Chrysalis Arts was founded by Rick Faulkner and Kate Maddison in Cheshire in 1985. The company moved to North Yorkshire in 1988. Christine Keogh became a Co-Director in 1998.
An award winning building set on the edge of the North Yorkshire Dales. The Art Depot in Gargrave has been the permanent home to Chrysalis Arts since then.
Art Connections was launched to create a support network for North Yorkshire artists and develop new projects, professional development support and commissioning opportunities for them. Projects such as Inspired by Heritage, seminars, advice sessions and mentoring programmes were key components.
From 2005–2017 Chrysalis Arts ran North Yorkshire Open Studios. NYOS gives artists the opportunities to open up their studios, showing their work to a wider audience of visitors and buyers. In 2017 Chrysalis supported NYOS transition to an artist led organisation.
Chrysalis Arts began to address environmental issues and to adopt a more ethical approach to the company’s working methods and artistic practice in 2006/2007. We were one of the first arts organisations in the UK to develop an Environmental Policy and subsequently, were awarded funding to work with Gaia Research to develop a pilot project, The Slow Art Trail, and guidelines for artists and commissioners creating work in public spaces. See the PASA Guidelines.
Extending Practice / Celebrating Place took place between 2010 and 2012. It was developed by Chrysalis Arts with support from North Yorkshire County Council, and awarded commissions to ten North Yorkshire artists, working in different artforms, to create new work celebrating aspects of North Yorkshire life, heritage, landscape or culture over a two year period.
Art Unpacked was a series of touring art exhibitions created by Chrysalis Arts which ran from 2013 to 2019 with support from Arts Council England’s Touring Programme and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. It brought the very best of contemporary art and craft to small venues and libraries, supporting the development of libraries as cultural spaces.
Connections North, our international collaborations programme, developed Mirror Images, a printmaking project and touring exhibition involving four countries. Followed by Show Me Your Craft and Textil Juvel, joint exhibitions in collaboration with craft organisations in West Sweden. Chrysalis has also supported artists residency opportunities in Finland and Sweden since 2012.
Our GAP Programme, part of our CPD, brings together artists' talks and discussions exploring their approaches and experiences of addressing environmental and other sustainability issues as a part of their practice. We're continuing to develop our work in GAP. Our new GAP Guide brings together what we have learned about addressing the cli-mate crisis, and other related issues, through over a decade of work in the area. The guide is for artists and arts organisations who want to develop a more environmentally responsible arts practice. Download the guide.
Our new GAP Guide brings together what we have learned about addressing the cli-mate crisis, and other related issues, through over a decade of work in the area. The guide is for artists and arts organisations who want to develop a more environmentally responsible arts practice. Download the guide.
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