment in Time

Lie of the Land: An exhibition about maps, journeys, place and memory

23rd Sep 21 – 16th Oct 21

| 'Lie of the Land ' features drawn and sculptural pieces by Grassington artist Mark Butler, inspired by walks taken near to his home. Each journey, and each resulting piece, highlights something different, and together they reflect on his ongoing experiences and relationship with his local area. Mark’s sculptures are wall mounted pieces in cast bronze with the addition of some steel and lead. His drawings use burning, gunpowder and rust printing as well as more conventional ink drawing. His 'Ash Map' series record the plight of ash trees in Grass Woods due to ash dieback, 'Walking Treasures' drawings link together the experience of place, created by stopping and taking notice of small features in a landscape, with the journey taken between these places. Maps are a significant part of the way he experiences the landscape: visualising where he wants to go, navigating, recording his journeys. Maps tie this exhibition together and Mark uses their universal language to draw viewers in and invite them to explore his work.

Lie of the Land: An exhibition about maps, journeys, place and memory

Where Earth and Sky Meet

26th Aug 21 – 18th Sep 21

| The line where the earth and the sky meet describe the contours of the view. As you approach Skipton this line is dominated by the contrasting shapes of Sharp Haw and Rough Haw. This skyline and others observed from various vantage points around Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales are the inspiration for a new body of work by Carolyn Hird-Rogers.

Working with textured papers created from waste printers foils, inks and gesso, Carolyn tears and collages the landscapes, capturing the light and colour of the earth and sky. More texture, meadow flowers, drystone walls and trees are added to the compositions to make these pictures a very tactile experience… just like running your fingers over the tree bark or the stones in a wall.

You can almost feel the sun on your face and experience the wind and rain when looking at these images, as if you are standing in Gawflatt Meadow looking out beyond Skipton. Lines of trees are silhouetted against the sky, describing the gentle rise and fall of the earth as North Yorkshire changes to West Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Where Earth and Sky Meet

Fur and Feather

29th Jul 21 – 21st Aug 21

A solo exhibition by local artist Lesley Woodhouse. Lesley took up art for relaxation while working as a busy hospital doctor. Her detailed images are created using colour and graphite pencils and, inspired by the work of C.F.Tunnicliffe, she uses the technique of scraperboard which allows her work to be depicted in a more stylised form. Living in beautiful countryside on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales her work is informed by the environment around her as well as by her love of seeing the form of an animal or bird emerge from the page as she draws. ‘Fur and Feather’ includes original artwork, prints and greetings cards of Lesley's favourite birds and animals.

Fur and Feather

In Awe of Nature

1st Jul 21 – 24th Jul 21

An exhibition by three artists who have chosen to make Yorkshire their home and which celebrates the beauty of our surroundings.

Sarah Roche is an artist working in felt. Although she has always been a very creative person Sarah wouldn’t naturally have described herself as an artist, until she moved with her family to the Yorkshire Dales…suddenly, surrounded by a wild and ever-changing landscape she wanted to paint, except that she wasn’t a painter. But the desire to create was too strong. When a good friend introduced her to wool as an alternative medium it was like a lightbulb moment. The possibility of using this most natural of materials to ‘paint’ melded perfectly with her desire to create something beautiful from something entirely natural. With no formal art qualifications to draw on she works intuitively. Using a variety of wool products; Merino wool tops, Blue-faced Leicester curls and wool nepps, she works to imitate and ultimately pay homage to the beauty and the mood of this utterly captivating part of the world.

Christine Yardley is an artist who uses photography and specialises in historic photographic processes. She is inspired & motivated by nature and the mystical and magical elements and energies of nature and life, imagination & transformation. As a holistic therapist and Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation practitioner, the woods & nature are her sanctuary & are the perfect space in which to practice & enhance these overall health-giving & healing arts. Since moving to Skipton just over a year ago, she is now able to visit the woods every day. Her holistic lifestyle, feelings, skills & passions are merged & conveyed by creating mixed media works of art combining free hand painting with the photographic process of Cyanotypes. All works are then sealed to preserve colours, imagery & forms.

