Arts and Wonder season at Quarry Bank

Concept drawings of artwork by Lucy Harvey — Lucy Harvey has been inspired by the Greg family's hobbies

Arts and Wonder is a season of creative responses to the themes of work, leisure and the legacy of industrialisation. The season runs from Saturday 23 September to Sunday 19 November 2017.

At Quarry Bank people came together in a new type of community, an industrial way of living still with us today. Through contemporary video, song and sculpture artists have explored different aspects of industrialisation and its influence on people both in the past and today. These range from the impact of new working structures and constraints, to the efforts people made and still make to carve out space for intellectual, social and creative pursuits.

The season features work by Quarry Bank’s visual artist-in-residence Lucy Harvey, broadside ballad singer Jennifer Reid, and a touring exhibition of contemporary films called Changing Places, which is curated by Film and Video Umbrella.

Quarry Bank Cheshire

Mutual Improvement Society by Lucy Harvey

Following a residency at Quarry Bank, Lucy Harvey has created three new sculptural works which respond to the interests and pursuits of Quarry Bank’s founding Greg family. Sited across the gardens, Mutual Improvement Society draws inspiration from the forms, materials and ideas behind the geological and astronomical interests of the Gregs.

Quarry Bank Cheshire

Changing Places

Film and Video Umbrella presents Changing Places, a series of exhibitions showing contemporary artists' video within historic buildings across the country. Quarry Bank is one of ten venues on this nationwide tour and hosts four video works, by Ravi Agarwal, Omar Chowdhury, Desire Machine Collective and Yasmin Jahan Nupur.

Broadside ballad singer Jennifer Reid — Ballad singer Jennifer Reid has created new music around the theme of work

Quarry Bank Cheshire

Community music project with Jennifer Reid

Broadside ballad singer, Jennifer Reid, has met with local community groups to explore and reflect on local working life. These conversations have inspired the creation of new ballads looking at the working life of people in the community today. These ballads will be played as part of Quarry Bank’s Art and Wonder season in the Mill Workers’ World gallery.

Make and Take

Sat 02 Feb 2019

+ 8 other dates

13:00-15:00

Give us a helping hand at making sessions where you can make one for Quarry Bank and one for you to take home.

Baby and Toddler - Storytelling and Play session

Sat 09 Feb 2019

+ 9 other dates

09:30-10:15

+ other times

Bring your little ones to Quarry Bank for a special storytelling and play session just for them. Suitable for children 6 months - 4 years. Please book your tickets in advance.

February Half Term - Trouble at t' Mill

Mon 18 Feb 2019

+ 4 other dates

11:00-16:00

Become a factory inspector and try out the brand new family trail in the mill created by Philip Ardagh and Jamie Littler.

Have-a-go - Nature Explorers

Sat 23 Feb 2019

+ 3 other dates

13:00-15:00

Every month in Spring you can have a go at a wild outdoor activity at Quarry Bank. From pond-dipping to wild art, there's always a new adventure to enjoy.

Rights of the Child

Sat 06 Apr 2019

+ 176 other dates

10:30-17:00

In this new exhibition, explore the experiences of the hundreds of children who worked at Quarry Bank and discover how children's rights have changed over time.