Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Alexander Iles

Visit now

Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

National Glass Centre, Liberty Way, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, SR6 0GL
01915155555
  • Monday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Tuesday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Friday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Saturday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sunday10:00am - 5:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art
Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art
Book now

Located within The National Glass Centre, next to the River Wear, is the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. Starting in 1969 as the “Bookshop Gallery”, the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art has developed and moved throughout its history.

The space was designed for artists to experiment and create new works of art within Sunderland. One of the early changes was to reflect the history of Sunderland as a location for the creation of contemporary art, was to rename it the “Ceolfrith Arts Centre”. This was named after the Abbot of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow who was credited with the creation of the Codex Amiatinus – a complete Anglo-Saxon bible that today is the earliest complete one-volume bible (all the books in a single book) to exist. It is only copy out of three that were produced at Monkwearmouth to survive to the modern day. A fitting name for a location about the creation of art. The centre originally was located on Faucet Street in Sunderland, but relocated into the National Glass Centre to benefit from the three-thousand square foot exhibition space that it currently uses as the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.

The centre itself has preceded itself for giving many artists a location to premiere their work and has begun the process of collecting works of art to ensure that the city of Sunderland has a collection of contemporary art – a project that is now resulting in over a hundred works of art being a part of the collection. This has been particularly successful due to the partnership with the National Glass Centre and the University of Sunderland, both of which have new, emerging artists working within them.

The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art can also lay claim to the fact that it is the second largest venue dedicated to contemporary art in the North East of England, after Gateshead’s Baltic Centre. Always striving to bring art to new audiences, regular exhibitions of both established and emerging artists are brought to the gallery, as well as helping to highlight the works of local artists. If you enjoy modern art, then a visit to the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art while you are in Sunderland is a must-see for you.

What's on near Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Rose Condo
LiteratureKendal
Verbalise at Kendal Brewery Arts

Rose Condo is a multi-award-winning poet and spoken word artist, who carefully blends poetry and prose to create live shows she performs with aplomb.

From £11.00
Saltaire Brewery - 58
Until
TourSaltaire
Saltaire Brewery Tour

The guided tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at the brewhouse and state-of-the-art packaging plant, giving visitors a full sense of what “real Yorkshire beer” means today.

From £15.00

Where to go near Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

St. Peter's Church
Sunderland
Place of worship
St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church is a Grade I listed building on the campus of Sunderland University, founded originally by Benedict Biscop.

The National Glass Centre
Sunderland
Tourist Attraction
The National Glass Centre

The National Glass Centre tells how glass, a delicate and light material, came to be such a large part of Sunderland’s stature and history.

Angelo's Ristorante
Sunderland
Restaurant
Angelo’s Ristorante

Angelo’s Ristorante is an authentic Italian restaurant in Sunniside, Sunderland. Sitting within in a Grade II listed building, the restaurant enjoys surroundings that have been carefully restored using the original features of the building, including a rare glass staircase from the 19th century.

Port Independent
Sunderland
Shop
Port Independent

Port Independent is an independent clothing retailer selling high-end fashion and quirky, carefully curated pieces.

D'Acqua
Sunderland
Restaurant
D’Acqua

A stone’s throw from Sunderland museum and winter gardens, is D’Acqua – an exceptional eating experience in the heart of the city. In a Grade II listed building that used to house the Sunderland and South Tyneside water board, you will be able to enjoy the ambience that resonates out of these fantastic bricks and mortar – French oak floors and handmade bricks at that.

Sunderland
Park
Roker Park

Roker Park started as Sunderland Association Football Club’s stadium from the club’s founding in 1898 to 1997 when it was demolished and the club moved to the Stadium of Light. The park today has pleasant walks beside creatively planted flower beds awash with colour.

Mowbray Park
Sunderland
Park
Mowbray Park

In the heart of Sunderland is Mowbray Park – one of the oldest parks in the North East of England. This beautiful park is wonderfully Victorian, being carefully designed to allow for a pleasant walk and fresh air in the centre of the city, while showing you plans from across the world.

Sunderland
Music venue
The Fire Station

The Fire Station in Sunderland now has a state-of-the-art auditorium, bringing a whole new wave of live music, theatre and comedy to the city.

Let There Be Crumbs
Sunderland
Café or Coffee Shop
Let There Be Crumbs

Found down near the beach on Roker seafront, Let There Be Crumbs is a pleasant café inside Roker Hotel. The reputation of this tearoom and eatery has grown and developed since its opening in 2015. It has become one of the best locations in Sunderland for their patisseries, brunch or just to pop-in for a tea or coffee after a walk down on the seafront.

Roker Hotel
Sunderland
Hotel
Roker Hotel

The Roker Hotel offers wonderful views of Roker pier and beach, with easy access to Sunderland city centre via car or Metro. It is a fantastic choice for any visitor to the city. The hotel is well-established and popular in Sunderland and has a dedicated following amongst locals and visitors who return time and time again due to their positive experience.

Culture Guides

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.