Exhibitions in Manchester and the North

Are You Messin'?: Exhibition for children and families at Bluecoat, City Centre, Until 18 September 2022, free entry - Visit now

The Bluecoat’s new offering for younger visitors is the perfect way to spend a family day out, from touchable installations and relaxation spaces to a reading room – your little ones might not want to leave!

Lungiswa Gqunta at The Henry Moore Institute at The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Leeds, 8 July–30 October 2022, free entry - Find Out More

From petrol bombs to bed sheets, Gqunta’s multifaceted practice is subtle yet incredibly powerful – don’t miss her largest exhibition to date.

Carolina Caycedo at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 20 November 2022, free entry

Los Angeles-based artist Carolina Caycedo’s new show at the BALTIC aims to challenge colonial perspectives and expose environmental injustices and extractivism around the world.

Rachel Goodyear: Stirrings at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester, 15 July 2022–26 February 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Admire Rachel Goodyear’s skilful drawings peppered with symbolism and mythological references at her ‘homecoming’ home this summer, on display at Salford Museum & Art Gallery.

Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank, Cheshire, Until 25 November 2022, free entry - Visit now

The former cotton mill is currently home to an exhibition by artist Jen Southern, exploring the site’s legacy of the industrial revolution and environmental change.

PIVOT: Editions at Castlefield Gallery, Castlefield, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now

Are you thinking about starting an art collection? Perhaps you want to add something new to an existing one? Whether or not you’re looking to purchase a new piece of art, check out Castlefield Gallery’s new display PIVOT: Editions, offering the work of five artists from the North-West.

The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at Walker Art Gallery, City Centre, Until 29 August 2022, from £6.00 - Book now

The Tudors are sure to draw a crowd just as they have done for centuries – don’t miss this excellent display of portraiture, artefacts and lesser-known aspects of the Tudor reign.

Jaume Plensa: In small places, close to home at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 30 October 2022, free entry - Visit now

The much-loved sculptor’s drawings are on display in the Weston Gallery and Chapel, revealing Plensa’s preoccupation with the human condition and community.

Barbara Nicholls' watercolours and 'Dovetailing' at Windermere Jetty Museum at Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories, Cumbria, Until 4 September 2022, from £4.50 - Book now

Admire the lake as well as the art at Windermere Jetty Museum this summer, with two gorgeous exhibitions: watercolours from artist Barbara Nicholls; and an immersive, collaborative installation developed remotely during lockdown.

The Vasseur BALTIC Artists Award 2022 at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 2 October 2022, free entry - Visit now

Newcastle’s BALTIC is celebrating its 20th anniversary in style – with a show resulting from an international biennial award judged solely by other artists.

Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool at Walker Art Gallery, City Centre, Until 8 January 2023, free entry - Visit now

Walker Art Gallery turns its focus towards the home town of Liverpool, with an exhibition of 21 local painters’ work.

Amazônia at Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield, Until 14 August 2022, free entry - Visit now

Sebastião Salgado’s exhibition Amazônia has arrived in Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum, with over 200 magnificent photographs of the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants, in areas most at risk from climate change.

Radical Landscapes at Tate Liverpool, Waterfront, Until 4 September 2022, from £5.00 - Book now

A fresh look at landscape as a subject for artists, this exhibition is full of surprises and explores a multitude of concerns: from the human impact on the ecosystem to land-related rituals, and questions about freedom of access to natural spaces.

Sheila Hicks: Off Grid at The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, Until 25 September 2022 - Book now

Visit the major new exhibition of work from the master of textile art Sheila Hicks, with over 70 works from international and private collections revealing the multifaceted nature of her work.

Gathering Downstream at Quarry Bank, Cheshire, Until 25 November 2022, free entry - Visit now

The former cotton mill of Quarry Bank is currently home to an ‘Gathering Downstream’, an exhibition exploring the site’s legacy of the industrial revolution alongside environmental change and disruption.

Emily Hesse: The Witches’ Institution (W.I.) at The Tetley, Until 18 September 2022, free entry - Visit now

The experimental works, discussions and experiences in The Witches’ Institution (W.I.), create an alternative reality where a group of witches takes over a cultural institution, where the gallery becomes a space of possibility – a host to change and revolt.

Bury Art Shop, Bury Art Museum, Moss Street, Bury, Greater Manchester, BL9 0DR - Visit now

The perfect place to find gifts, stationery, cards, children’s books and, most importantly, museum souvenirs if you want to take home a little reminder of your visit and the gallery’s wonderful collections.

Mounira Al Solh at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 2 October 2022, free entry - Visit now

Using a multitude of mediums to examine themes of memory and trauma as a result of forced migration, Mounira Al Solh’s exhibition amplifies the voices of people from the Middle East, displaced to Lebanon, Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world.

Kunichika: Japanese Prints at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now

The exhibition showcases the work of one of the most important printmakers of 19th century Japan, Toyohara Kunichika, who used his mastery of the medium to depict thoroughly modern subjects at a time of great social and political change.

Robert Indiana: Sculpture 1958-2018 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, Until 8 January 2023, from £0.00 - Book now

The Pop artist’s signature colourful sculptures are now on display at YSP, against a backdrop of green hills and woodland.

2022 Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum (PHM), City Centre, Until 8 January 2023, free entry - Visit now

Filled with striking reminders and symbols of the fight for justice, the Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum will take you on a journey through the history of rights and equality via its dazzling collection.

Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 4 September 2022, free entry - Visit now

This constituent-led exhbition is the first of its kind and offers an intimate snapshot of grief, life after baby loss and the importance that creativity can have in the process.

EQUAL PLAY at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle, Until 31 October 2022, free entry - Visit now

Artist and educator Albert Potrony sets out to explore non-gendered and non-prescriptive modes of childhood play in a major new exhibition at BALTIC.