Holy Rood House

Time and Space for Expression

Exhibition Gallery

The Gallery was set up in 2003 as part of The Centre for the Study of Theology and Health, which takes seriously the interface between the arts, psychology, ecology, spirituality and theology.  Since then we have had many and varied exhibitions, photographic, sculptures and paintings.  The space is available for groups or individuals to show their work if there are links with the wider work of Holy Rood House and the Theology Centre.  For example local Mental Health Groups have exhibited their art work.  Also individual artists with an interest in spirituality have exhibited their work.  Sometimes exhibitions have been fun and light - others are more serious and reflective.  We have also housed the York Diocesan Slavery Photographic Exhibition during the Wilberforce centenary.  Over the years we have been pleased to borrow from Westhill Endowment in Birmingham.  We are grateful to Westhill for their support of our arts, ecological and educational ministry.

Summer School 2023,

    Christa Sculpture Exhibition

        by Caroline McKenzie

        (With thanks to Westhill Endowment,

     Birmingham)

November 2023 - February 2024,

Jane Burney’s Exhibition ‘Small Delights’

Please click here to see Jane launching her exhibition in our gallery.

February 2024 - present, Susan Carr’s exhibition, ‘Reflections’

Susan Carr was a Leeds based visual artist, psychotherapist, spiritual seeker and lover of the natural world.  Born in 1957, she studied fine art at Newcastle University in the 1970s, later training as a psychotherapist and Jungian practitioner.

The pieces speak of her exceptional use of colour, which permeates her work in many different media. She used to describe how as a child, she would be entranced by the colours deep in the centre of a flower and the geometry of natural form was a fascination.  She walked repeatedly through beloved local woods to observe seasonal change, using hundreds of photographs to inform her work.

Susan’s work ranged from a CND banner in the 1980s, through community a community needlepoint project for Airedale hospital, to a huge range of textile works dyeing her own fabrics, in knitting, sewing and clothing design. 

For a lifetime, Susan followed the connections between creativity, spirituality and the human mind, tracked through a range of religions and spiritual practices as well as in music.  For many years she held together both Christian and Buddhist understandings. This can be seen in some of the paintings here, through the strong influence of the mandala form. 

Please click here to take a virtual tour of Susan’s exhibition on our YouTube page