New Exhibitions Explore the Beauty and Drama of the Yorkshire Dales

The Folly in Settle, which is home to the Museum of North Craven Life, is preparing to launch a new season of art exhibitions.

From this Saturday, 6 July, two new exhibitions will be on display and ready to capture the attention of visitors. Both showcase the beauty and unexpected drama of local landscapes within the Yorkshire Dales and will run until Saturday 28 September.

Within These Walls, from local artist Hester Cox, is a celebration in print of Yorkshire Dales meadows, focusing on the importance of species-rich meadowland in agriculture and ecology in a project that includes hand-printed linocuts, collagraphs, monotypes and a large-scale print installation created for a field barn and first shown at the 2017 Grassington Festival.

Artist Hester Cox said: “As a fell runner, I often view the landscape from the tops of hills and am fascinated by the serpentine drystone walls that hug the contours of the land and the way the enclosed spaces change throughout the seasons. Since living in the national park, I’ve become increasingly interested by upland meadows and the myriad of plant species found within them. The memory of these hay meadows, that provide sustenance to livestock in winter, also sustains me during the long winter months knowing that in spring the first flower species will once again bloom and soon the fields will be awash with colour and alive with the sound of insects and birds.”

The World Beneath Our Feet is an exhibition of modern caving photographs from within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Caves are a part of the exceptional karst landscape of our National Park and provide adventure and exercise. They attract cavers from around the world and offer a unique experience for beginners.

The exhibition includes photographs by Mark Burkey and Gary Douthwaite, and is curated by Tim Allen. It has been funded by the Council of Northern Caving Clubs.

This autumn, museum exhibitions will include Translating the Body, which raises questions about ‘art photography’ and the female body, and the power dynamic between art photographer and model; and Land : Light, featuring artist Elizabeth Smith’s powerful monochrome landscapes that capture the distilled-down essence of Yorkshire’s hill country. Both exhibitions will open on Saturday 5 October and run until Saturday 4 January 2025.

Admission to the museum is free.