The Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes has reopened following its January break, welcoming visitors back with a powerful new exhibition that offers what its creator describes as “a different version of the Dales”.
Middle of Somewhere, by local visual artist Joanne Coates, is a photographic and multimedia study exploring the lives and uncertain futures of four young women from rural communities. First staged by the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, the exhibition opened at the museum on Sunday and will run until 31 May.
One of the most striking images shows a young woman, Roz, looking out towards Penhill and Wensleydale from The Shawl in Leyburn, captured at a moment when she was weighing up whether she could continue living in the place where she grew up. Another photograph shows a dead rabbit lying beside goal posts in Hawes, an image that deliberately rejects a romanticised vision of countryside life and reflects concerns about demographic change and the loss of young people from National Park communities.
Joanne Coates, 35, is a visual artist and farm worker from Coverdale. Her work in Middle of Somewhere spans photography, sound, film and installation, drawing on both personal experience and close collaboration with the women featured.
She said: “I was exploring rural housing and affordability, young women and their experiences of the countryside. Growing up in rural North Yorkshire, I felt like I had to leave. I left at 16 because I felt there was a lack of a future there for me. I didn’t know you could be an artist and stay in the countryside.
“This work is about rural life – how it’s changing and how it’s staying the same. How do people get to stay in the communities they’re from, or how do they come into those communities? It’s a different version of the Dales that is not always photographed.”
The exhibition also reflects the deep local nuances of Dales life, including what the artist describes as “hyper-locality”, where people from one part of the National Park can still be considered outsiders elsewhere. Images include a “Ta-ra” sign mounted on a stone resembling a grave marker in Coverdale, alongside everyday rural scenes such as a scarecrow and a washing line.
Neil Heseltine, Member Champion for Promoting Understanding at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “The Dales Countryside Museum exists to share the stories of the people and places of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Middle of Somewhere does that in a probing and timely way, exploring rural community through the experiences and struggles of young women.
“I would highly recommend a visit to the museum, not just for the new exhibition, but also to see new acquisitions being added to the permanent displays.”
The Dales Countryside Museum is run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and is open seven days a week. Admission costs £5 for adults, or £10 for an annual pass.
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