Rural Art

The Art Depot - Gargrave

Chrysalis Arts has been a rurally-based company since it was established in rural Cheshire in 1985. The company moved to North Yorkshire in 1988, and developed its base, The Art Depot, in Gargrave in 1996.

Historically, much of the company's work has been in urban centres, but increasingly, national changes in the Common Agricultural Policy are leading to diversification of the countryside from agriculture to mixed commerce and tourism. As part of this change of emphasis on the rural environment, creative industries are seen as a growth sector and Chrysalis Arts as a model of good practice.

Renaissance Skipton

Environmental issues, highlighted in Britain by the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in 2001, were explored in the international project Artists in Transition - Gargrave where two artists and two students from rural areas of Finland worked with three artists from Chrysalis and four students from Craven College. The project explored work inspired by the landscape and cultural life of Gargrave and led to the question 'Whose Landscape Is It Anyway?'; a theme company is developing in further projects planned to take place in North Yorkshire over the next two years.

Artists in Transition - Gargrave

Chrysalis Arts continues to develop links with rural Finland. In 2003, Chrysalis Director Rick Faulkner was invited to work as lead artist on a project at the Swedish Polytechnic in Nykarleby, North West Finland and continues to collaborate with the Finnish artist Leif Strengell. More recently, the company has been invited to Finland to provide public art training for Finnish artists and has also established links with rurally based artists in Estonia.

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As part of the Renaissance planning weekend initiated by Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency) in 2003, Chrysalis Arts were commissioned by Craven District Council to engage people in ideas of transformation and change in Skipton. Over a summer weekend, Skipton High Street was made inaccessible to vehicles. Six artists worked with local trades/ craftspeople to transform the street with temporary public art installations and ask the question "What could Skipton be like in 10 to 20 year's time?" (see Renaissance - Skipton)