Marisa Marquez made Skipton her home 8 years ago. Marisa has travelled widely and lived in Morocco, Spain and Majorca, and sailed the world for many years. Her mixed media paintings are inspired by her great love of Yorkshire and the beauty of the light and nature in local spaces. Like Christine, Marisa has a deep connection with Skipton woods, and visits regularly to walk, photographing the changing light and seasons. She also has a Skipton allotment with visiting birds and unfolding flowers. These inspirations are combined in her mixed media paintings with the rich colours of her homeland, resulting in vibrant multi-layered canvasses. Marisa has exhibited in Spain, Majorca and London.

In Awe of Nature

In Awe of Nature

In Awe of Nature

Skipton Town in Reflection

3rd Jun 21 – 27th Jun 21

An Exhibition by Linda Dearden and Audrey Edwards

Arising originally from Linda’s interest in the shop windows of Skipton which inspired her to create a series of paintings. The reflections in the windows gave glimpses of people going about their daily lives. The windows were, in effect, reflecting the life of the town.

One of Linda’s paintings features the Hair Salon ‘Reflection’ which became meeting point for their collaboration. Audrey had made an ongoing visual study of the inside of the salon, and the activities within it, using photography and drawing. She has been inspired by the way in which the mirrors are a constant presence, reflecting and re – reflecting the life within the space.

Originally planning to exhibit in June 2020, Linda and Audrey have continued to capture the atmosphere and changes reflected in the life of the shops in our town.

“ We hope that the exhibition will give visitors an opportunity to share their impressions and memories of the shops in Skipton and to reflect upon the changes which are in turn a reflection of changes in society”.

Skipton Town in Reflection

Communicating With Nature

4th Jul 20 – 3rd Oct 20

‘Communicating with Nature’ is a joyous pop-up exhibition by 24 Craven Arts artists who are excited to be showing some of their recent work. An interesting mix of creative work from bronze and textile sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and painting to mixed media collage will be displayed. This has been a difficult time for us all, but being able to celebrate our natural surroundings and ‘Communicate with Nature’ has been a welcome release and we invite you to experience our artists’ responses to this.

'Geraniums on my Windowsill' by Joan Murray

Communicating With Nature

As Dusk Exhales

6th Mar 20 – 28th Mar 20

| ‘As Dusk Exhales’ explores the natural wonders of the Yorkshire Dales through a collection of intricate, textural textile sculptures and landscape paintings. Award winning artist Adele Froude, who lives in the Yorkshire Dales, finds endless artistic inspiration from the stunning countryside where she feels most at home. For this series of works, Adele focused her attention upon the latter part of the day and explores her emotional connection to what she describes as a time when the tempo slows, most people have headed home and a soothing blanket of calm descends upon the land. A time when the light softens and birds commence their evening song; swallows dip and dive, taking their fill from the abundance of insects. Rabbits, hares, the fox and others quietly emerge and take a moment to survey the land. As some carry out their final routine before settling for the night, others are eager to commence their nocturnal activities. Adele’s intricate and complex sculptures capture a moment of undisturbed natural behavior of inhabitants such as the hare, fox and swallow whilst her mixed media paintings convey the changing light, colour and textures of the landscape, whether highlighting heather, gorse or scrubland. It’s a time of day which Adele describes as the land taking a few moments to breathe, bringing about a sense of calmness, even as stormy skies may be beginning to form; when land and animals reset and when Adele feels most connected and able to join in with that deep breath and slow exhale. The combined collection of artworks provides the viewer an opportunity to connect with a moment in time where both land and animal are unaware of human disturbance, thus allowing for a privileged observation of what makes the Yorkshire Dales an area to be protected and cherished.

As Dusk Exhales

Ash: A Celebration and a Lament

7th Feb 20 – 29th Feb 20

| This exhibition by Grassington artists Robert Keep and Mark Butler is all about ash trees, celebrating their prominence in the Yorkshire Dales and looking at the devastating impact ash dieback is having and will continue to have on the landscape.

Mark’s work focuses on the impact of the disease on the landscape, using gunpowder to create holes in maps of the Yorkshire Dales created by rust printing and ink drawing. These holes mark the locations of ash trees, giving a strong sense of loss that these majestic trees will leave behind after the full effect of ash dieback is felt. A few locations are shown in gold leaf, depicting the glimmer of hope that some trees will resist the disease and survive. These drawings are accompanied by a number of sculptures in bronze and rusted steel, exploring elements of the ash and the ash dieback fungus.

Trees have been a recurring subject in Rob's work over many years, from windswept hawthorn to majestic oaks and apple orchards. Ash had not featured up until now, and this project provided an opportunity to explore a new subject in detail. Studying the ash revealed its amazing variety and beauty, but also its significance in the local landscape and the devastating impact ash dieback will have on it. Work in pencil, charcoal, ink and paint will be featured.

