Barnsley opens a new gallery space with an exhibition by four local artists

Barnsley's creative community has a new place to show its work. A new gallery space at Barnsley Digital Media Centre opened on Friday 2 October 2026 with its first exhibition, meanwhile..., which runs until 2 November.

The show brings together four Barnsley-based artists: Ailish Treanor, John Ledger, Kelly Rankin and Mark Evans. With support from Axis, a UK charity that champions contemporary artists, they spent the summer of 2026 working in an empty office building on Regent Street, turning it into a temporary studio or "meanwhile space".

According to Visit Barnsley, the building became somewhere the artists, diverse in their materials and subject matter, could play, create, make mistakes and work things out. The exhibition considers how art is made in moments of time, wherever possible, and in the spaces in between.

The gallery itself is a new initiative from Barnsley Council's Culture Development service, funded through the Cultural Development Fund programme Storying Barnsley. Working with the DMC's customer experience team, the service has repurposed a space at DMC 01 that was formerly the Games Room into a pop-up gallery for emerging and mid-career artists, practitioners and organisations.

The idea is to pilot a low-cost alternative space where Barnsley's artists can exhibit new work and test out ideas. With a brand-new hanging system, easy public access and views overlooking the Yorkshire Roses, it offers a visible platform right in the town centre.

Councillor Sam Burdett, Cabinet Spokesperson for Communities, said: "We're delighted to open this new gallery space at Barnsley Digital Media Centre." He added: "The gallery reflects our commitment to supporting the borough's thriving cultural sector."

The DMC describes itself as a place for anyone with a digital or creative business idea, and DMC 01 is where it began. Powered by Barnsley Council, it has grown across the road into DMC 02, and now it adds visual art to the mix.

Admission to meanwhile... is free, and the gallery is open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm. It is a lovely chance to discover what Barnsley's artists have been making, and to see a new cultural space find its feet.

Details of the exhibition are listed on Visit Barnsley, and the gallery is at DMC 01 on County Way in Barnsley town centre.