Photography exhibition showcases Sale’s creative side
A new exhibition at Waterside has opened, showcasing the town’s creative talents.
Lori-Anne, artisan baker - Bibble Bakes
Sale residents may remember last year’s Sale at Work exhibition, which portrayed 42 workers from across the town, celebrating Sale’s diverse and industrious spirit.
This spring, photographer Sonya Smith and writer Lucy Tomlinson return to document the town’s makers, dreamers and innovators – from painters to poets, architects to musicians – in a series of intimate portraits and stories that explore career journeys, childhood passions and the present-day realities of working in the creative industries.
Liv, painter at Liv Alice Paintings
Building on the success of the original Sale at Work exhibition, this new chapter turns its gaze to the thriving cultural heart of the community. With Trafford contributing a remarkable 25 per cent of Greater Manchester’s creative workforce, looking at the creative industries was a natural evolution for the project.
Waterside commissioned the latest iteration, which opened on 05 April, cementing its status as the town’s cultural epicentre. The exhibition sits within the centre’s wider efforts to forge connections between Trafford’s creative community. Waterside is also home to Trafford Creative Industries, which provides support, training, mentoring and opportunities for artists and creatives in Greater Manchester and beyond.
“The exhibition is a celebration of the creative individuals who give Sale its cultural energy,” says Lucy Tomlinson. “We wanted to delve into what drives them, what inspires them and how their creativity connects them to this place – and each other.”
Nick, sculptor and stonecarver
Sale at Work: Creatives offers visitors a chance to step into the studios, workshops and imaginations of just some of Sale’s creative talents. Interactive QR codes accompany each portrait, offering deeper insights and full interviews at saleatwork.com.
The project continues to explore the themes of community and connection introduced in the original exhibition. It portrays a creative ecosystem where passion meets purpose – a town where collaboration, resilience and imagination are part of everyday life.
Amanda Thomas, costume designer
"We were so excited to be invited by Waterside to develop Sale at Work with a new focus on people working in creative industries,” adds Sonya Smith.
“The huge range of creative skills and talents to be found in Sale was incredible and we could really only show a handful of what is out there.”
“We are so grateful to every one of the creatives who gave up the time to speak to us and let us visit them in their workplaces. Gaining a little peek into the studios/sheds/offices and attics of Sale where their creative practice is happening and to see the huge variety of originality and innovation in this town was an absolute treat.”
The exhibition runs until 07 June and can be found in Gallery 74 at Waterside. Admission is free.
All images featured © Sonya Smith Photography.
