This month, Great Northern Warehouse is spreading joy and sparking creativity with a new, free art trail created by our resident art hub GRIT Studios. Chasing Cheer will feature artwork by eight local artists throughout the warehouse and its surroundings, showcasing the best in regional talent with an eclectic array of works.
Check out the featured artists below.
Caroline Daly
Helping to spread cheer, Mancunian artist Caroline Daly will be installing a series of street-style pieces around the warehouse including her signature cheeky pigeon pastes. Celebrating pigeons as urban eco heroes, Daly’s cheeky and vibrant pigeons highlight the bird’s forgotten beauty including their iridescent feathers and intricate wing patterns. Daly’s pigeon pastes have been featured throughout Europe including Paris, Barcelona, Montpellier, and Turin celebrating pigeons’ contribution to society by cleaning up cities, aiding pollination, dispersing seeds, and naturally controlling pests by munching on insects.
Jenny Leonard
Known for her vibrant live illustrations and large-scale murals, acclaimed artist Jenny Leonard will bring her signature touch to the event by placing playful abstract stone faces throughout the warehouse, reminding visitors that joy can be found everywhere when you take a moment to look for it. You can also find 2 of Leonard’s large murals on the Plaza level outside GRIT Studios.
John Cooper
Artist and comedian John Cooper will also be participating in Chasing Cheer. A lover of humour, Cooper’s work are sure to bring a smile to faces encouraging city dwellers to press pause on their busy days. Cooper’s Winter Trail will feature animals alongside humous poems with a QR code where visitors can download posters of the artwork for themselves.
Sophie Macaulay
Sophie Macaulay AKA The Shy Artist will be creating a trail throughout the warehouse called The Secret Village. A series of tiny hand painted buildings will be hidden in little nooks throughout the Great Northern site. A great trail to explore with little ones, The Secret Village inspires imagination and creativity while offering an absorbing introduction to small-scale art during half-term.
Sally Marshall
Manchester artist, muralist and illustrator, Sally Marshall, will be creating an interactive art piece titled ‘How Big?!’ Located at the heart of the warehouse, opposite Little Northerners and Book Nook, Marshall’s contribution to the trail is a hands-on height chart wrapped around a large industrial pillar. The chart uses illustrations of famous people, animals, and objects to serve as height indicators.
In addition to this, Sally will also be showcasing a second artwork on Deansgate – a painted window inspired by the This Place poem. The piece features a QR code that encourages viewers to donate to the local charity Forever Manchester, supporting projects that benefit communities across the region.
Helen Davies
Figurative artist Helen Davies channels her passion for detail to capture the beauty of everyday life. For Chasing Cheer, Davies will pay homage to Manchester’s legendary motif with a ‘spot the bee’ trail. As a symbol of spring’s arrival, the bee serves as a hopeful reminder during the winter months, beautifully reflected in Davies’ intricately detailed paintings.
Caroline Blackburn
Ceramics artist Caroline Blackburn will be displaying a trail of porcelain cats throughout the warehouse. Lurking around corners and perched on beams and ledges, Blackburn’s cats pay tribute to the furry friends who bring joy to her life.
Michael J Browne
Michael J Browne, a renowned artist hailing from Moss Side, is celebrated for his striking fine art paintings, often drawing inspiration from the classical beauty of Renaissance and classical art.
Best known for his iconic Cantona pictures, Brown will be contributing a series of large-scale oil paintings that takes aim at the egotism of modern-day politics. Browne will showcase one of his pieces in the prominent window at the end of Deansgate, making it a key stop for those exploring the trail.
Sophie Macaulay from GRIT comments “It has been great to work with our artists to showcase their talent across this city centre site, which we hope will bring smiles to faces. The trail perfectly demonstrates the eclectic range of talent housed currently at GRIT, and further strengthens our connection with Great Northern.”
Check out GRIT Studios via Instagram.