After founding Paradise Works and working side by side for five years, Hilary Jack and Lucy Harvey have stepped down as creative directors. Hilary takes a moment to look back and reflect on the legacy that they both leave behind ready for the new director to pick up the mantle.

“In 2017 we founded Paradise Works with the help and skills of a core group of artists*. We literally built the studios from the ground up clearing the space, carrying every single sheet of MDF into the building and constructing all the studio spaces from scratch. Within six months we were up and running with an opening event attended by 2,000 visitors and a group exhibition of our membership in the shiny new gallery. In the intervening years, we created a place for artists to make and show work, share ideas, skills and build a creative community. We hosted many critically engaged exhibitions, parties, previews, and events; welcomed UK and International visitors; set up graduate bursary scholarships; an artist-in-residence programme; hosted a second gallery space; agreed to a 15-year tenancy; took part in The Manchester Contemporary; set up an online shop, and steered Paradise Works through a pandemic, offering a hardship fund for freelance artists who had lost work at this time.
In May last year, we expanded taking on the ground floor of the building to offer larger studios for more established artists and to accommodate a ground floor gallery for Division of Labour, who have played a significant part in our development and the Manchester art scene. We then opened up the whole 3-storey building for Triple Decker, alongside A Modest Show and The British Art Show 09. Paradise Works has become an integral part of the Manchester Arts ecology and has platformed many artists who have subsequently been selected for prestigious commissions and awards, exhibited their work across the region, the UK and Internationally, and have attracted representation from respected galleries.
We’re both so proud of the artists' achievements at Paradise Works and to have led this organisation to this point while also continuing to progress in our careers as artists. It’s been quite a journey! We are now handing over the role to Jessica Bennet who will become the new Creative Director and will bring new energy, knowledge and skills to Paradise Works. Jessica will be supported by our brilliant in house team of Nataly Chambers, Gwen Evans and our amazing board of Kwong Lee, Kerenza Maclaranan, Jessica Murphy, Alex Bennet and Nataly Chambers.
And by the way -- I’m not going anywhere – my studio remains on the ground floor where I continue to make work and I will now join the board of Paradise Works. I'm really looking forward to the next phase of Paradise Works.” - Hilary Jack

*Richard Shields, Chris Paul Daniel, Chester Tenneson, Louise Giovanelli, Robin Broadley, Robin Mcgannity and Kieran Leach.

Hilary is currently exhibiting Deluge, as lead artist in Watermark, Worcester with Meadow Arts. A second edition of her public realm neon artwork, No Borders is installed on The Custard Factory Birmingham.