Ash: A Celebration and a Lament

Ash: A Celebration and a Lament

My Nidderdale with Forest Fusion

29th Nov 19 – 21st Dec 19

| A joint exhibition by Craven Artists Gill Kirk and Helen Seth.

Gill Kirk has a passion for the local flora and landscapes of the dales, particularly her home area of Upper Nidderdale ~ ‘My Nidderdale’ ~ where a career in teaching Outdoor Education gave her an intimacy and understanding born out of familiarity. She is drawn to flora, individual hedges and trees, rocks and field patterns. Recently Gill has focused on roadside verges, and what she considers important and notable landmarks. Usually working in print she loves experimenting and will work in all mediums creating layers to give depth and texture.

Helen Seth works in fused glass and mixed media and, as a self-taught fuser, takes an unconventional approach to the medium, using her love of the colours and science of glass to create unique pieces, including trees and sheep which reflect the Dales landscape which inspires her. The resulting pieces are then combined with other media including felt and driftwood to add texture and contrast to her work. The ‘Forest Fusion’ in Helen’s exhibition is centred around a single piece which is a window into the forest outside and Helen invites you to come and look through that window into her world.

My Nidderdale with Forest Fusion

My Nidderdale with Forest Fusion

Beckett in a Box

1st Nov 19 – 23rd Nov 19

|

An exhibition of 3D models, paintings, drawings and set designs by Sheila Godbolt.

The “Beckett” in the title is the playwright Samuel Beckett, and the
“Box” a model for his play “Endgame”. Alongside this are paintings
and drawings associated with the design process, and also examples
of earlier models and artwork.

Sheila Godbolt was a stage designer for many years, resident designer at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester and Leeds Playhouse, guest designer for theatres from Pitlochry to Bournemouth, Belfast to Lincoln, and designer for 3 London West End productions.

Beckett in a Box

Yorkshire Grit

4th Oct 19 – 26th Oct 19

A Joint exhibition featuring printmaker Anna Tosney and ceramicist Emmeline Butler. This first collaboration between these artists will showcase the best of the Yorkshire Dales – its landscape, tradition and people. The exhibition will feature prints depicting the people, agriculture and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales, and ceramics reflecting the natural textures of limestone pavements for which the Dales is well known.

Anna specialises in drypoint, collograph and monoprint techniques. Her inspiration comes from the world around her: the changing weather and seasons, the animals in the fields, the birds in the trees, the farmers and drystone wallers at work.

Emmeline works with tactile and textured ceramics. Like Anna she is inspired by her love of nature, the countryside and the beauty of its many textures. Cracked limestone pavemen ts, tree bark, dry exposed peat, and the moorland heather are reflected in the surface patterns of her work.

Yorkshire Grit

Yorkshire Grit

Into The Hills

6th Sep 19 – 28th Sep 19

| An exhibition by Ann Rutherford of large charcoal drawings which form a semi-immersive world of stone boulders, created specifically for the historic setting of Mill Bridge Gallery. The work creates a theatre of rocks and stone, inspired by a journey to the summit of a Pennine Hill, which surrounds the viewer. This exploration of the slow geological passing of time creates a space that is semi-immersive, inviting the viewer to absorb the atmosphere of the setting and the scale of the boulders. It is an experimental piece of art and the rocks surrounding the viewer could be oppressive and macabre, or fascinating and revealing. Ann Rutherford is a practicing artist working on the theme of landscape and place. Her particular interest is in revealing the secrets of the landscape in different ways and through different mediums.

‘We are in the mountains and they are now in us’. John Muir

Into The Hills

Summer Art Trail

23rd Aug 19 – 31st Aug 19 Skipton venues

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Craven Arts Summer Art Trail

Mill Bridge Gallery will be the Hub for the Craven Art Summer Arts Trail An exhibition will show a piece of work by each of the 15 participating artists, and a brochure with a map and artists' details can be collected. Working in a variety of media, the artists are exhibiting their work at four Skipton venues: Craven Arts Studios and the Soroptomist rooms on Otley Street, and Christ Church Crypt and Hall.

The Trail Venues are open from 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, and there is a preview of the exhibition on Friday evening at 6pm, to which you would be very welcome.

