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The Crack Magazine

Art

Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution

Discovery Museum’s major new exhibition will tell the story of energy and the climate crisis in the North East by looking back to the industrial revolution, and forward to the pioneering contributions in green technologies happening now across the region. With exciting new displays, science and engineering objects from the museums’ historical collections, and new interactives, Steam to Green will demystify new technologies and showcase how the North East is leading the way once more.

Venue:
Discovery Museum, (Closed on all Bank Holidays) Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4JA
Date:
Jul 20th 2024 - Jul 20th 2026
Opening Times:
Sat-Sun 11:00 - 16:00 , Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Mani Kambo: Ax·is Mun·di

Mani Kambo’s solo show is a major new commission and will be the artist’s first institutional exhibition. A multidisciplinary artist, Mani Kambo is based in Newcastle upon Tyne and explores the inner spirit by drawing on her own personal totemic symbols. Influenced by her upbringing in a household filled with superstition, prayer, and religious ceremony, Kambo’s practice encompasses textiles, fabric dying and printmaking, and is rooted in her family history within the caste system.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Dec 7th 2024 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Brasília of the North

An exhibition exploring the ideas, personalities and broader social, cultural and political climate that underpinned the aspirations to transform Newcastle into a modernist city. During the 1960s, policymakers, planners and architects had the highest aspirations for Newcastle and the North East, imagining it being transformed into the ‘Brasília of the North’ – a shining north European equivalent to the futuristic new Brazilian capital city then emerging from the Cerrado savanna. This exhibition, which forms part of the Concrete Dreams project, explores the ideas, personalities and broader social, cultural and political climate that shaped these aspirations. It brings together a range of models, drawings, photographs, films, archival materials and other artefacts, relating to Tyneside’s 1960s and 1970s transformations.

Venue:
Farrell Centre, The Sir Terry Farrell Building, Eldon Place, Newcastle, NE1 7RD
Date:
Sep 19th 2024 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Samantha Cary: Unravelling

In this new body of work Samantha Cary moves between painting, mono prints, etchings and woodcuts to build complex, layered and often darkly humorous images. Tackling subjects including jealousy, career isolation, dating and heartbreak through a process of meticulous making and a prism of cultural references ranging from music videos, television and films to fairytales and art history, her stories unwind and unravel.

Venue:
Granary Gallery, Dewar’s Lane, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1HJ
Date:
Mar 8th 2025 - May 18th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Menagerie

A menagerie is a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition. The definition of wild is flexible for this selection of animals and creatures created by artists working in glass and ceramics. For example, Zoe Whiteside’s ceramic elephant and bears characterises the beauty of these marvellous creatures, while Emma Woffenden and John Moran introduce very different concepts into their depictions of animals in glass. Some of the earliest examples of art feature representations of animals and this exhibition brings us up to date.

Venue:
National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Dec 14th 2024 - May 31st 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Hetain Patel: Come As You Really Are

From makers and modifiers to crafters and collectors, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, alongside award-winning artist and Spider-Man enthusiast Hetain Patel and Artangel present Come As You Really Are. Beginning as a nationwide call-out inviting members of the public to share the creative activity they dedicate their spare time to, Come As You Really Are will feature hundreds of unique hand-crafted objects and collections submitted from across the North East of England standing shoulder to shoulder with existing artworks and a new film commission by Patel.

Venue:
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, c/o National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Mar 22nd 2025 - Jul 6th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Koestler Arts: Almost Home

Koestler Arts and Baltic are partnering to present a showcase of artwork made in criminal justice settings in the North East of England. The showcase will present an array of fine art, design, writing and music from prisons, secure hospitals and probation services in the North East, all entered into the 2024 Koestler Awards for arts in the criminal justice system. The show features 70 works from the region, selected after a week The Koestler Arts team spent working with 6 women in the prison’s art class.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Feb 19th 2025 - May 11th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Ali Cherri: How I Am Monument

