‘Collecting the Past’ at Segedunum showcases archaeological material from outside Britain. During the olden days (I’m talking way back in the 19th and early 20th century – not pre-TikTok), many local museums were set up with the intention of educating …

‘Miniature Worlds’ at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle explores the intricate beauty of small-scale landscapes across three centuries of British art. Sub-headed ‘Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter’, this exhibition has a particula…

Jill McKnight’s ‘Past and Future Pact’ exhibition explores the identity of Sunderland, 30 years on from mass closures across many heavy industries. At its peak, many local industries supported one another – the mines and shipyards were supplied by sate…

Does the phrase, “Lumiere returns to Durham in November” get you excited? If you’ve got a pulse, then it definitely should. By all accounts, Lumiere has brought 1.3 million visitors to Durham since it began in 2009, and after a fallow year in 2024 it r…

The wonderful Winter Art Fair Open Studios event returns to The Hearth in Horsley this November, and it’s THE place to head if you’re looking for the kind of special gift that you’re just not going to find on the high street. These weekends at The Hear…

Nightfall is returning to Stewart Park in Middlesbrough again this November with a spectacular trail of interactive light artworks and plenty more besides. If you’re hankering after an illuminated playground of light, colour and memory making then you …

‘In Motion’ at Mima showcases artists from the Middlesbrough Collection who challenge perspectives and deepen our understanding of the world and our place within it. I love this piece from Anwar Jalal Shemza, pictured (‘The Magic Spiral’, 1970). It re…

If you thought that Auckland Palace couldn’t get any more amazing then think again, because the dazzling light trail that is AGLOW returns this November and it will be dazzling visitors right until 2025 takes its final bow. If you’ve a hankering to ste…

That’s illustrator Josie Brookes who is one of the many fine artists affiliated with Mushroom Works who are just one of the arty venues throwing open their doors for the next Ouseburn Open Studios event. Mushroom Works is one of the most highly regarde…

The latest exhibition at Arts Centre Washington uses the story of the “Washington Witch” who was said to have met her demise in 1696. The Washington Witch? Wasn’t that Jane Atkinson? Possibly. Like many such tales, which have relied on over three centu…

SHOAL is a photography exhibition by Mandy Barker at Great North Museum: Hancock that shows marine plastic debris. The work in this show focuses on plastics collected and photographed from trawls and net samples at various points between Japan and Hawa…

Artist Narbi Price and writer Mark Hudson share stories of hope and aspiration in mining communities, 40 years after the Miners’ Strike, in a new exhibition at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. Fittingly – seeing as it’s 40 years after that era-def…

‘A Joyful Parasite’ is a major new commission at Baltic from London-based Spanish artist, Saelia Aparicio. The work of Saelia Aparicio really does feel unconfined with her stuff drawing on everything from science fiction to biology to bodily memory. A…

One of Tyneside’s finest cultural institutions, the Jumpin’ Hot Club, is 40 years old this year and they’re celebrating with a fascinating exhibition at Gateshead’s St Mary’s Heritage Centre. Naturally, they’ve also got plenty of gigs lined up too. One…

Artist Harold Offeh has transformed the ground floor gallery of Baltic into a sci-fi playground, which is very nice of him. Brace yourself for ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’. ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’ invites visitors of all ages to imagine pote…

‘Guiding Entities’ is a solo exhibition at Mima by the Glasgow-based artist Zoë Tumika that spans ceramics, film and sound. It draws on Black radical traditions of resistance and creativity. This exhibition takes the River Tees and River Clyde as start…

‘Us’ is a fabulous retrospective coming to the Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick that features two very special artists indeed. And those artists are Sarah Bradford (that’s her piece ‘Feasting on the Light’ – pictured) and Geoffrey Bradford. Of h…

‘The Ribs Begin to Rise’ is the first institutional solo show by Ro Robertston, and you can see it in all its glory at National Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland. Fittingly, this show is being staged in Ro Robertson’s hometown of Sunderland – …

In a major new commission at The Bowes Museum, acclaimed artist Pippa Hale has reimagined the museum’s renowned ceramic collection into a vibrant interactive experience for all ages. Naturally, The Bowes Museum’s ceramic collection is rather fragile. N…

‘Past and Future Pact’ is a new body of work by artist Jill McKnight, which comprises sculpture, works on paper and video, all of which is inspired by Sunderland’s industrial heritage. See it at the NGCA. Jill McKnight has brought together research fro…

‘Spirit of the North East’ is a very excellent retrospective currently showing at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery that showcases the paintings of Richard Hobson. Richard Hobson (1945-2004) was a painter who managed to capture the changing landscapes…

Three rare Magna Cartas are going on display at Durham Cathedral in order to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the 1225 issue that is in the cathedral’s collection. Oh, my! What a show ‘Magna Carta and the North’ is. This magnificent exhibition has no…

Visit The Bowes Museum to discover the timeless elegance, craftsmanship and innovation of the Joséphine Bowes’ textile collection. This captivating display features everything from opulent historical textiles to the cutting-edge creations of French hau…