The exhibition will then continue in the gallery only until Saturday August 31st.

Summer Art Trail

Carvings in Vision by Jim Macmorran

26th Jul 19 – 17th Aug 19

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‘Carvings in Vision’ features unique abstract carvings in wood mounted in open frames, allowing an appreciation of the tactile nature of the carving and the beauty of the wood. The sculptural forms are displayed against a backdrop of a variety of interior decor panels, allowing visitors to envisage the many ways the carvings can be displayed.

Jim’s inspiration comes from all he sees around him and shapes which emerge from doodles and sketches.

Working mainly in European Lime Jim uses skills learned and perfected during many years in the woodworking industry. Now his love of the tactile qualities of wood and working with his hands is expressed in carving in the abstract.

Carvings in Vision by Jim Macmorran

Yan Tan Tethera.......Counting Sheep

28th Jun 19 – 27th Jul 19

| An exhibition of paintings by Bev Parker will take visitors to the heart of Skipton's heritage with a celebration of northern sheep and a focus on the Yorkshire Dales and its hardy Swaledale breed. Vibrant watercolour and mixed media paintings of British sheep breeds promote an understanding of their intrinsic qualities and northern upland farming practices. Other textural works suggest the distinctive, often wild and rugged habitats upon which these hardy native breeds continue to thrive.

Yan (meaning one),Tan (two) Tethera (three) is a sheep-counting number rhyme traditionally used by shepherds in Northern England.

Yan Tan Tethera.......Counting Sheep

Invertebrate Project

31st May 19 – 22nd Jun 19

| Jody Lawson’s ‘Invertebrate Project’ combines elegant beauty with aberrant horror, portraying a selection of insects, arachnids, mollusks and other invertebrates in a variety of media and styles.

With an interest in nature from a young age, Jody’s education spans various sciences, arts and media culminating in an Honours Degree in Film Production.

Recognising the importance of personal emotional connections for cinematic audiences, Jody uses a similar concept when producing artwork. Come and take a look!

Invertebrate Project

A Moment in Time, Time in a moment

3rd May 19 – 25th May 19

| A Moment in Time, Time in a moment.

A first solo exhibition by photographic artist Christine Yardley who has a passion and drive to help keep traditional technology alive through science and art based work using alternative photographic processes. Cyanotypes, Photograms, and Sun prints are used both individually and sometimes with processes in combination, creating multi-layered imprints/images. Christine is an imaginative, innovative builder of imagery, inspired and captured by the magic of light as a medium. She is motivated, and moved by memories, nature, culture, the real and the surreal; fantasy, magic, dreams, and the unbelievable.

A Moment in Time, Time in a moment

Ikaria ceramics with Marisa marquez

5th Apr 19 – 28th Apr 19

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Both uplifting and thought-provoking, the exhibition combines pottery by Ikaria Ceramics and mixed media paintings by Marisa Marquez and reflects the influences of the beautiful landscapes, seas and sunshine of the Greek and Spanish islands.

Richard (Bill) Smith and Eleni (Elli) Tsakalou’s ceramics are influenced by many years living and travelling in Greece and the Greek islands of Leros, Crete and Ikaria.

Bill’s pieces are colourful and multi-layered, using the sgraffito technique of surface decoration, multiple layers of coloured clay slips applied over the basic form. Between these layers he paint symbols or figures which only become visible when the surface is cut to reveal the underlying colours.

Elli’s work captures the flowing sensual forms found in all plant and animal life, both above and below the seal. She works with Parian Porcelain, which when fired gives the impression of sculptured marble.

Marisa’s paintings are inspired by her travels and her love of Yorkshire: the beauty of nature, rugged landscapes, and changing skies. Her mixed media collages, use acrylic, fabrics, sand and other found materials. They are her responses to the beauty she sees around her: uplifting works inspired by the joy Marisa finds in nature and the process of creating. Her paintings are her way of sharing her passion and the positive feelings art can evoke.

Ikaria ceramics with Marisa marquez

Ikaria ceramics with Marisa marquez

Ikaria ceramics with Marisa marquez

A Sense of Place:

8th Mar 19 – 30th Mar 19

| More interested in portraying the way a place feels than the way it looks, Louise’s mixed media paintings hover between abstraction and representation.

Louise took a break from painting when she left Yorkshire and moved to New York. In 2012 she came home, and within weeks of moving into her Lothersdale home, she was inspired to set up a studio and return to her first love – painting the evocative Yorkshire landscape.

