Arts and Wonder season at Quarry Bank

Concept drawings of artwork by Lucy Harvey

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.

Concept drawings of artwork by Lucy Harvey
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.

Image from Desire Machine Collective
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
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.

Upcoming events

See all events

Gathering Downstream Exhibition

Thu 26 May 2022
10:30-17:00
A brand-new exhibition exploring the legacy of the industrial revolution is heading to Quarry Bank this spring.

Come and solve the riddle of nature's Workshop

Sat 28 May 2022
10:30-17:00
Come and solve the riddle of natures workshop. Help Samuel Greg to harness the natural resources here at Quarry Bank to make the mill successful.

Quarry Bank Jubilee Celebrations

Sat 04 Jun 2022
10:30-17:00
Get together with friends and family and celebrate the Queen's Jubilee.

Let's Play at Quarry Bank

Sat 23 Jul 2022
10:30-17:00
Ready for an adventure? Then head for the special summer play pavilion. Available until the end of the summer holidays, you can use the look-out point to survey your surroundings, listen out for nearby wildlife, or invent your own way to play.

SOLD OUT. Outdoor Theatre at Quarry Bank: David Walliams' Awful Auntie

Sat 23 Jul 2022
18:30-20:30
Heartbreak Productions stage Awful Auntie by David Walliams, in the Upper Garden at Quarry Bank. Bring a picnic and enjoy this fun-filled show.

Outdoor Theatre at Quarry Bank: The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny

Wed 10 Aug 2022
18:00-20:00
Quantum Theatre stages The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, in the Upper Garden at Quarry Bank. Bring a picnic and enjoy this fun-filled show.