Throughout July, take a quiet moment to see ‘Queer Pleasure Archive’, a huge array of queer archival content on display at Baltic in Gateshead. Sarah Li is the artist all over Baltic this month with her gorgeous DIY archive art project taking centre s…

‘Hands On: Pedagogy, Practice, Research’ at the NGCA in Sunderland features all manner of fascinating stuff such as Paul Raymond’s ‘Blobby Worm’ (pictured). Curated by Dr. Suzy O’Hara, ‘Hands On: Pedagogy, Practice, Research’ bridges the gap between ac…

This year, the Mining Art Gallery at The Auckland Project are marking the centenary of Tom McGuinness with a powerful retrospective, ‘Out of the Darkness’. A true “quiet man” of the north-east, Tom McGuinness used his art not merely to document the minin…

The fab Woodhorn Museum in Ashington has all manner of good stuff going on over the next few months. Yes—that is a vintage car you’re looking at, and yes, you will be able to see plenty more like it when Woodhorn holds a Classic and Vintage Car Rally t…

The latest fascinating exhibition at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick looks at the 1950s and 1960s – two decades of major social change. This wide-ranging show beautifully captures a period of rapid acceleration, bookended by postwar austerity a…

A breathtaking fusion of 19th century artistry and 21st century technology is coming to the region this summer in the shape of ‘Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’. Don McLean – in his second most famous song – sang evocatively about Vincent van …

GemArts is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their magnificent Masala Festival this July with a week-long programme of the very finest South Asian arts and culture that’s set to bring the heat. Now firmly established as one of the real cultural highl…

A century after a group of striking miners inadvertently derailed the Flying Scotsman in Northumberland, a stunning new exhibition is pulling into Tynemouth Metro Station to explore the fallout. Running for four weeks from 27 June at The Bridge Galler…

This summer The NewBridge Gallery is platforming ‘Abundance’, an immersive new installation by artist and choreographer Lizzie Klotz, designer Bethany Wells, and a host of collaborators from NewBridge’s Neighbourhood Programme. Building upon the success…

This year’s summer sizzler at Baltic sees them teaming up with neighbours The Glasshouse for a proper banks of the Tyne takeover. First port of call—for me at least—at this annual block party is the Art Car Boot Fair, which this year will feature 50 s…

What transforms a simple object into a legendary find? ‘Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found’ at the Great North Museum: Hancock invites you to explore the captivating world of archaeology and the enduring allure of “treasure”. This major exhibition brings toge…

‘Stronger Seams: Beyond Coal’ is a fascinating new exhibition which is opening at Arts Centre Washington this June. The transition from fossil fuels to green energy is rarely just about technology – it is about the people and landscapes left behind. ‘S…

‘Starting Lines’ at Baltic is an installation exploring creativity, collaboration and community, and it’s the first major exhibition by north-east-based artists, designers and educators Adam Phillips and Deborah Bower (known as Foundation Press). Root…

Faith Richardson dons her best tartan trews and whisks herself off to The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle to check out a new exhibition that celebrates the extraordinary creations of Vivienne Westwood. When you think of Vivienne Westwood, you probably …

‘Meadow of Memories’ is a unique sculpture that offers you the chance to create a lasting and meaningful tribute to someone you love. In the heart of the Tyneside, a unique and poignant art project is taking shape to honour those we have lost. The ‘Me…

‘Following the Eagle’ at Segedunum is an extraordinary showcase of rare bronze Roman military artefacts and military diplomas. And when I say ‘diplomas’, I don’t mean those things universities dish out on bits of paper. I’m talking diplomas inscribed …

Two important shows are opening at the Laing Art Gallery this March that will invite visitors to embark upon a profound journey through the human experience with exhibitions that bridge the gap between historic portrait tradition and cutting-edge contempo…

The late Milly Thompson’s final works explore sun-drenched summer holidays and romantic novels as spaces for escapism and sensual self-reinvention. Part of the renowned BANK artist group, Milly Thompson went on to establish a solo practice in which she…

Half a car? Yep, and it’s just one of the things you can see at ‘Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution’, which you can see at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. This well-regarded exhibition has certainly been pulling in the punters and with g…

The National Glass Centre is taking its final bow in July, but the closing exhibition at the centre celebrates the incredible achievements and successes of the University of Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics Department over the past three decades. This s…