“This body of work is informed by my time away,” she says. “I now understand and appreciate the deep connection I have with this place and I feel driven to share that through my art.”

A Sense of Place:

Comings and Goings

8th Feb 19 – 2nd Mar 19

A preview exhibition of work by artists who will be exhibiting at Mill Bridge Gallery during 2019. Also a chance to buy greatly reduced pieces of art in our end-of-line ceramics and print browser sale.

Light, Mood, and Atmosphere

29th Nov 18 – 26th Jan 19

A joint exhibition by Craven Artists Nicole Dickinson and Howard Gardiner. Nicole's beautiful, evocative paintings feature alongside Howard's unique ceramic vessels, together creating an oasis of calmness, colour and harmony which captures the mood and atmosphere of other places and other worlds both near and far, in time and place.

Light, Mood, and Atmosphere

Light, Mood, and Atmosphere

Smoke and Mirrors

2nd Nov 18 – 24th Nov 18

| A solo photographic exhibition by Sam Carlin. Smoke and Mirrors captures behind the scenes images of young men transforming into their alter egos as drag queens, moments before taking to the stage.

Smoke and Mirrors

Preternatural Forest

4th Oct 18 – 27th Oct 18

An experiential exhibition by Craven Artist Adele Froude. The natural textural beauty of forests and its ancient folklore, often dark and born of superstition, is explored through the mediums of needle felting, needlework, paint and sculpture, in both 2D and 3D forms. The exhibition incorporates the sounds and earthy smells of the forest along with descriptions of the folklore or symbolism associated with each piece.

Preternatural Forest

Settling In

6th Sep 18 – 29th Sep 18

An exhibition of works by Hannah Chesterman.

Using traditional methods of painting and drawing and cyanotypes, the theme of Hannah's exhibition explores the relationship between nature and man made structures in the rural landscape. She investigates how we view abandoned architectural remains of the industrial revolution when they return to nature as wildlife, flora and fauna settle back in. Sites that are now places of outstanding natural beauty were once sites of heavy industry where danger, hard toil and mortality were ever present. The view point of the men and women who worked, lived and died there can scarcely have been one of appreciation of their environment in the same way as it is for modern man. Traces of activity are all that remain and we can easily see scarred and interrupted landscapes by using modern technology such as Internet satellite maps as well as by visiting on foot. And as nature reclaims and regenerates, these structures still remain as quiet monuments to our industrial heritage and to a very different way of life. From the Alum quarries on the East coast of Yorkshire, to Yarnbury lead mines and The Hoffmann Kiln at Craven Limeworks in the Yorkshire dales to far flung places such as the island of Mousa in Shetland, Hannah's enduring love of Northern Landscapes shines through in this interesting, eclectic and sometimes humorous exhibition.

Settling In

Summer Art Trail

25th Aug 18 – 26th Aug 18

Mill Bridge Gallery will be the Hub for the first Skipton Summer Art trail, featuring artists from Craven Arts, at a number of venues around Skipton. Call in to the gallery, to see one piece of work by each artist taking part and to collect a map.

Summer Art Trail

Lost in the Landscape

13th Jul 18 – 11th Aug 18

| An exhibition of digital collage and mono prints by Carolyn Hird=Rogers

'Lost’, a winter project: "During the winter months 2017-18 my attention was drawn to the many abandoned gloves, usually alone without their partner, seen around the streets and parks of Skipton. I was struck by how lonely and un-loved they looked, lying in the gutter or trampled into the mud. I started documenting them, photographing them, noting their location. Most were dark and gloomy, but every so often there would be a patch of bright colour, cheerful and happy in their predicament, optimistically draped over a railing or balanced on a stick, hoping to catch their owners eye and to once more snuggle up to their pair."

‘In the Landscape’, a spring and summer project: "Inspired by the dramatic landscape, colours and quality of light of the Dales and Moors National Parks, plus an interest in 1950s Scandinavian pattern design has led to the development of this new body of original landscape images."

Lost in the Landscape

Capturing the Moment

9th Jun 18 – 7th Jul 18

A solo exhibition by Craven Artist Mike Smith, featuring a number of his recent reduction lino-prints which reflect his many interests. Each captures a momentary coming together of disparate elements and perspectives.

