Hyde recovery service becomes UK first with resident artist and ground-breaking exhibition

A Tameside recovery service has made national history by becoming the first in the UK to host an artist-in-residence within a substance use treatment setting.

Over five months, Hyde-based recovery community ANEW welcomed Manchester designer Joe Hartley for a pioneering creative residency that brought together around 60 participants, all at varying stages of recovery. The project aimed to explore how hands-on, meaningful creative activity could play a powerful role in healing and rebuilding lives affected by substance use.

Twice a week, Joe led collaborative sessions that stretched far beyond traditional art practices. From ceramics and carpentry to photography and even chicken husbandry, the group was encouraged to explore creativity in new and unexpected ways. The residency redefined how art can support emotional connection, skill-building, and personal growth during recovery.

The initiative forms part of a wider partnership between Portraits of Recovery (PORe), Castlefield Gallery in Manchester, and ANEW. It culminates in a bold and diverse exhibition titled ANEW Way to Peel an Orange, which runs throughout September’s Recoverist Month until 19 October 2025 at Castlefield Gallery.

The exhibition showcases a wide range of co-created works that emerged from the residency. Horsepower transforms the traditional botanical illustration into a striking six-metre-high mural. Pos and Negs takes hand-crafted teapots made by participants and documents their evolution through photography and further ceramic work. One of the most striking installations, Foxmaster, is a chicken coop made from scrap metal, accompanied by a video that tells the story of the ‘Recoverist chickens’ – two hatchlings cared for by the group during the project.

ANEW Way to Peel an Orange is one of several events being held as part of Recoverist Month – an annual programme delivered by Oldham-grown organisation Portraits of Recovery. The month-long festival uses contemporary art to challenge public perceptions of addiction and celebrate recovery through creativity.

Now in its third year, Recoverist Month will also see events and exhibitions across Greater Manchester, including at major venues such as The Whitworth, HOME, Manchester Museum, and Everyman Cinema.

With a professional background in the arts, Portraits of Recovery founder Mark Prest is himself a man in recovery. He said: "I've been in rehabs where the only creative activity was colouring by numbers. 

"For me, that's not art, and it's certainly not going to help people redefine or progress their recovery journeys. Contemporary art, thoughtfully conceived, has a powerful role to play in recovery. And that’s what this project is about."

John Platt, operations lead at ANEW, said: “People in recovery have creative minds. Through this whole experience I’ve seen nothing but happy, smiley faces.

"If I was asked to paint a picture with a brush, I'd die of boredom in nine seconds! But we were really attracted by the broadness of what this residency offered. Joe's really expanded our ideas around what creativity and art can be and we will use this to continually improve our own recovery programmes."

Katherine Light has worked as a caretaker at ANEW for over two years, after herself completing their 22-week recovery programme. She joined many of Joe’s wide-ranging sessions, including elderflower cordial making and photography, and says their impact was immediate.

She said: "Joe earned everyone's respect simply by being himself. He's made a massive impact on clients, staff and the wider ANEW community.

"He might have come in to 'do art' but what he's really shown us is freedom to be yourself, express emotions and accept things as they are. I hope to use some of this when I run my own sessions.”

For resident artist Joe Hartley, who lost his younger brother to substance use four years ago, the project holds huge personal significance.

He said: "My brother never reached recovery, so I haven't seen this side before - the human potential for enormous personal growth and transformation.  It's been a highly emotional, but positive experience, to see that struggles with substance use don't always end the same way."

ANEW Way to Peel an Orange is at Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt St, Greater, Manchester M15 4GB until 19 October 2025. Entry is free

One of the Recoverist chickens