Ali Cherri works across film, sculpture, installation, drawing and performance. His practice is inspired both by archaeological artefacts and the natural world, exploring the temporal shifts between ancient civilisations and contemporary societies. Using artefacts as a starting point, he considers the links between archaeology, historical narrative and heritage, reflecting on the processes of excavation and the relocation and preservation of cultural objects in museums. His work addresses colonial histories, cultural loss, nationhood and different geographies of violence in his native Lebanon but also in the broader region, interrogating the ways in which political violence is witnessed, and disseminates into people’s bodies, and how it scars the physical and cultural landscape.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Apr 12th 2025 - Oct 12th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

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Laura and Rachel Lancaster

A survey painting exhibition of works by Laura Lancaster and Rachel Lancaster. Identical twins and prolific painters, the Lancasters have carved out distinct painting styles and have exhibited nationally and internationally. This exhibition at Baltic will be the first institutional exhibition showing the sisters’ paintings side by side, and the exhibition location, in North East of England, where they were born and still live and work in their shared studio in Ouseburn, Newcastle.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Apr 12th 2025 - Oct 12th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Amber: Documenting Place

A display of photographs and films from the Amber Film & Photography Collective. Founded in 1968, the Amber Film & Photography Collective is renowned for their work documenting the full spectrum of experience in the North East’s working class and industrial communities. With images from the AmberSide Collection, and select films from Amber, Documenting Place looks at how locations can be captured through a focus on the people and communities who live there.

Venue:
Farrell Centre, The Sir Terry Farrell Building, Eldon Place, Newcastle, NE1 7RD
Date:
Feb 20th 2025 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

'The Secret Lives of Bottle of Notes: Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen'

Discover the story behind Bottle of Notes (1993), Middlesbrough’s iconic public sculpture and the only UK work by celebrated artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Over its 30-year life this nine-metre-tall steel bottle has been adopted as a symbol for the Tees Valley. The Secret Lives of Bottle of Notes, delves into how public art shapes identity and place. Through historical and contemporary artworks, archival materials, and creative contributions from Tees Valley communities, the exhibition traces the making of this significant sculpture, its meaning to the region, and its lasting impact on Middlesbrough’s cultural landscape.

Venue:
Mima, Centre Square, Middlesbrough, TS1 2AZ
Date:
Mar 14th 2025 - Oct 5th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun 12:00 - 16:00 , Tue-Sat 10:00 - 16:30
Price:
Free

Glass Zoo

The Menagerie theme continues along the Balcony Gallery showing animals and creatures selected from National Glass Centre’s permanent collection. Please be aware that it may not be possible to contain all wildlife within the display cases.

Venue:
National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Jan 18th 2025 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Northumberland Open Exhibition 2025

Housed in Woodhorn Museum’s stunning Workshop Galleries, the annual Northumberland Open is the largest exhibition of its type in Northumberland. The exhibition attracts submissions from artists from across Northumberland and beyond. Works are selected for exhibition by a professional panel of artists and curators who also select an Overall Winner and Highly Commended artworks to be awarded prizes. During the exhibition run, thousands of visitors vote for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ which is announced at the end of the exhibition.

Venue:
Woodhorn Museum , Queen Elizabeth 2nd Country Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9YF
Date:
Feb 22nd 2025 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
£9.50/£8.50/under 18s Free

SHOAL

An exhibition featuring 12 photographs by artist Mandy Barker. The series reveals evidence of marine plastic debris collected during the Japanese Tsunami Debris Expedition in June 2012. The work focuses on plastics collected and photographed from trawls and net samples at various points between Japan and Hawaii, and also from the tsunami affected shoreline in Fukushima Prefecture. Each image includes a different trawl sample, in some cases represented as tiny plankton, and captioned with the grid reference of where each sample was collected.

