Year of Culture artist residencies

Funded residencies at unique venues, For visual artists who live and work in Calderdale

In partnership with CultureDale and local venues across Calderdale, we launched an Artist in Residence Programme which took place throughout 2024 and 2025. The programme brought local visual artists to venues across the borough throughout the Year of Culture, so local communities could see and interact with their creative practice. The residencies celebrated the culture and creativity of Calderdale by allowing each artist to explore new ideas while engaging with people living near their residency venues. People had the chance to work with the artists in a variety of engagement activities, providing space for the exchange of ideas between artists and their communities.

Ogden Water

nature reserve

Sally Barker was Ogden Water Nature Reserve’s Artist in Residence as part of Calderdale’s Year of Culture.

Sally works mainly with sculpture and installation but also with video, printing, painting and the occasional performance. She explores ideas around power, control and fault both in relation to feminism and the natural environment. She often uses casting and ceramic techniques, as casting brings an element of reality and presence.

She explores our often destructive relationship with the natural world, by combining elements of the body with natural objects, whether through cast techniques or by manipulating and leaving her mark on the clay.

Learn more about sally's residency here

To find out more about Sally, please visit her website or follow her on Instagram: @sallyjbarker

The Smith

Art Gallery

Rachael Elwell was The Smith Art Gallery’s Artist in Residence as part of Calderdale’s Year of Culture.

During her residency at the Smith Art Gallery, Rachael spent the first 1-2 weeks immersed in the surrounding outdoor environment, gathering visual research through photography, on-site drawings, painted sketches, and written notes. This diary of initial thoughts and observations informed her creative process. Back in the studio, she transformed this research into large-scale expressive drawings and paintings. Throughout the residency, Rachael refined her methods while experimenting with new painting techniques and working on a scale larger than she has previously explored, pushing the boundaries of her artistic practice.

To find out more about Rachael Elwell, please visit her website or follow her on Instagram: @Rachaelelwellartist

king cross

library

Nikta Mohammadi was our artist in residence at King Cross Library in Halifax.

Nikta is an Iranian artist, filmmaker and producer, working across moving image, sound, performance and text. Her practice is rooted in her dreams. It examines the relationship between personal and political, outside and inside, private and public, documentary and fiction.

Nikta used her time at the library to research local stories and folklore relating to the wind, with a focus on Top Withens. She invited the public to share their stories of the site and spent time engaging with local community groups including St Augustine’s Centre, Halifax to explore how the wind is depicted in other cultures.

Image taken on set of Memory Stone (2024), Nikta Mohammadi, 20 minutes. Photographer: Jhenelle White

To find out more about Nikta, please visit her website or follow her on Instagram: @nik_la_flaneuse

The folklore centre

todmorden

The Folklore Centre welcomed David Chatton Barker, a multi-disciplinary artist working in visual art, experimental music and performance to be their Artist in Residence.

David’s work drawing inspiration from British folklore and its deep-rooted connection to the landscape. Through publications, posters, bespoke vinyl records and tape releases, he create immersive, tactile experiences that invite listeners into a world where visual art, sound and storytelling meet.

During his residency, he explored the rich seam of lore and legends in and around Todmorden, visually re-interpreting it for residents and visitors to Calderdale Valley in the form of maps and beer mats.