Capturing the Moment

The Celestial landscape

5th May 18 – 2nd Jun 18

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An exploration of heavenly Yorkshire landscapes in monoprint, linocut and bronze by Artist/printmaker Helen Peyton and sculptor Mark Butler.

The Celestial landscape

Elsewhere

31st Mar 18 – 28th Apr 18

| In the first of a series of exhibitions in collaboration with Craven Arts, Bridget Tempest is showing series of lithographs inspired by French poet Yves Bonnefoy’s 1972 prose work, The Arriere-pays.

As described by Harry Eyres, “ The arriere-pays for Bonnefoy is not somewhere you could find on a map, but a place that might have been, or might still be: it is the land that lurks around the corner, just beyond the end of the road, or down the road you did not take”

Elsewhere

Prague Marionettes come to Mill Bridge Gallery

9th Dec 17 – 10th Dec 17

Lenka and George of praguemarionette.com visit Skipton for the weekend bringing some of their amazing creations and the spirit of a Czech Christmas to the gallery. Lenka will demonstrate the carving and manipulation of marionettes and glove puppets, from 12-3pm on both days.
A small number of puppets will be available to purchase.

Prague Marionettes come to Mill Bridge Gallery

Northern England Friends of BADART

7th Oct 17 – 4th Nov 17

The BADART project was set up in 2016. It is an international organisation. In the editorial of its first journal it stated, “We want to fight for access to the arts for all. We want to protect art’s freedom to be itself, whatever genre it falls into. But above all we want to fight for a world where art, artists and all working people can truly flourish.”

Dedicated to fighting against the closure of libraries, museums, community projects and other public sector services, the participants in this exhibition provide thought provoking and challenging ideas. Additionally, this show also confronts our general perceptions in regard to such concepts as “Socialist art” or “Socialist Realism.”

Bringing together a variety of participants, including artists who have exhibited in London and International galleries, there are others who are exhibiting locally for the first time.

Using a wide range of visual mediums, including paintings, cartoons, and sculptural boxes, this show displays a variety of styles and processes.

The preview of the exhibition is on the 6th October from 6.30pm. The artists will be present on the evening. Please contact the gallery for more information.

Northern England Friends of BADART

Northern Stars

18th Nov 16 – 24th Dec 16

A winter exhibition of new work by a selection of our gallery artists. Perfect for discovering a unique Christmas gift, for someone special.....maybe just for you!

Image "Pendle in Winter" by Paul Edmondson

Northern Stars

Imagined Urbanscapes

11th Jun 16 – 16th Jul 16

| Imagined Urbanscapes features Daniel Shiel’s latest photographic work; a response to psychogeographical adventures into forgotten and overlooked urban landscapes and the wastelands at the border of urban and rural environments.

Daniel extracts specific details from photographic images, isolates them from their original context and combines them into fresh and unfamiliar landscapes. The resulting structures have a surreal quality and become remote landscapes and settings of questionable and unsettling perspective and narrative.

‘This is an artist that is intrigued by aspects of our lives, our communities, our environment, places that seem to remain largely invisible to us, whether as objects, structures, or parts of structures. He explores places that seem to so easily become part of the overlooked, the unseen, and in many cases, the unseeing.’

John Hopper (Inspirational 9, 2016)

Imagined Urbanscapes

Dales of a Perilous Realm

27th Feb 16 – 9th Apr 16

An exhibition of work by artist John Cockshaw.

Inspired by the epic writing of JRR Tolkien, this collection of digital photomontage supplemented by occasional drawings presents a very subtle approach to the subject of Fantasy. The dramatic force of nature and the characteristics of a given landscape are emphasised over fantastic events or characters. The frame of reference is 19th Century Romantic Painting, a lush sense of the cinematic and a loving tribute to Yorkshire beauty spots.

Guest contributor and Archaeologist Shaun Richardson exhibits detailed 'invented' archaeological drawings of Middle-earth that make reference to locations in The Yorkshire Dales

Dales of a Perilous Realm

Lane and Towpath; The Past's Influence on the Present.

17th Oct 15 – 28th Nov 15

|A solo exhibition by skipton artist Carolyn Hird-Rogers.

Initially trained and working as a ceramic designer, Carolyn's love of line and structure has led to her developing a digital drawing style. Inspired by the semi-rural environment of Skipton on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, images emerge from the landscape to be re-created on greeting cards and framed prints, capturing the essence of the wild beauty found here. Her exhibition at Mill Bridge Gallery developed from images taken over a period of time along one particular track. Running alongside the Leeds - Liverpool canal it was an ancient route for the monks of centuries past to travel along, and its wild plants and animals feature in her current work.