Venue:
Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT
Date:
Feb 21st 2025 - Nov 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sun 11:00 - 16:00 , Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

From Josephine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers

A landmark exhibition honouring the pioneering spirit and 200th anniversary of museum co-founder, Joséphine Bowes. This visually stunning exhibition showcases three centuries of eclectic art and creativity including a curated selection of works from The Bowes Museum’s collection and major loans from across the UK, Europe and United States. Expect to see an extraordinary mix of paintings, sculptures, textiles and ceramics from world-renowned artists including Pablo Picasso and Sir Grayson Perry CBE, rising contemporaries such as Joy Labinjo and Lucy Waters, and a special commission by Phoebe Cummings. The exhibition offers a glimpse into how Joséphine’s remarkable understanding of artistic trends and cross-genre approach to collecting might have shaped the collection today.

Venue:
The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 8NP
Date:
Feb 8th 2025 - Jun 29th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
£19.50/under 18s Free

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Josephine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion

Discover the timeless elegance, craftsmanship and innovation of Joséphine Bowes’ textile collection in this captivating display. From opulent historical textiles to the cutting-edge creations of French haute couture, highlights include iconic designs from Yves Saint Laurent, Jeanne Paquin and Elsa Schiaparelli, as well as intricate embroideries and breathtaking lacework. Examples of Joséphine’s style influences from the mid-18th century will also be on show, alongside rare surviving pieces from her personal wardrobe and material from the archives.

Venue:
The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 8NP
Date:
Mar 22nd 2025 - Mar 1st 2026
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
£19.50/under 18s Free

Resounding Diasporic Sonic Worlds

An exhibition and events programme exploring music and resistance among various communities and their diasporas. Resounding Diasporic Sonic Worlds brings together film and video, photography, and sound alongside archival projects that centre radical approaches to the past, present and future; where archives are treated as living sites and archiving as a practice that challenges histories of colonial and racial violence.

Venue:
The NewBridge Project, Shieldfield Centre 4 - 8, Clarence Walk, off Stoddart St, Newcastle, NE2 1AL
Date:
May 10th 2025 - Jul 19th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 12:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Fight for Byker and Other Stories

An installation exploring the 1960s work of the Byker Study Group in shaping the development of the Byker Estate. The Byker Estate (constructed 1969–83) is internationally recognised for its pioneering approach to community participation. Emphasising local involvement, the project departed from top-down redevelopment trends, while, architecturally, it broke from modernist orthodoxy with innovative and socially inclusive designs that have had a global influence on housing design and the community architecture movement. Ralph Erskine, the lead architect, gained fame for the redevelopment, and is widely seen as the instigator of this pioneering approach. However, the initial impetus came from the largely unrecognised efforts of the Byker Study Group in the 1960s. Having successfully lobbied for the right of residents to remain in Byker, they would play a key role in shaping its subsequent transformation. This installation explores this ‘pre-redevelopment’ period in Byker’s history via photographs, artefacts and oral histories from contemporary witnesses. Visitors are invited to contribute to the installation by bringing old photographs, negatives or slides that can be scanned and added to a photo memory wall.

Venue:
Farrell Centre, The Sir Terry Farrell Building, Eldon Place, Newcastle, NE1 7RD
Date:
Feb 6th 2025 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Tom Etherington x Jon Gray

A collaborative design exhibition between Tom Etherington and Jon Gray at the gallery. Tom Etherington is a book cover designer, graphic designer, and art director based in London. Tom specializes in design for print and publishing. After working in-house as a designer for Penguin Books in London, he became a full-time freelancer in 2022. Jon Gray designs and illustrates book covers for publishers around the world. His work is featured on the jackets of several authors you already know: Zadie Smith, David Foster Wallace, A.M Homes and Roald Dahl. Other clients include: Nike, Stussy, Hewlett-Packard, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Observer and the The Berlin Opera.

