Arts Press Releases

An important new exhibition opening in the 1912 Mill at Sunny Bank Mills this April will use weaving, paper making, oral history, ceramics and poetry to explore the hidden legacy of unmarried Irish women and their children who were sent from Britain to Ireland’s mother and baby institutions.

Running from 24 April to 3 May 2026, Rendition is a powerful collaboration between Yorkshire artist Fiona Cahill and Fréa Renewing Roots, bringing together art, lived experience and community storytelling to confront a history that remains deeply relevant today.

Created by Fiona Cahill, Rendition draws on her grandmother’s, mother’s and her own family experience to examine the deportation of unmarried Irish women and their babies, and the lasting trauma caused by secrecy, shame and institutional abuse.

Fiona Cahill said:
“The British State refuses to apologise for its historic treatment of unmarried mothers. I hope that by recognising ongoing harms we can create space for communal grief and help facilitate the apology my mum asked for.”

The exhibition will also feature work created in collaboration with Fréa Renewing Roots, including oral history extracts, ceramics and poetry from members of Crann Sailí, the organisation’s arts for wellbeing group. These voices and creative works will be shared publicly in Yorkshire for the first time.

Natalie Hughes-Crean, Specialist Case Worker at Fréa Renewing Roots, said:
“These voices were silenced and ignored for decades. This is not just history — its impact is still felt today. We hope this exhibition offers recognition, as well as a message of strength and hope for the future.”

Set within the historic mill, Rendition will include a loom installation at the centre of the exhibition, reflecting Fiona’s background in weaving and the connection between memory, place and healing.

The exhibition is free to attend during 24 April – 3 May, 10am – 4pm,

A series of free public workshops will also take place throughout the exhibition, giving visitors the chance to create handmade paper and explore autocartography under Fiona’s guidance. Advance booking is required via Eventbrite.

Exhibition Details

Rendition x Fréa Renewing Roots
Dates: 24 April – 3 May 2026
Venue: 1^st Floor – 1912 Mill, Sunny Bank Mills, 83–85 Town Street, Farsley, Pudsey, LS28 5UJ

What three words: ///olive.nests.jazzy

Free exhibition admission during 24 April – 3 May, 10am – 4pm

Workshop bookings:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fiona-cahill-8507694885

Booking enquiries:
[email protected]

More information:
Fiona Cahill: https://www.renditionaveformaria.com/
Fréa Renewing Roots: https://frea.org.uk/about-renewing-roots

 

One of Yorkshire’s most prestigious annual art exhibitions, Ones To Watch, now in its 13th year, closes in just 4 weeks’ time. See it at the Sunny Bank Mills Art Gallery in Farsley, between Leeds and Bradford, before it disappears for another year.

Celebrating 36 talented emerging artists and makers who are based in, or originally from, Yorkshire, Ones To Watch brings together an exciting cross-section of contemporary practice. The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, photography, ceramics, design and more, with much of the work available to purchase. A further 14 artists are represented in the Ones to Watch Zine Library.

For new and seasoned collectors alike, the exhibition offers an accessible entry point into collecting original art, with prints and limited editions available at affordable prices. Buying from the show directly supports artists at a pivotal stage in their careers.

Sunny Banks Mills Arts Director Anna Turzynski said: “This is our 13th year of Ones To Watch and whilst it may be an unlucky number for some, it has been an exceptional year for the exhibition. We’ve extended its duration to reflect its value and central position within our Arts programme, and we’re delivering an even broader programme of events alongside it, including our Performance Night, Overtime Art Club and our first-ever Creative Skills Day.

She continued: “My intention is for this annual exhibition to be an act of encouragement and support for artists at a time when it can feel as though the world is telling them not to pursue this path. I want to thank every artist who applied this year for continuing to make, experiment and express themselves despite the challenges. Please keep going.

“This exhibition includes self-taught artists, practitioners returning to a new phase of their work, and those who have applied multiple times. There is so much joy, good humour and raw talent in this show. Please visit before it closes, and don’t forget to vote for your favourite piece to help us decide the winner of The People’s Choice Award.”

Two of the artists taking part in Ones To Watch are Cassy Oliphant and Pooja Mistry.

Cassy Oliphant is a Leeds-based community artist based at Sunny Bank Mills, whose practice moves between painting, textiles, and photographic processes including cyanotype. She uses the symbolic language of animals in myth and folklore as recurring figures through which to explore transformation, migration, and belonging.

