Celebrated designer Joe Hartley teams up with the ANEW recovery community to present ANEW Way to Peel an Orange – a bold and heartfelt exhibition of co-created artworks, shaped over a five-month residency in Tameside.
Commissioned by Portraits of Recovery, in partnership with Castlefield Gallery, this exhibition is the result of hands-on collaboration between Hartley and individuals in recovery from substance use. Together, they’ve explored ceramics, furniture making, photography, and even outdoor activities like growing produce and equine-assisted therapy – including the symbolic hatching of Recoverist chickens as a metaphor for new beginnings.
Expect a rich mix of work: striking black-and-white photography, expressive ceramics, and dynamic, graffiti-inspired pieces that reflect the energy and personal stories of the group.
The exhibition’s title plays on the phrase ‘peeling an orange in your pocket’, a saying that can hint at secrecy but here opens up questions about care, hidden potential, and looking at things from new perspectives.
ANEW Way to Peel an Orange forms part of CHAORDIC and Recoverist Month 2025, and supports the idea that recovery is a creative, activist process – and that art can help shift how we live, think and connect with one another.
Free entry. All are welcome.
Presented by Portraits of Recovery and Castlefield Gallery, in partnership with ANEW.
Supported by the Brian Mercer Trust, The Howarth Trust, Arts Council England, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Manchester City Council.