Venue:
The Old School Gallery, Foxton Road, Alnmouth, Northumberland, NE66 3NH
Date:
May 2nd 2025 - Jun 9th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 17:00 , Sun 11:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Caravan Gallery: Sunderland Pride of Place Project - Ten Years On

In March 2015, The Caravan Gallery brought their weird and wonderful photographs celebrating everyday life in Britain to Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. Over a hundred colour photographs full of humour, joy and social commentary were exhibited in the exhibition Extra(ordinary) Photographs of Britain. The exhibition was accompanied by a Pride of Place Project, in an empty shop unit on Fawcett Street, devised for Sunderland by photographers Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale of The Caravan Gallery. Ten years on they're revisiting this truly unique project with a new exhibition comprised of the material generated in Sunderland in 2015. The exhibition poses the questions – How has Sunderland changed in this time? What has Sunderland gained and lost? What makes you proud about Sunderland?

Venue:
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, c/o National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Mar 22nd 2025 - May 11th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Shakespeare Recovered: Durham's First Folio

In December 1998, the Durham First Folio, a copy of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, was stolen along with six other items while on display in Cosin’s Library. For a decade, there was no news of the missing books and Durham University had to accept that the First Folio was lost. But the story didn’t end there. In 2008, a badly damaged book was brought to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. The book was presented to experts as a newly discovered copy of the First Folio that needed authentication for sale. Staff at the Folger quickly recognised the possibility that this book was in fact Durham’s missing copy and after verification it was returned to its rightful home on Palace Green. This exhibition tells the story of what happened next, exploring the work of our conservation team to make the First Folio accessible again. Visit to see a rare and important cultural artefact and experience a book as you’ve never seen one before.

Venue:
Palace Green Library, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RN
Date:
Apr 4th 2025 - Nov 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Railway Firsts

An exhibition highlighting trains, objects and innovations, both famous and unexpected, that have shaped the railways. The exhibition will spotlight the pivotal innovations and unexpected ‘firsts’ that shaped the railways and our history, presented through a series of eye-catching pop-up displays, as visitors journey through the museum. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of family activities over the half term holidays on the theme of problem-solving.

Venue:
Locomotion, (previously Shildon Locomotion Museum), Dale Road Industrial Estate, Dale Road, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 2RE
Date:
Feb 15th 2025 - Dec 31st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Fiona Sturrock

Fiona’s paintings demonstrate her love of colour; the practice of mixing colour, and laying down patterns of light, shade and texture to produce bold representations of her subjects. Expect a vibrant collection of still life and wildlife paintings.

Venue:
The Biscuit Factory, 16 Stoddard Street, Newcastle, NE2 1AN
Date:
Mar 7th 2025 - May 11th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Streets Above: Photographs of the roads and buildings that covered Roman Wallsend 

Housing built for ship-workers in the late 19th century once covered the whole site of the Roman fort and the surrounding areas. Most of these streets were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s, and the area was transformed. These photographs are records of those streets, and how this area once looked very different.

Venue:
Segedunum Roman Fort, 2 Buddle Street, Wallsend, NE28 6HR
Date:
Apr 1st 2025 - Nov 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 15:00 , Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Adults: £3.98 | £2.98 Concessions ( includes £1 voluntary donation), NE28 residents Free

Collecting the Past 

The aim of many of the local museums set up in the 19th century was to have ‘the world under one roof’, so they collected a wide range of objects from around the world, including archaeological pieces. This exhibition looks at some of these objects and explores what we know – or don’t know – about them now. 

Venue:
Segedunum Roman Fort, 2 Buddle Street, Wallsend, NE28 6HR
Date:
Apr 1st 2025 - Nov 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 15:00 , Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Adults: £3.98 | £2.98 Concessions ( includes £1 voluntary donation), NE28 residents Free

Home and Howay – Letters and Post in the 18th-Century North East

Before emails and phones, letters were one of the only ways to stay in touch over long distances. Here at Newcastle Cathedral, we remember those who travelled the world, as seen in memorials around us. But how did people stay connected? This exhibition explores the rise of the postal system in the 18th century, a time when letter writing flourished. For Newcastle and the North East, letters carried voices across the sea, coal mines and trade routes. They reveal personal stories, business dealings and everyday life.

