About us
The Saltaire Arts Trail is a community arts event held annually in the UNESCO World Heritage Village of Saltaire, West Yorkshire. The Saltaire Arts Trial is organised by Saltaire Inspired, a charity run almost entirely by volunteers.
The aim of the Saltaire Arts Trial is to support the visual arts in and around Saltaire, celebrating the village’s rich heritage, and offering opportunities to both emerging and established artists. We want to demonstrate the value of creativity through education and to engage the diverse communities within Bradford, making the visual arts accessible to all. Heritage, community, learning and cultural partnerships are central to the ethos of the event.
To find out a bit more about the Saltaire Arts Trail and the artists, makers and volunteers who make it such a special event, take a look at the short film below:
Film by Simon Lawson
Saltaire Arts Trail is supported by patrons Lord Wallace of Saltaire, Richard William Wilberforce and Steve Huison.
About Saltaire Inspired
Saltaire Inspired has a vision to establish Saltaire as an internationally recognised centre for the visual arts, inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the arts.
Saltaire Inspired is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee established in 2008 (Company no. 6670913) and a registered charity (Charity no. 1150701). The organisation is managed by a voluntary board of directors and supported by a voluntary committee who between them provide the strategic and operational management of the event programme.
Three events, that take place annually in Saltaire, organised by Saltaire Inspired are:
• Saltaire Arts Trail in May
• Makers’ Fair Festival Special in September
• Living Advent Calender in December.
The Saltaire Arts Trail is the flagship event of the year and includes: Open Houses, a Makers’ Fair, family activities, commissions and exhibitions; combining high quality arts and crafts, education, heritage and community and cultural partnerships.
The values of Saltaire Inspired are:
• Quality, excellence and expertise
• Innovation and uniqueness
• Collaboration and partnership working
• Learning and development for all
• Inspiration and fun
• Ethical and environmentally conscious
For more visit www.saltaireinspired.org.uk
About Saltaire
Saltaire is a wonderful example of the power of vision. Two tremendous men have shaped the history of the village: first, it’s founder, Titus Salt, and then, Jonathan Silver, who revitalised it after its decline in the 1980s.
In 2001, according to UNESCO, Saltaire was designated a World Heritage site because it ‘is an outstanding and well preserved example of a mid 19th century industrial town…giving a vivid impression of Victorian philanthropic paternalism’ and because of ‘the important role played by the textile industry in economic and social development’. It was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Covering 11 acres, Salt’s Mill manufactured 18 miles of worsted cloth per day on its 1,200 looms. The Mill continued to manufacture textiles for more than 130 years until it closed in 1987. This was no ordinary mill town with its handsome Italianate architecture, Congregational Church, Club and Institute, schools, and hospital. But by the late 1980s, with manufacturing industry in serious decline, Salts Mill was in danger of demolition.
Saltaire’s second man of vision, Jonathan Silver, also a man with a background in textiles, bought the Mill in 1987. Silver had met David Hockney as a school boy pursuading him to design a cover for the school magazine, and, when he had bought Salts Mill, he approached Hockney again and together they created the 1853 Gallery, the largest permanent collection of one of Britain’s greatest artists. It is a stunning collection of works in a vast, magnificent setting.
This bold partnership between Silver and Hockney, together with the rich textile heritage of the village, has inspired Saltaire to become a creative centre. If you investigate the ‘Shops’ section on this website, you’ll discover the treats that you can find here all year round.
Roberts Park, adjoining Saltaire on its northern edge, across the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool canal, has recently been restored to its original splendour thanks to Heritage Lottery funding.
Patrons
Photography
All photography on this website was supplied by Andy Wade Photography. Every effort has been made to gain permission to use photographs where individual people can be recognised. If you would like us to remove a photograph then please drop us a line to hello@saltaireartstrail.co.uk
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