Ruskin’s Manchester: ‘Devil’s Darkness’ to Beacon City at MMU

Creative Tourist
Ruskin's Manchester: 'Devil's Darkness' to Beacon City at MMU, Manchester
Rose Textile Pattern, c. 1895 © Collection of the Guild of St George/Museums Sheffield

Ruskin's Manchester: 'Devil's Darkness' to Beacon City at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections, Manchester 24 June — 23 August 2019 Entrance is free

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Ruskin, the prominent Victorian writer, art critic, artist and social thinker. Ruskin gave some of his most important lectures in Manchester and was enthusiastically received by Mancunians. This exhibition held at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections celebrates Ruskin’s relationship with Manchester and the city’s response to him. Ruskin spoke out against the social, political and environmental injustices of his day and criticised the worst aspects of industrialisation. He promoted access to museums and art education for the working classes. During his lecture ‘The Unity of Art’, at the Manchester School of Art, he spoke about education, manufacture, craft and art, declaring that, ‘FINE ART is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together’. This lecture is at the heart of this exhibition, which seeks to introduce Ruskin and demonstrate his importance and continuing influence on art, craft and design education.

Ruskin's Manchester: 'Devil's Darkness' to Beacon City at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections, Manchester 24 June — 23 August 2019 Entrance is free

Where to go near Ruskin’s Manchester: ‘Devil’s Darkness’ to Beacon City at MMU

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

Manchester
Music venue
The Deaf Institute

The Deaf Institute is a vibrant gig venue and nightclub for which it is well worth taking a jaunt out of the Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sandbar

Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.

Johnny Roadhouse store
Manchester
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Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

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The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

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image shows pinned butterflies and pretty paper with frames
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Poet Imtiaz Dharker. Photo by Ayesha Dharker
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GROVE
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