Venue:
Newcastle Cathedral, St. Nicholas Sq, Newcastle, NE1 1DF
Date:
Apr 7th 2025 - May 23rd 2025
Opening Times:
Sat-Sun 08:00 - 17:00 , Mon-Fri 08:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Andy Welland Artist Pop-Up Shop

This forthcoming pop-up shop brings artist Andy Welland’s signature bold celebration of colour, shape and form to Baltic with a range of exclusive products. Centred around the idea of creation through play - where play itself becomes a form of luxury and artistic language, these works invite viewers to explore this universal language as an entry point into Welland’s work. Through giant Plasticine reliefs, lipstick-thick oil finger-paintings, and energetic prints, his vibrant compositions reflect a joyful spontaneity that embraces both individuality and togetherness.

Venue:
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Date:
Apr 12th 2025 - Sep 28th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 18:00
Price:
Free

Anne Vibeke Mou: Revolutions Per Minute

Anne Vibeke Mou works with the ingredients of glass and considers how glass relates to people and place. This exhibition presents a new body of work developed in response to research visits to archaeological sites in Israel and Palestine, and through time spent with the Inuvialuit community in the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Venue:
National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Mar 20th 2025 - Jun 14th 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Sanctuary!

In medieval times, Durham Cathedral was known as a place of sanctuary, where criminals could find temporary refuge from the law. Discover the stories of people who fled to Durham Cathedral and find out about the famous Sanctuary Ring on the North door - how it became one of the key symbols of the Cathedral, and how it inspires artists today. See prints from 18th century, letters from royalty, commemorative items, registers of sanctuary seekers, manuscripts and the moulds used to create the replica Sanctuary Ring.

Venue:
Durham Cathedral, Chapter Office, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3EH
Date:
Apr 24th 2025 - Jun 29th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun 12:00 - 16:00 , Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Adult £7.50/under 18s Free

Spellbound

A magical adventure awaits, delve into the enchanting history of magic in the region. Discover its early roots to modern-day marvels and immerse yourself in the world of stage magic and legendary magicians. Let your little ones explore our interactive space, where they can learn magic tricks and unleash their inner magician!

Venue:
Dorman Museum, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 6LA
Date:
Dec 1st 2024 - Jun 1st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Tue-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Alnwick Through the Lens

A collaboration between Alnwick Civic Society, Alnwick Camera Club and Bailiffgate. This exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civic Society in 2024. The aim was to capture the town as it is today for future generations to look back on including its historical buildings, many new developments, and repurposing of existing buildings. Bailiffgate has searched its archives and added to the exhibition by displaying photographs of the town landscape from different periods of history. Information boards and location maps will give visitors the chance to track changes to the town and its surroundings. The development of photographic equipment will be shown through displays from the museum's collection.

Venue:
Bailiffgate Museum, 14 Bailiffgate, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1LX
Date:
Apr 1st 2025 - May 11th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Tue-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
£6/£5/ages 5-16 £1/under 5s Free

Railway Pioneers

In celebration of start of the S&DR200 bicentennial anniversary festival, three iconic locomotives will be on show in the historic Grade II listed Carriage Works right here at Hopetown Darlington. The locomotives are showcasing the advancements of rail technology in the early 19th century as well as the engineering innovation which led to the opening of the S&DR. These early locomotives were critical to future rail success, and Railway Pioneers is a unique opportunity to see them all in one place. The original preserved Locomotion No.1 will be returning to Darlington as one of these engines. This iconic engine, designed and driven by George Stephenson on the historical first journey in 1825, is an integral part of Darlington’s history, included both on the town’s coat of arms and the football team's crest. Joining Locomotion No.1 are two other classic locomotives - the Pen-y-Darren, designed by Richard Trevithick in 1804, and Steam Elephant, designed by John Buddle and William Chapman in 1815.

