Castlefield Gallery

Our accessible lift is now back in working order, and step-free access to Castlefield Gallery has been fully restored.

If you are planning a visit and would like to discuss your access requirements before travelling, please contact us at [email protected] or call 0161 832 8034.

WILD WITNESS - FOR NATURE. FOR EACH OTHER.

Saturday 12 September 2026 11am to 4.30pm

Free: booking now open!

Join artist Lucy Wright and Castlefield Gallery for Wild Witness, a free event in Manchester that brings together walking, creativity and collective action in celebration of nature.

Wild Witness is an artist-led day in two parts. You can join the Walk, the Gathering, or both. Whether you want to explore the city on foot or come together later for food, conversation and creative activities, there are plenty of ways to take part.

Wild Witness continues this tradition by inviting us to experience Manchester differently.

What if, instead of simply walking through the city, we walked with the more-than-human life already living alongside us?

The plants growing through cracks in the pavement. The wildflowers reclaiming forgotten ground. The birds, insects and fungi making homes in canals and overlooked corners of Manchester.
Led by artist Lucy Wright, the Walk brings some of Manchester’s hidden and forgotten folk histories to life through music and dance, visiting cultural landmarks alongside the city’s thriving urban ecologies.
Book your free place via the link in our bio.
Image Courtesy of Lucy Wright
Illustrations by Izzie Hinton-Smith (Izzie Hinton Smith ⭐️)


CreativeWalking CastlefieldGallery

Collaborators & contributors:

• Manchester Art Gallery • • • Unity Radio Official Instagram • Stockport Fungi • Alex Williams • Suscohulme • • • Manchester Urban Diggers • Izzie Hinton Smith ⭐️

Join artist Joe O’Rourke (Joe O'Rourke) and Castlefield Gallery’s Head of Programmes, Matthew Pendergast, for a guided Artist & Curator tour of Disc Unknown on Thursday 27 August, 12–1.30pm, as they discuss the ideas, processes and themes behind the exhibition.

Disc Unknown is a solo exhibition of mixed-media paintings by Joe O’Rourke. O’Rourke’s paintings are made from the materials and images that surround us every day. Billboard adverts, magazine pages, DVD cases, a 1970s factory worker’s timesheet and a child’s science homework all become part of his work.

These found images, texts and objects connect different times and places. They also bring together opposites: the handmade and the mass-produced, the intimate and the everyday, the unique and the generic. For O’Rourke, they are starting points for making, carrying different meanings, from traces of the recent past to signs of hidden systems, including corporate influence, uncertain promises and anxieties about the future.

Read more about the exhibition and book a free spot on the tour in our bio.

Images:

Disc Unknown at Castlefield Gallery, installation view, courtesy of Jules Lister.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the VIP & public preview of Disc Unknown, a solo exhibition by Joe O’Rourke (Joe O'Rourke). Here’s a look back at the evening and some of the first visitors experiencing the exhibition.

The exhibition is now running from 2–30 August under our regular opening hours of wed-sun, 12 - 5:30pm.

📷 photos courtesy of Grey Hannan.

*Please note, our accessible lift is currently out of order. We are working hard to get it fixed and will have an update on this by 13 August.

💿

Some more behind-the-scenes shots from the installation of Disc Unknown, a solo exhibition by Joe O’Rourke.

Developed in partnership with Pipeline, Disc Unknown forms part of a joint opportunity for Joe to present parallel solo exhibitions across both venues, each exploring different aspects of his practice.

Join us tomorrow for the Preview Evening, from 6–8pm, and be among the first to experience the exhibition. If you’d prefer a quieter first visit, join us for our Slow Preview on Saturday 1 August. Find out more via the link in our bio.

The exhibition continues 2–30 August.

Photos courtesy of Joe O’Rourke.

Unfortunately, our accessible lift is currently out of order due to a mechanical fault.

Our lift maintenance provider has confirmed that a specialist replacement part is required. The lift will remain out of service while this part is sourced and the repair is completed.

During this time, Castlefield Gallery will not be accessible to wheelchair users or others who require lift access. We expect to share a further update on this on 13 August.

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and understand how disappointing this will be. We are working to restore access as quickly as possible and will share further updates as soon as they become available.

If you are planning to visit Castlefield Gallery and would like to discuss your access requirements before travelling, please contact us at [email protected] or call 0161 832 8034.

Meet Summer Sheperd and Chloe Lousada, SODA (School of Digital Arts (SODA)) Graduates and this year's recipients of the BA (hons) Photography Prize.

Awarded Honorary 12-month Castlefield Gallery Associates memberships, they'll join our community of artists & curators with access to opportunities, resources, professional development, promotion and critical dialogue.

Castlefield Gallery Associates is a creative hub for exchanging ideas, building connections and supporting artistic practice at every stage.

Find out more about Castlefield Gallery Associates via the link in our bio.

Follow Summer & Chloe’s work:

sheps Chloe lousada 

Images:

Title Image: Molly's Shoes, Summer Shepherd, Courtesy of the Artist

Bedroom #2, Summer Shepherd, Courtesy of the Artist

Glowing Lines IV, Chloe Lousada, Courtesy of the Artist

One week left to apply.

Castlefield Gallery Associates have just one week remaining to apply for our latest exclusive Open Call.

We’re looking for 2–3 artists to exhibit together in a group exhibition at Castlefield Gallery in February 2027. It’s an opportunity to share your work with new audiences and become part of our exhibition programme.

⏰ Deadline: Wednesday 29 July, 5pm (BST).

Not an Associate yet? There’s still time to join and apply before the deadline.

Find out more via the link in our bio.



Images:
1-4. Stick or Twist, exhibtion and Castlefield Gallery, courtesy of Annie Feng
5. Hannah Perry, photo by Christa Holka