Castlefield Gallery

Established by artists in 1984, Castlefield Gallery was Manchester’s first public contemporary art gallery. Nestled in the heart of Manchester’s historic Knott Mill area, the gallery is focused on developing artists’ practice and careers whilst creating opportunities for the public to engage with thought-provoking visual art. 

Dynamic partnerships are at the heart of Castlefield Gallery’s ethos – whether with other museums across the UK, or through exchanges and residencies between artists in the region and those based nationally and internationally in Hungary, Switzerland, South Korea, Czechia and Denmark.

Over the past three decades, Castlefield Gallery has made a name for itself as a proven leader in the North’s contemporary cultural scene. Many of the gallery’s ‘artist alumni’ have gone on to achieve national and international recognition, including Turner Prize winners and nominees. 

This compact but influential gallery offers a diverse public programme of exhibitions, talks and events, as well as commissioning, curating and producing a huge range of off-site public art. From sculpture and painting to photography and multimedia work, there’s always something new to discover. 

Through the New Art Spaces project, the gallery repurposes temporarily vacant properties across the North West of England for use by artists, accessed by more than 200 Castlefield Gallery Associates. These pop-up gallery spaces offer a unique testing ground for experimental and large-scale creative projects, allowing creatives to develop their work at a very low cost. 

Castlefield Gallery Associates was set up in 2012 by the gallery to encourage critical exchange and engagement between artists and creative practitioners across the North West. Designed to provide members with information, skills, opportunities and resources, the group also hosts regular monthly events that respond to the wider gallery programme and reflect the needs of local artists.

In 2019, Castlefield Gallery won a Manchester Culture Award for ‘Inspiring Innovation’ for its collaboration with Manchester arts organisations Venture Arts and the Whitworth, recognising its position as a cutting-edge venue for contemporary art in the city.