Venue:
Hopetown, McNay Street, Darlington, DL3 6SW
Date:
Apr 4th 2025 - Jun 22nd 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Tue-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

Ted Holloway: A Bevin Boy Remembered

Eighty years ago, during the Second World War, artist Ted Holloway was conscripted to work in the coal mines as a Bevin Boy. This exhibition brings together a selection of his paintings and drawings spanning the course of his life and journey from miner to art teacher and professional artist, and reveals the enduring influence of mining on his work as an artist.

Venue:
Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Date:
Oct 19th 2024 - Jun 8th 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:30 - 16:00
Price:
Included with Bishop's Key which gives 12 months admission to the Auckland Project for £30/£13.50 child/family from £45

The Hearth Arts Centre Spring Fair & Open Studios

The famous Hearth Spring Art Fair and Open Studios is back this spring with an impressive line up of artists and makers. The resident artists will all open their studios for the weekend with new displays of their latest work. There will be several guest artists in the hall, courtyard and a new "hub", all ready to welcome you with a wide range of art and craft handmade here in the North East.

Venue:
The Hearth Arts Centre, Main Road, Horsley, Northumberland, NE15 0NT
Date:
May 10th 2025 - May 11th 2025
Opening Times:
10th - 11th May 2025 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

'In Motion – Middlesbrough Collection'

Artists are inventive and curious. They ask big questions and spark bold ideas – whether by exploring new ways to create, experimenting with materials or imagining possible futures. In Motion is a display of artwork from the Middlesbrough Collection held at MIMA. The Collection holds 2,350 works of art and craft made by artists based in the Tees Valley and internationally from the mid-1800s to today.

Venue:
Mima, Centre Square, Middlesbrough, TS1 2AZ
Date:
Apr 11th 2025 - Mar 22nd 2026
Opening Times:
Sun 12:00 - 16:00 , Tue-Sat 10:00 - 16:30
Price:
Free

University of Sunderland Fine Art Exhibition Presented in SketchUp

The third in a series of short film presentations submitted by students from Fine Art at University of Sunderland. This exhibition has been produced in SketchUp, a digital modelling software. It features artwork by 22 staff and students from University of Sunderland Fine Art within a digital scale model of the Main Gallery.

Venue:
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, c/o National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
Date:
Apr 21st 2025 - Jun 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The History of Health and Wellbeing in South Tyneside

Using materials and photographs from the library’s own collections, and items on loan from the South Shields Museum and Art Gallery, this display at The Word looks at the history of health and wellness in South Tyneside from the Victorian period onwards. Find out some interesting, fun and often gruesome facts on all aspects of health care in the region. The display will include information on local hospitals, epidemics and diseases, sanitation (or lack of), miracle cures, home remedies and much more.

Venue:
The Word, The National Centre for the Written Word, 45 Market Place, South Shields, NE33 1JF
Date:
May 7th 2025 - May 14th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Thu 09:00 - 19:00 , Fri 09:00 - 17:00 , Sat-Sun 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Concretopias and Beyond

A display of work by school children exploring how developments of the 1960s and 1970s have influenced their relationship with where they live. Working with geographer Mike Jeffries, who over the past decade has helped a range of groups to create personal experience maps of their local areas, the children started by tearing up tourist maps of Tyneside, replacing the civic grandeur and cultural icons with the real world do family, home and pets, often mixing physical streets with virtual spaces and computer games. In these maps, we see the city depicted by those whose voices are rarely heard.

Venue:
Farrell Centre, The Sir Terry Farrell Building, Eldon Place, Newcastle, NE1 7RD
Date:
Apr 10th 2025 - Aug 31st 2025
Opening Times:
Sun and Wed-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Price:
Free

The Painted Coast: Tyneside

Showcasing the oil paintings of landscape artist Stuart Jones. Working outdoors on location with his easel is what drives Stuart’s work. In his 'plein air' paintings, his aim is to convey a sense of the light, mood and atmosphere at the coast as well as the activity taking place in his 'busy beach scenes'.

