A free cheer-chasing art trail has opened at the Great Northern Warehouse

The Great Northern Warehouse has launched a new art trail dedicated to spreading joy and celebrating local artists.

The Chasing Cheer trail has been created by the venue’s resident art studio GRIT and is open now.

Those making up the trail include Mancunian artist Caroline Daly, who will be installing a series of street-style pieces around the warehouse including her signature cheeky pigeon pastes. Celebrating pigeons as urban eco heroes, Daly’s vibrant pigeons highlight the bird’s forgotten beauty including their iridescent feathers and intricate wing patterns.

Artist and comedian John Cooper’s Winter Trail will feature animals alongside humous poems with a QR code where visitors can download posters of the artwork for themselves, while Jenny Leonard, known for her vibrant live illustrations and large-scale murals, will place playful abstract stone faces throughout the warehouse, reminding visitors that joy can be found everywhere when you take a moment to look for it.

Sophie Macaulay AKA The Shy Artist will be creating a trail throughout the warehouse called The Secret Village, a series of tiny hand-painted buildings will hidden in little nooks throughout the Great Northern site.

Manchester artist, muralist and illustrator, Sally Marshall, will be creating an interactive art piece titled How Big?! — located at the heart of the Great Northern Warehouse, opposite the community hubs Little Northerners and Book Nook, Marshall’s contribution to the trail is an interactive height chart wrapped around a large industrial pillar. The chart uses illustrations of famous people, animals, and objects to serve as height indicators.

Figurative artist Helen Davies channels her passion for detail to capture the beauty of everyday life. Paying homage to Manchester’s ‘worker bee’ heritage, Davies is creating a ‘spot the bee’ trail, and ceramics artist Caroline Blackburn will be creating a series of porcelain cats that will lurk around corners and perch on beams and ledges.

Finally, Moss Side’s Michael J Browne, who is celebrated for his striking fine art paintings, often drawing inspiration from the classical beauty of Renaissance and classical art, will be contributing a series of large-scale oil paintings that takes aim at the egotism pervasive in modern-day politics.

Sophie Macaulay from GRIT says: “It has been great to work with our artists to showcase their talent across this city centre site, which we hope will bring smiles to faces. The trail perfectly demonstrates the eclectic range of talent housed currently at GRIT, and further strengthens our connection with Great Northern.”