Exhibitions in Manchester and the North

Summer in Stoke-on-Trent, 1 August–30 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

Home to a wealth of world-class visitor attractions, award-winning museums, exceptional gardens, five Victorian parks and the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever to be found; Stoke-on-Trent (affectionately nicknamed The Potteries) is bursting with an inspired programme of cultural activity this summer.

Salford Royal Academy Takeover at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester, 19 May 2018–24 February 2019, free entry - Visit now

To mark its 250th birthday, the Royal Academy of Arts in London has launched a nationwide programme of exhibitions, displays, tours, talks and one-off events. Here we take a look at what’s going on in Salford – home of RA LS Lowry and now a growing independent art scene.

Lest We Forget? at Imperial War Museum North (IWM North), Manchester, 27 July 2018–24 February 2019, free entry - Visit now

Lest We Forget marks the first instalment of a major new season of exhibitions, music, dance, talks and events at IWM London and IWM North exploring how the First World War has shaped society today.

Heads Roll: An Exhibition Curated by Paul Morrison at Graves Gallery, City Centre, 11 August–24 November 2018, free entry - Visit now

Featuring work by over 60 internationally renowned artists spanning 400 years, Heads Roll at Graves Gallery in Sheffield sets out on a remarkable journey to unpick one of the world’s most popular and enduring artistic genres: the portrait.

Elisabeth Frink: Fragility and Power at Abbot Hall, Cumbria, 22 June–29 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

Featuring a number of pieces which have never been seen before in public, ‘Elisabeth Frink: Fragility and Power’ at Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal delves into the life and work of one of the most widely-loved, exciting and individual sculptors of the 20th century.

Personal Feeling is the main thing - Chantal Joffe at The Lowry, Manchester, 19 May–2 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

Perhaps one of the most celebrated contemporary British painters today, Chantal Joffe’s first major solo exhibition in the North of England – Personal Feeling is the Main Thing at The Lowry – shines a light on the internal landscape of motherhood, childhood and adolescence with bold honesty.

Liverpool Biennial 2018, 14 July–28 October 2018, free entry - Visit now

If there’s one thing you do this summer, we strongly recommend you hop on a train and make your way over to the 10th edition of the ever-popular Liverpool Biennial – Beautiful world, where are you? – a city-wide festival of new and exciting contemporary art from around the world.

Love Among the Ruins: A Romance of the Near Future at S1 Artspace in Sheffield, Sheffield, 20 July–15 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

It will have escaped few people’s attention that the UK is currently in the grip of an unprecedented housing crisis. Against this backdrop, A Romance for the Near Future – S1 Artspace’s inaugural exhibition at its new Park Hill premises – couldn’t be more perfectly, nor boldly conceived.

Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography at Millennium Gallery, City Centre, 30 June–23 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

Explore the work of four of the most celebrated figures in art photography – Lewis Carroll, Julia Margaret Cameron, Oscar Rejlander, and Clementina Hawarden – with a major new exhibition, which arrives directly from the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Aquatopia at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester, 6 July–7 October 2018, free entry - Visit now

Though water covers 70% of our planet and sea levels are rising, access to clean, fresh supplies is becoming a growing problem around the world. Aquatopia forms the first of a season of new exhibitions and debates at CFCCA designed to encourage discussion around some of the biggest environmental issues facing the world today.

BiblioTECH: from bookshelf to big data at The Portico Library, Chinatown, 6 July–18 August 2018, free entry - Visit now

Do you prefer to hold a Kindle in your hands or a book? BiblioTECH: From bookshelf to big data at The Portico Library uses art to examine the opportunities and challenges that arise when we adapt to new technological formats for storing and sharing information.

Great Exhibition of the North 2018 at Baltic, 22 June–9 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

An 80-day celebration of art, culture, design and innovation from across the north, in what will be the largest event of its kind happening in England during 2018. We’re particularly excited about the –not one, but ten – exhibitions that will unfold throughout BALTIC.

Tai Shani: Semiramis at The Tetley, 20 July–14 October 2018, free entry - Visit now

A heady mix of science fiction, anthropology, and feminist and queer theory featuring a Neanderthal and ‘Woman on the Edge of Time’ – Semiramis by Tai Shani at The Tetley is a powerful, multi-layered experience that will leave you disorientated and invigorated in equal measure.

Phil Collins: Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 7 July–16 September 2018, free entry - Visit now

‘Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong’ at HOME brings together three politically charged works by the Turner-Prize nominated artist Phil Collins who returned Engels to Manchester in 2017.