Lane and Towpath; The Past's Influence on the Present.

Lane and Towpath; The Past's Influence on the Present.

Travel On The Edge

4th Jul 15 – 29th Aug 15

A solo exhibition by Judy Sale

Judy's vibrant, bold mixed media canvasses were made after recent travels to Thailand, Laos and Bali, and also at her past home in Italy and current home in Yorkshire. Digital photographs, oils, acrylics, and charcoal are applied freely using her favourite tools: palette knives and fingers!

Travel On The Edge

North Yorkshire Open Studios with the work of sculptor Geoff Rushton

6th Jun 15 – 14th Jun 15

Sat 6th - Sun 7th June and Sat 13th - Sun 14th June

We will be exhibiting the work of sculptor Geoff Rushton as part of North Yorkshire Open Studios. Geoff is an abstract sculptor working mostly with wood from windfallen trees which he gets from the fields surrounding his home. His sculptures reflect his interests in biology, growth, patterns in nature, insects and science fiction. His latest work focuses on showing off the grain of the wood as well as patterns and textures created using a wood-burning pen, he has also created some new fungal and human form pieces.

Find out more at nyos.org.uk

North Yorkshire Open Studios with the work of sculptor Geoff Rushton

‘Searching for the Marvellous in an Age of Isolation, Fear and Hate‘

21st Mar 15 – 25th Apr 15

The Surrealist-inspired photo-collages of Peter Harris.

‘Searching for the Marvellous in an Age of Isolation, Fear and Hate‘

Other Animals

1st Nov 14 – 20th Dec 14

A fund-raising preview/exhibition for Craven RSPCA. Guest photographic group ‘Over the Moon’ and Mill Bridge Gallery photographers and sculptors present a variety of artwork reflecting the diversity and beauty of other species who inhabit our world, and our often inconsistent relationship with them.

Manchester Buy Art Fair

25th Sep 14 – 28th Sep 14

Margaret Hockney Scannergraphs: A Retrospective

16th Aug 14 – 27th Sep 14

North Yorkshire Open Studios

7th Jun 14 – 8th Jun 14

Escaping the Dark Room

3rd May 14 – 31st May 14

A solo exhibition by artist and photographer Paul Edmondson.

'Same but different' Art fair

12th Apr 14 – 13th Apr 14 Temple Newsham

We had a stand at this new Northern art fair, displaying a variety of work

Changing Seasons

15th Feb 14 – 29th Mar 14

Photography and sculpture to brighten winter days.

Monochrome

9th Nov 13 – 21st Dec 13

A selection of our artists‘ favourite works in black and white.

Manchester Buy Art Fair

26th Sep 13 – 29th Sep 13

Manchester Buy Art Fair

Yorkshire: Town and Country

27th Jul 13 – 31st Aug 13

An exhibition of photography and sculpture capturing the contrasting landscapes of the county of Yorkshire. Part of Skipton‘s Yorkshire Day celebrations (August 1st-4th).

North Yorkshire Open Studios Exhibition

8th Jun 13 – 16th Jun 13

Featuring sculpture by Ken Jaquiery, Geoff Rushton, and photography by Tony Crossland.

Harrogate Spring Flower Show

25th Apr 13 – 28th Apr 13 Harrogate Spring Flower Show

Harrogate Spring Flower Show

Solo Exhibition by Darrell Evanes, Sculptor

30th Mar 13 – 25th May 13

Solo Exhibition by Darrell Evanes, Sculptor

Working the View

3rd Nov 12 – 22nd Dec 12

A selection of images from the joint project by Mark Butler (photographer) and Sarah Butler (writer).
The final set of images will form a book of landscape photographs of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with accompanying texts exploring the relationship between the landscape and its guardians.

The Great British Summer

30th Jun 12 – 18th Aug 12

Seen through the lens of a selection of our photographers.

America North to South

3rd Mar 12 – 21st Apr 12

A variety of images reflecting landscape and life on a diverse continent, featuring guest photographer Juan Sebastian Pinilla.

America North to South

Northern Freeze

12th Nov 11 – 14th Jan 12

A seasonal exhibition by local photographers.

Opening Night

1st Sep 11 – 2nd Sep 11

Opening Night

Opening Night