Vision and Verse

An exhibition where visual art and poetry intertwine.

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Opens: Thursday 26 June Until Sunday 31 August 2025, 11-4pm

Open Viewing on Friday 27 June from 5–8pm, all welcome

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Craven Arts is proud to present Vision and Verse, the 2025 Members Summer Exhibition where visual art and poetry intertwine. This year, members have been invited to connect their artwork with a chosen piece of verse, poetry, or prose, offering visitors a deeper insight into their creative process, philosophy, or personality.

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Yorkshire’s rich literary landscape—from emerging voices to the words of the nation’s Poet Laureate—provides the perfect backdrop for these poetic pairings, adding a unique layer of local resonance to each exhibit.

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The gallery will be open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and entry is free.

All are welcome to the Open Viewing on Friday 27 June from 5–8pm—an opportunity to meet the artists, view the work, and enjoy drinks and nibbles in a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere.

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Poetry launch

A SUITCASEFUL OF DOG - poems by Sue Vickerman

Friday 29th August, 6.30pm (doors open 6pm)

You are warmly invited to the celebratory launch of Sue Vickerman's sixth poetry collection - an event featuring laughter, tears, signed copies of Sue's book, and cake!

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Admission free.

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Shifting between comedy and drama, Sue Vickerman’s poems traverse loss, memory, and the strange rituals of everyday survival.

Sue Vickerman’s A suitcaseful of dog is a sharp, darkly funny, and unsentimentally lyrical collection that captures life’s absurdities and devastations with equal intensity. Moving between acerbic social observation and moments of piercing emotional depth, Vickerman’s poems traverse loss, memory, and the strange rituals of everyday survival. Whether recounting a disastrous dog-sitting, navigating the indignities of ageing, or unpicking the quiet violences of family and relationships, her language is crisp, unsparing, and rich with wit. A suitcaseful of dog is poetry that doesn’t look away—bold, pragmatic, and bristling with intelligence.  

     "Whether recounting a disastrous dog-sitting, navigating the indignities of ageing, or            unpicking the quiet violences of family and relationships, Sue Vickerman’s language is          crisp, unsparing, and rich with wit."

Sue Vickerman is a committed Yorkshirewoman, poet, novelist, playwright, translator, editor, life model, event curator and (very) occasional stand-up comedian. Five Arts Council awards over three decades have facilitated her publication of four works of fiction, two translations from German of literary works, and five volumes of poetry. A suitcaseful of dog is her sixth collection.

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suevickerman.uk

Progression

A Gathered Threads Exhibition

Thursday 11th September - Sunday 5th October

Open Viewing Event: 5-9pm | Friday 12th September

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‘Progression’ grew out of both our previous exhibition, ‘Common Ground’, and our disparate textile practices. We started off by playing with materials adding threads to small, unfired clay pots. We used these as inspiration for further work, but each time, using a different person’s work as the starting point. This sharing of ideas via small projects over seven months has allowed us all time to appreciate each other’s work, fitting each item around other priorities. At the same time as this core collection of work was being created, our own practices have continued to evolve. Course assignments, artist networking, exhibition briefs and life events have contributed to our progression; our sharing of work has in turn fed back as concepts, technical advancement, emotional outlet, and the enjoyment of what we do.

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About Gathered Threads: We are a group of six textile artists who met at Bradford School of Art whilst studying for an HNC in Contemporary Constructed Textiles (also known as ‘The Bradford Course’). We fit our textile practices around other commitments: working, studying, volunteering, and caring for relatives. We also work separately - between us we exhibit with other art organisations, run various workshops, and participate in arts markets across the region. Despite diversifying so much, we still learn and draw inspiration from each other; admiring work, supporting challenges, encouraging technical and artistic flourishing.

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Ellie Taylor will be running a 'Making Progress' workshop on Saturday 13th September, 1-4pm. Book Your Place Online

Abstract Surrealism

James Dovey The Surreal Impressionist

Thursday 11th September - Sunday 5th October

Open Viewing Event: 5-9pm | Friday 12th September

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Step into the imaginative world of James Dovey, a 27-year-old artist whose work blends abstract realism with surrealist flair. Based at Craven Arts for the past two years, James brings a deeply personal and expressive style shaped by his journey through neurodivergent education, creative discovery, and the peaceful landscapes of the Yorkshire–Lancashire border.

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His exhibition, Abstract Surrealism, showcases fine line drawings, mixed media pieces, and painted works inspired by everyday walks, instant photography, and quiet moments of reflection. James’s art invites viewers to see the world through a lens that’s both intricate and dreamlike—where emotion, observation, and imagination collide.

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Whether you’re an art lover, a curious passerby, or someone seeking inspiration, come explore this unique collection and support a local artist whose story is as compelling as his work.

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Free Entry Thursday - Sunday 11am - 4pm.