Venue:
Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, NE26 1BG
Date:
Apr 8th 2025 - Sep 28th 2025
Opening Times:
8th Apr - 28th Sep 2025 TBC
Price:
Free

20 Historical Women Who Changed The World

This bold, colourful, educational and historically-inspired exhibition features the works of Nigerian-born Doncaster artist, curator, and art advisor Chinwe Russell. It gives an insight into the lives of some incredible women from around the world, whose work in different sectors have had a massive impact on the contemporary world and continue to do so. The collection contains some well-known historical figures such as Marie Curie, Elizabeth I and Florence Nightingale, but most importantly, it also contains many lesser-known women whose works continue to shape our daily lives.

Venue:
Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Market Place, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7NP
Date:
Mar 1st 2025 - May 24th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

The Discovery of Birds

Drawing on Ushaw Library’s rich and varied natural history holdings, The Discovery of Birds illuminates the development of bird art and ornithology from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. The exhibition takes in the Enlightenment, exploration and discovery and includes the work of many of the leading naturalists and bird artists of the period.

Venue:
Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, Woodland Road, Durham, DH7 9RH
Date:
Mar 22nd 2025 - Jun 22nd 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
£10/under 18s £6/under 5s Free

Pete Wilkinson Exhibition

Pete Wilkinson is a photographer and filmmaker from Hexham. Although often shooting portraiture, architecture and design, the main focus of Pete’s photographic work is the landscape. By returning to and exploring the local area and the Tyne Valley of his youth, Pete looks to examine the role of landscape as a visual language and shared vocabulary, and how it can be used to communicate, resonate, and stimulate.

Venue:
Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street, Hexham, NE46 3LS
Date:
Nov 11th 2024 - May 12th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice

The exhibition explores Johnson’s lived experience of rheumatoid arthritis and the subsequent impact of disability on her artistic practice. The works on display have been chosen from a large body of Johnson's work, which was donated to the Laing by the Estate of Nerys Johnson in November 2022. The archive is comprised of thousands of works on paper, including sketchbooks, prints, and watercolours, dating from throughout her artistic career. Johnson is most well-known for the vibrant and often intense colours in her work combined with dramatic and abstract forms of flowers, often set against dark backdrops. Her work, however, is varied—she uses different media and includes a variety of subjects beyond flowers, notably including self-portraits, abstract nudes, and architectural motifs.

Venue:
Laing Art Gallery, New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AG
Date:
Dec 21st 2024 - Dec 6th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:30
Price:
Free

Contemporary Print: Ade Adesina and Hugh Hamshaw Thomas

In the summer of 2024, Ade Adesina and Hugh Hamshaw Thomas took up a residency at Ushaw. The exhibition includes new work inspired by Ushaw and its collections. In collaboration with Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.

Venue:
Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, Woodland Road, Durham, DH7 9RH
Date:
Apr 11th 2025 - Jun 22nd 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
£10/under 18s £6/under 5s Free

Consett in Focus

New work by members of Consett in Focus, a flourishing local photography group. Many of the images are for sale.

Venue:
Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, Woodland Road, Durham, DH7 9RH
Date:
Apr 5th 2025 - May 26th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
£10/under 18s £6/under 5s Free

Studio 70 Artists

A selling exhibition of new work by County Durham artists Alison Minney, Denise Smithson and Graham Parker. The three creatives share a studio space at Ushaw.

Venue:
Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, Woodland Road, Durham, DH7 9RH
Date:
Mar 29th 2025 - Jun 15th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
£10/under 18s £6/under 5s Free

Local Documentary Photography

A small exhibit of local documentary photography by Max Milne. Covering Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and North Shields.

