Exhibition Gallery

Current Exhibition

Nelson presents My Nana’s Cabinet – August 2025 Artist-in-Residence

Thu 31^st July – Wed 27^th August 2025

Inspired by the contents of a china cabinet belonging to her grandmother, Nelson uses silk fabrics and intricate hand embroidery to meticulously recreate each object, exploring the fragility of memory. Nelson will be working in our Exhibition Gallery throughout August to complete My Nana’s Cabinet.

The accompanying exhibition will explore her research and development for this piece. At the core of Nelson’s practice is storytelling and the murkiness of the “truth” of one’s own recollections. Her practice embodies vulnerability through a combination of object (primarily hand embroidery), text and film.

Nelson is a contemporary conceptual artist based in Essex. She graduated from the Royal College of Art (2023) and featured in Skipton Town Hall’s exhibition ‘Emerging Yorkshire Artists’ in 2024.

Upcoming Exhibition

Sturnidae

SHELFIES: Up close and personal

15 September – 24 December

A Yorkshire-based collective of six artists explore the creative potential of everyday objects – old or new, found or made, gifted or borrowed. Through temporary installations and curated “SHELFIES,” each artist presents a personal collection that has inspired a series of responsive works including paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

Gallery & Museum Phone Boxes

Gallery Phone Box

In Spring 2024, Yorkshire based illustrator Ekaterina Sheath was commissioned to create this installation in the Gallery phone box.

The recent restoration of the front of Skipton Town Hall included the refurbishment of two red telephone boxes that have stood at the main entrance to the building for over sixty years. They are much loved by the town and its visitors, and we wished to create a space to celebrate our local heritage, creativity, and community.

Skipton Town Hall’s Exhibition Gallery shows an exciting changing programme of exhibitions throughout the year, ranging from fine and applied arts and crafts, heritage themes relating to our museum collections – to showing work evolved from working in partnership with varied community groups.

Ekaterina drew inspiration from past exhibitions – choosing to celebrate behind the scenes curation, visitors, archival objects, and artworks. This includes illustrations from Ekaterina’s own 2022 exhibition ‘Transient Treasures’, which was displayed in the Gallery.

Museum Phone Box

In the spring and summer of 2023, emerging artists Caitlin Mawhinney and Charlotte Murray were commissioned to create the art installation in the Museum phone box.

The artists explored memories of Skipton’s historic Town Hall and the town it inhabits and worked with local community groups to uncover moments of life throughout Skipton and the Town Halls’ past.

The dioramas explore a timeline of significant moments through local history up to the present day – to encourage visitors to reflect on their own special memories of growing up, living, or holidaying in Skipton while exploring Craven Museum.

Thank you to the local community for sharing their stories with us.

Past Exhibitions