From the Earth: North Yorkshire Open Studios exhibition
Craven Arts House
27 March – Sunday 26 April 2026
A new exhibition exploring artists’ relationship to the natural world is opening at Craven Arts House in Skipton this month.
From The Earth is a group show by more than 30 members of North Yorkshire Open Studios (NYOS) drawing on subjects as far-ranging as moon cycles, ancient landscapes, tectonic shifts and moss-covered boulders.
Running from Friday 27 March to Sunday 26 April, the show brings together an inspiring range of 2D and 3D artworks, including glass, ceramics, paper, print, painting, textiles, bronze and mixed media, to the former Victorian school house.
Each piece will be accompanied by a short written insight from the artist, offering visitors a glimpse into the techniques, materials and ideas that shape their creative process.
Selina McGonagle, Executive Lead at Craven Arts, said:
I am thrilled to welcome North Yorkshire Open Studios artists back to Craven Arts House after the successful Spring Exhibition 2025.
From the Earth explores artists’ connections with the planet, highlighting both local and global perspectives. This exhibition reminds us of the earth’s fragility and our responsibility to care for it.
Garth Bayley, Project Manager at NYOS, said:
We are delighted to bring this collection to such a characterful setting as Craven Arts’ former Victorian school house.
Just as this building was once a place of discovery and learning, From the Earth invites visitors to look closer at our environment through the eyes of North Yorkshire’s most talented creators.
Artists showing work in the exhibition include:
Alan Coates, a printmaker from Faceby, North York Moors.
Alan said:
My prints are not a representation of the landscape where I live but, by distilling some of its elemental features, I hope they evoke in the viewer feelings similar to myself when I walk the land.
Rachel Morrell, a painter from Askrigg, Yorkshire Dales, who draws inspiration from the region’s ancient sites.
Rachel said:
Walks through prehistoric stone circles, henges, settlements and boundary walls built on the limestone of Wensleydale and Swaledale are the inspiration.
Alyson Telfer, from Skipton, whose studio is at Craven Arts House, explores the movement of birds and weather systems.
Alyson said:
The troposphere is an essential part of the earth, and birds travel between it and the ground, travelling ‘from the earth’ along with winds, fog, cold and warmth.
From the Earth is just one element of an exciting programme that NYOS has planned for 2026, which also includes its Spring Showcase, currently at Inspired By… Gallery in Danby until 10 May, and its Spring Open Studios weekends (6-7 and 13-14 June), when more than 200 artists will welcome the public into their creative spaces. Brochures for Spring Open Studios, which include details of all venues and a map, can be bought online for £5 at nyos.org.uk/brochure.