Venue:
Whitley Bay Library, Park Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, NE26 1EJ
Date:
May 1st 2025 - May 31st 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:30 , Sat 09:00 - 13:00
Price:
Free

Apollo Remastered

Apollo Remastered is an exhibition showcasing images from Andy Saunders’ extraordinary bestselling book of the same name. Saunders invites viewers to explore the Moon landings in spectacular high definition for the very first time. By applying pain-staking care and cutting-edge enhancement techniques, he has created the highest quality Apollo photographs ever produced.

Venue:
Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street, Hexham, NE46 3LS
Date:
Mar 14th 2025 - May 30th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Winifred Nicholson: Cumbrian Rag Rugs

Although Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981) is best known for her paintings and her position as a highly respected figure in 20th century British art, this is the first exhibition dedicated to her relationship with the tradition of rag rug making. Appearing alongside the rugs, the exhibition will feature paintings, sketches and archival material giving a sense of Winifred’s creative life and career. There will be a making space within the exhibition where visitors can try their hand at rag rug making themselves, and a programme of events and activities to be announced.

Venue:
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8TP
Date:
Apr 5th 2025 - Jun 15th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Adult admission (valid for 12 months) £15/Under 18s Free

Sheila Fell: Cumberland on Canvas

The first major retrospective of Fell’s work in over thirty years. The exhibition brings together 100 works from private and public collections across the country from the likes of Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy and Abbot Hall. The exhibition will explore Cumberland as Fell’s source of artistic inspiration, her childhood in Aspatria, her artistic development at Carlisle School of Art followed by St. Martin’s School of Art, Fell’s recognition as an important female artist, her relationships and her legacy.

Venue:
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Mowbray Gardens, Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR1 1PP
Date:
Apr 10th 2025 - Jun 28th 2025
Opening Times:
Sat 10:00 - 16:00 , Mon-Fri 09:30 - 17:00
Price:
Free

More-Than-Human Healthcare

A new exhibition by artist Helen Knowles, More-Than-Human Healthcare facilitates a multitude of voices – non-human, more-than-human and human. It pays serious attention to an ephemeral constellation of entities encountered through the contemporary tools of psychedelic medicine, the development of the AI doctor and plant intelligences. Employing a participatory approach, Knowles has produced a trilogy of artworks which includes two artist films, Indexed Beings and Caring Code, and an immersive installation called Trust the Medicine, shown together for the first time. Centred on the agency of these caring entities and how this agency is culturally and cosmologically underscored, the exhibition investigates a broad spectrum of differing practices, locations and relationships.

Venue:
Gallery North, Squires Building, University of Northumbria, Sandyford Road, Newcastle, NE1 8ST
Date:
Apr 2nd 2025 - May 16th 2025
Opening Times:
Sat 10:00 - 14:00 , Mon-Fri 12:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Peter Hayes: The Landscapes We Live In

Having spent three decades as a politics lecturer, Peter gained an MA in Fine Art from Sunderland University in 2023. Now a full-time artist, his main works are landscapes, which convey some of his intense and immersive experiences in Britain's countryside, and 'peoplescapes', narrative paintings realised in oils which explore the ways humans interact with nature.

Venue:
The People's Theatre Gallery, Open only on performance nights, People's Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF
Date:
May 5th 2025 - Jul 25th 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 18:30 - 21:00
Price:
Free

Spirit of the North East: The art of Richard Hobson, a retrospective

In this exhibition, discover how Richard Hobson (1945–2004) captured the changing landscapes, industry and communities of the North East. From bustling shipyards to rugged moorlands and beyond, explore how Richard captured an industrial landscape and a way of life which was on the cusp of change.

Venue:
South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA
Date:
Apr 12th 2025 - Nov 2nd 2025
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sat 11:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free

Connections

Photography by EDAN artists and Northern School of Art photographic students.

Venue:
EDAN Gallery, The Art Block, 74 Church Street, Seaham, County Durham, SR7 7HF
Date:
Apr 29th 2025 - May 31st 2025
Opening Times:
Tue-Fri 11:00 - 15:00 , Sat 10:00 - 16:00
Price:
Free