Cassy commented: “I’ve taken an unconventional path through the arts. I didn’t go to arts school but instead have been working as a freelance community artist for the last 20 years so being chosen for this year’s Ones to Watch was an amazing moment. I felt seen as an artist and my work understood. My piece Islands uses a mix of old family photos, traditional Singaporean embroidery and mythical images to express ideas about identity and belonging.”

She continued: “Part of my development has been getting my own studio space at the Mills. I absolutely jumped at the chance when more studios became vacant last year. Having a physical space away from my family home and really using my time there as part of my working week, has expanded my practice very quickly. Since joining Sunny Bank Mills, I’ve been shortlisted for the Scott Creative Arts Foundation Prize, made work for Westminster City Hall and Islands will be travelling to the New Art Exchange in Nottingham later in the year.”

Pooja Mistry is a third-year illustration student at Leeds Arts University whose practice explores the value of imperfection, playfulness and instinctive mark making. Working across drawing, printmaking and sketchbook-based experimentation, she creates expressive, “wonky” animal forms that sit somewhere between observation, imagination and joyful distortion.

She said: “Being part of Ones to Watch feels incredibly affirming, especially as an emerging illustrator whose practice is rooted in experimentation and play. My work explores imperfect, childlike drawing as a way of letting go of control and reconnecting with joy, curiosity and intuition.

She continued: “This exhibition feels important because it values process as much as outcome and embraces work that is exploratory rather than resolved. To be included among other artists who are testing ideas, materials and visual languages feels both encouraging and motivating, and reinforces my belief that there is space for imperfection, humour and vulnerability within contemporary illustration.”

Alongside the main exhibition is a programme of events including a Performance Night by Ones To Watch artists on 7^th March, Over Time Art Club workshops and a Creative Skills Day on 25^th March.

Ones To Watch is open in the Gallery, Sandsgate Building, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm until 29^th March. Closed on Mondays. FREE ENTRY.

For more information on Ones To Watch 2026 at Sunny Bank Mills, visit: https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/gallery/ones-to-watch-2026/

Sunny Bank Mills’ much-loved annual Print Festival is back, taking over the iconic 1912 Mill on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th March 2026 for a vibrant weekend celebrating the very best in traditional and contemporary printmaking and bookbinding.

At the heart of the Festival is Leeds’ largest Print Fair, bringing together more than 60 printmakers, bookmakers, collectives and studios each day. Visitors can explore and purchase an extraordinary range of work — from screenprints and monoprints to risographs, collographs, zines and beautifully hand-bound books — created by emerging and leading artists from across the UK including Kristyna Baczynski, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, Lucy Hook and Tall Paul Kelly.

As always, the Festival is designed to be welcoming and hands-on. Ironbridge Fine Arts will be on the 3rd floor of the 1912 Mill, where they will be showcasing techniques including photopolymer, etching, lino and woodblock printing and selling a range of high-quality printmaking supplies. There will be free family-friendly drop-in workshops alongside a large programme of pre-bookable half-day sessions on bookbinding and printmaking for a range of ages incl Lego Relief Printing, Block Printing on Textiles, and Avocado Ink Notebook Making. Workshop places are selling fast.

Arts Director at Sunny Bank Mills, Anna Turzynski said: “We’re thrilled that our Print Festival returns in just three weeks’ time. It’s always such a special weekend — bringing together artists, collectors, families and anyone with a love of print. There’s something incredibly exciting about seeing traditional techniques alongside bold contemporary approaches all under one roof. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the Mills for this annual celebration of creativity.”

She continued: “In addition to the Print Festival, I’m encouraging everyone to explore the full cultural offer across Sunny Bank Mills.  Drop into our  Artists’ Open Studios in the Twisting, Spinning Mill and Red Lane Mill Studios – come and see what 48 talented artists and makers do all day and buy work direct from them. You can also take part in our family friendly studio print trail designed by artist Catherine Pape and take home your very own limited edition print! You can explore the Gallery’s  annual emerging artist exhibition, Ones to Watch 2026, bringing together work by 36 Yorkshire artists from across disciplines, and drop-in to the textile Museum & Archive which houses 200 years of Mills’ history with its  unique and nationally significant collection.”

“ The Fair’s Craft Café will be open for refreshments as well as the Mills retail and delicious food and drink outlets. So why not make a day or even a weekend of it at the Mills!”

For event details: https://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/arts/print-festival-2026/

Sunny Bank Mills is one of Yorkshire’s most exciting and respected cultural and community hubs. Located in the heart of the thriving village of Farsley in West Leeds, it is home to an acclaimed contemporary Art Gallery, a large artists’ studio community, a textile Museum & Archive, and a dynamic mix of creative, independent and retail businesses.