Shirley Craven

6 Apr 2024-11 May 2025

Overview

An exhibition of vivid, colour-filled textiles by post-war designer Shirley Craven. Born in Hull in 1934 and evacuated during the Second World War, Craven cites the rural Yorkshire landscape and her post-war education at Hull College of Art and the Royal College of Art (1955-8) as a launchpad to a hugely successful career at the printing firm Hull Traders. Aged 29, Craven became Chief Designer and Director of this small and visionary firm whose artist-designers also included Althea McNish and Eduardo Paolozzi. The Whitworth is home to over 80 of Craven's bold abstract textiles, displayed together for the first time in over 60 years alongside newly acquired unique works from her days as a Student at the RCA.

Alongside exhibitions, the Whitworth offers a broad programme of civic engagement and education activities, events and workshops that are informed by and support our communities. In 2024, we will launch Everyday Art School, a new suite of civic engagement and collections spaces that provides new experiences in our richly diverse and accessible constituent-led programme.

Artists