Assembly Arts is run by
Rae Tribbick, Sarah Galloway and Alan Morris
Co-Founders
The Birth of Assembly Arts
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In 2023, we found themselves looking for space in Lancaster: A place to throw clay, make large-scale paintings and set up a darkroom. The vacant Assembly Rooms was far too big for us three alone, but the building’s long history of community use inspired a bigger idea: to create an artist-led hub for making, teaching and sharing.
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Once a dance hall raising funds for alms-houses, later a ration centre and even headquarters for the Women’s Land Army in 1941, the Assembly Rooms has always been a place of connection. We wanted to continue that tradition. By opening the dance hall to other artists, using the foyer as a gallery, and dedicating side rooms to teaching, Assembly Arts was born.
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Cofounders
Rae Tribbick (BSc, MSc, PGCE) is a Arts Council funded sculptor, with a focus in ceramics. She started out as a traditional potter, making functional ware & begun offering classes in 2021. www.raeceramics.co.uk​
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Sarah Galloway (BA, MA) is a practising artist with a specialism in architectural glass and screen printing. Galloway has over thirty years’ experience of creating important and valuable artworks in the public domain. www.sarahgallowayglass.com
Alan Morris (BA, MA, PhD, PGCE) ] is passionate about photography and has a background in art education. He has taught photography and art and design throughout his career. www.dralanmorris.com
Together we wanted to create a space that was artist-owned, collaborative and supportive of both professional practice and community learning.
Professional Bios
Rae Tribbick BSc (Hons) MSc PGCE
www.raeceramics.co.uk​​​
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I am an Arts Council-funded ceramic sculptor and I run the pottery studio here at Assembly Arts, where I enjoy the rhythm of making.
My work explores how personal and societal narratives shape identity.​ It centres on whimsy, not as a distraction, but as something essential in a world obsessed with productivity. As an artist and teacher, I help people reconnect with play, imagination, and the parts of themselves that get lost under pressure and burnout. My work engages with life’s mess, sometimes directly, sometimes as a starting point to imagine something new.
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If I had to choose one piece of my work to describe my practice, it would be my sculpture of two porcelain eyes, one caught in a handmade rabbit net, titled 'Peeling Potatoes' 2024.
Sarah Galloway BA (Hons) MA
www.sarahgallowayglass.com​​​​​​
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I am a practising artist with over thirty years’ experience in architectural glass, creating important and valuable artworks in the public domain.
I work across the UK, with commissions including artworks for the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, West Leigh Baptist Church in Essex and public art works in Oban and Blackburn amongst many others. Within the region my artworks include commissions at St Thomas' Church in Lancaster, St Johns Church, Silverdale and Morecambe Parish Church.
Within the studio environment, I specialise in screen printing. I have taught throughout my career, combining my commissioned and personal work with teaching a range of classes including screen printing, life drawing, textile dyeing and printing, and painting.
If I had to choose one piece of my work... it would be my print 'Hope and Rebirth' from my 'Propagation' series.
Alan Morris BA(Hons) MA PhD PGCE
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www.lancasterphotographydarkroom.com​​​​​​
Passionate about photography and with a background in art education, I have taught photography and art and design throughout my career. I now run the photography facilities and darkroom at Assembly Arts.​
I have taught in a number of institutions, including as MA Course Leader for the Entrepreneurship for Creative Practice programme at Arts University Plymouth and Course Leader for the BA(Hons) Fine Art course at the University of Gloucestershire.
I continue to offer guidance and support for creatives of all ages and abilities and I am undertaking research into the practical realities of working as an artist in the prevailing economic and social context. I am currently undertaking a photographic project Bay Light exploring the intricacies and beauty of Morecambe Bay.
If I had to choose one piece of my work to describe my practice... it would be my Portrait of Bill and Flo Seagrave.
