Discover the next generation of artists making their mark in the North West.
MADE IT 2026 brings together work by recent graduates from across the region at The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery. Spanning different materials, approaches and experiences, the exhibition offers a chance to encounter new work and get to know the artists behind it.
Created by Short Supply, MADE IT helps artists take their next steps after art school through exhibitions, awards, public art and opportunities to build lasting connections.
Now open until Sunday 13 December 2026
The Whitaker, Rawtenstall
Come and see it
18 October – 13 December 2026
Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm
Late opening on Thursdays until 8pm
The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery
Whether you’re supporting someone in the exhibition, discovering a new favourite artist or simply curious about what’s being made across the North West, come and have a look.
Meet the artists
There’s no single route through art school, and there’s no single way to be an artist afterwards.
This year’s exhibition brings together graduates from different universities and backgrounds, working across a wide range of disciplines. MADE IT gives their work space beyond the degree show and creates opportunities for artists to meet, share experiences and find out what might come next.
The MADE IT 2026 artists are:
Alex Brown | Caitlin Hamblett | Deborah Ann Graham | Eli Clack
Elijah Davidson | Janet Douglas | Jennifer Quinn Huck | Jess Kirk
Katie Byrne | Kerry-Lee Brinkworth | Lois Kennerley | Louise Baines
Lucy Claire | Milly Gee | Neva Burrows | Nico Sharma
Olivia Madland Shorter | Poppy Erwood | Rowan Shepherd | Willow Autumn
MADE IT takes up space
Jennifer Quinn Huck at First Street
First Street Public Art Award 2026
Seven artworks by Jennifer Quinn Huck are being brought to First Street in Manchester through the MADE IT 2026 First Street Public Art Award.
Presented at a scale far beyond their original postcard-sized format, the works bring Jennifer’s practice into public space, where people can encounter them as part of their everyday journeys.
Jennifer’s screenprints draw on language taken from an AI manifesto, using the visual language of technology and advertising to explore connection, collective identity and the ways we communicate. Printed by hand, the works give digital language a physical presence through ink, paper and the imperfections of the printing process.
The award creates an opportunity for an emerging artist to share their work beyond the gallery, supported by First Street, MADE IT’s Headline Public Art Partner.
MADE IT is back with a new identity
and a bigger plan for what comes after graduation.
Since launching in 2019, MADE IT has supported emerging artists from across the North West at a pivotal point in their careers.
What began as a graduate exhibition is now growing into a wider platform: combining professional exhibition opportunities with awards, paid commissions, development support and meaningful relationships across the cultural sector.
The new MADE IT reflects that ambition.
It gives the programme a stronger, more confident identity while retaining the purpose that has guided it from the beginning: ensuring the North West’s newest artists are seen, supported and taken seriously.
We’re proud to be building MADE IT’s next chapter alongside a growing network of organisations that believe in emerging artists and want to invest in what comes next.
Tomorrow, we’ll announce the venue for MADE IT 2026 and open applications for our next cohort.
New look. Same aim.
THE STORY OF MADE IT
MADE IT began in 2019 with a simple belief: graduating from art school should feel like a beginning, not an ending.
Created by artist-led organisation Short Supply, MADE IT was developed in response to the difficult gap that often opens after graduation. Degree shows finish, university networks disappear and emerging artists are suddenly expected to navigate exhibitions, opportunities and creative careers alone.
MADE IT set out to create a different kind of next step.
From the beginning, it has brought together graduating artists from across the North West, giving them the opportunity to exhibit beyond their university, meet artists from other institutions and introduce their work to new audiences, curators and cultural organisations.
What started as a graduate exhibition quickly developed into the North West Graduate Art Prize: an artist-led programme combining professional presentation with awards, commissions, visibility and practical career development.
MADE IT is deliberately not tied to a single university or one idea of what a successful graduate practice should look like. It exists to show the range of work emerging across the region and to create connections between artists who may otherwise never meet.
Over successive editions, MADE IT has presented painting, sculpture, installation, photography, textiles, moving image, sound, performance and interdisciplinary work. Each exhibition has been shaped by the artists selected: their ideas, materials, questions and different ways of understanding the world around them.
In 2025, MADE IT was presented at PINK in Stockport, where artists including Curators’ Award winner Freya Donald and CASS ART Award winner Joab Harrison were recognised for their emerging practices.
A bigger next chapter
In 2026, MADE IT entered its biggest chapter yet.
With a new identity, a major exhibition at The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery and First Street joining as Headline Public Art Partner, MADE IT is growing beyond a single graduate exhibition into a wider platform for what comes next.
MADE IT 2026 combines professional exhibition experience, photography and promotion with artist development, networking, awards and paid commissions. Selected artists will also be considered for opportunities including a £1,000 commission from The Whitaker, large-scale public art at First Street in Manchester, professional development from Artists Now and an opportunity with the University of Salford Art Collection.
Supported by an expanding network of cultural partners, the programme is creating more ways for emerging artists to show their work, reach new audiences and build meaningful relationships across the sector.
MADE IT continues to evolve, but its purpose remains the same: to ensure the North West’s newest artists are seen, supported and taken seriously—not only at the moment they graduate, but as they begin building the practices and careers that follow.