Saturday, June 15th, marked a significant day in Leigh’s cultural diary with the grand opening of Leigh Spinners Mill. Acquired by the Leigh Building Preservation Trust in 2014, the mill’s redevelopment aims to save the local building and transform the site into a community hub, hosting businesses and cultural enterprises. With MP Jo Platt appointed as general manager in 2019, the project has come a long way since its inception. Having met Jo a few times and volunteered at the mill before the grand opening, I have seen firsthand the unbelievable transformation into a new cultural hub in the heart of Leigh.
Before the mill was officially declared open, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, General Manager Jo Platt, and trustees such as Paul Costello spoke a few words. These speeches, delivered in a space filled with art brought together by the mill, reinforced the significant impact that the restoration and establishment of the mill will have on the local community. As the mayor aptly summed it up, “Leigh is already on the map, but Leigh Spinners Mill makes Leigh bigger on the map.”
Creative Spin Studios is a collective of resident studio artists, visual and digital artists, educators, skilled craftspeople, and creatives. Their exhibition, “Intro,” is aptly named, as it introduces the local community to the array of talented individuals based within the mill. The exhibition features work from nineteen resident artists, including Angie Ryan, Mario Popham, Mia Joyce, Sara Lawlor, Elysia Day, Kerry Lisa Davies, StopMo Jo (Jo Sykes), Alex Shaw, Cobalt Creations, Tamarra Carr, Heddles and Reeds, Ula Fung, Nicola Briggs, Janet Howkins, Notaword Art, Lee Robert McStein, The Discrete Unicorn, Pipa Wolf, Lisa Michelle Illustration, Eleanor Ferguson, Tony Richards, Lorraine Kim, Saintly Pupper Workshop, and Tracey Hollis Rowe.
One of my favourite features of the gallery is its vast and open space, which serves as a blank canvas for every exhibition. With a polished wooden floor and high ceilings, the gallery is the perfect space for any exhibition, especially one introducing the range of artists resident in the mill. The gallery was buzzing, and it was lovely to see groups of people discussing the mill and the art, engaging with and reflecting on the pieces on display. Here are some of my favourite pieces from the exhibition, but with so many artworks on display, it was hard to choose which ones to write about.
Tracey Hollis Rowe is a contemporary landscape artist based in the Northwest. Her compositions are drawn from memory, using expressive and gestural marks to build layers and textures. Tracey’s painting “Watershed II” captured my attention with its dark and brooding blue, black, and grey tones. It’s clear that the outdoors is a significant inspiration for her, as natural elements feature heavily in her work. Gazing upon the stormy scene, you can feel the movement of the waves and clouds merging. This painting is not only a commentary on the beauty of nature but also a reflection on our internal emotions.
Nicola Briggs is an artist who creates porcelain ceramics and atmospheric abstract paintings, drawing inspiration from natural textures and the shift in light across natural landscapes. Her abstract paintings feature diverse colours over relief detail and glaze elements, with ripped edges and concluding platinum luster drips during the third fire. I greatly appreciate how her paintings evoke a sense of calm and ease through the use of muted colours, eliciting an emotional response not only from Nicola’s inspiration of skyscapes and landscapes but also from the observer.
The porcelain ceramics in Nicola’s ‘Wild Wilderness Series’ are hand-built and create a visual symphony of the beauty of the natural world. Looking at the ceramics I see the fusing and mixing of the blue, grey and green hues mirroring the ocean its vastness and complexities. Staring into and within the ceramics I got lost looking at the flood of colour and where it lead too highlighting again the theme of reflecting upon memories and feeling a sense of peace looking at Nicola’s work.
Kerry Lisa Davies is an artist based in Lancashire who has been selected for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Society of Women Artists, and Illustrators of the Year, among others. While her work primarily consists of oil paintings, Kerry is interested in exploring other mediums to advance her artistic practice.
This particular painting beautifully captures our deep relationship with nature and our planet. In the image, we see a woman intently admiring the flowers in bloom. She appears to be in a meditative state, and the use of oil paint allows the colours to vividly blend together, enhancing the serene and contemplative atmosphere.
The Creative Spin ‘Intro’ Exhibition at Leigh Spinners Mill highlighted the impressive range of artistic talent within the mill. Seeing its transformation from the early stages to the grand opening filled me with pride, showcasing this cultural hub right on our doorstep. I highly recommend visiting both The Mill and The Horrocks Gallery. For those interested in visiting, I will link their social media below.
Leigh Spinners Mill:
Love Spinners Mill, great place for creaters. Another fab blog!
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