10am - 2pm every Wednesday. 

Meet inside of the museum entrance. 

Free, all materials provided. No experience necessary. 

Refreshments provided.

Use Lego and plastic components to build a model, then programme it using an iPad. Using Scratch block coding, you’ll be able to make your model move, make noise, light up, play music, and more! You’ll learn coding, digital literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking – all through play!

• Suitable for ages 5 – 12, no experience necessary
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• No admittance to under 5s – this includes accompanying siblings

Please note, it is not possible to take your model home as the parts will be used for other workshops.

Celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the 1875 excavations of Arbeia by taking part in an archaeological dig in our Time Quest room.

Time Quest is our hands-on experience where you can find out more about archaeology and excavations. 

Dig for finds on the reconstructed excavation site. Piece together pottery, look closely at coins and discover what you have unearthed with the help of museum staff.  

This activity is part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro

Come and ‘meet the expert’ in our drop in session with Prof Colin Herron of the Faraday Institution, North East Battery Alliance and Newcastle University.

During his 17 years at NISSAN, Colin was a key driver in launching the NISSAN Leaf across the world and is one the UK’s leading authorities on battery power and its potential, and its place in the green revolution. 

Colin will be with one of Steam to Green’s star objects the cutaway NISSAN Leaf electric car and cut away full size battery.

He’ll answer all your questions on anything you like about the batteries in electric cars, and will be able to share his knowledge, why it is significant and what it means for the future.

Create your own spring artwork inspired by the colours, plants and animals of spring. 

Suitable for 4-11 years.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. 

Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Over the course of 3 days (Tuesday-Thursday), young people are welcome to explore the galleries, talk about art, and create their own work in sessions led by a professional arts educator. Experiment with materials, learn new skills, and create a dynamic set of works in the Laing's Art Studio.

For an extra charge we also have an option to add early drop-off available from 9.30am and late pick up until 4pm. Please select which days you would like to add these when purchasing your general ticket. Please note this additional cost is per child. 

Parents/Carers will need to fill out a registration form for each child attending. The information gathered in these forms is essential to the wellbeing of your child and the success of these sessions, failure to submit these forms may result in your booking being cancelled. 

Museum opening times: 11am-4pm

Train running days: Museum opens 30 minutes before the first train departure. Please check Ticketsource for train running times. 

We regret that currently we are unable to offer wheelchair access to our carriages as the door openings are restricted to 55cm.  Wheelchair users must be able to self-transfer onto the passenger carriages to ride on our heritage trains. As a heritage railway, we are exempt from certain aspects of the Equality Act. For further help or information, please visit our access information page.

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This event is part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Drop in from 11-3pm.

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This event is part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. 

Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Join us on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Easter holidays to create springtime crafts.

Tuesday 15 April: Use colourful card to create a sculpture of an Easter egg hiding in the grass. Your decoration will be 3-D and can be used as a beautiful Easter centrepiece.

Thursday 17 April: Use a paper plate and card to create a basket of spring flowers. Your decoration can be propped up on a shelf or hung on a wall.

Tuesday 22 April: Use colourful card to create a 3-D vase of flowers. Display your beautiful creation on a shelf or windowsill.

Thursday 24 April: Use corrugated card and paper to create a fun headband or crown. Decorate with flowers or any colourful design you like.

This event is part of our Ways to Play programme - free and low cost events across Tyneside at your favourite family destinations during school holidays. 

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and/or Shields Ferry. Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable.

Take a free guided tour of the Fort site with one of our volunteers who bring the story of Arbeia to life with their in-depth knowledge of Roman history.

Through the course of its history, Arbeia has taken on several guises: from the Roman Emperor's HQ for the Scottish invasion to a busy cosmopolitan port. It has hosted dramatic tales of murder and fire, and holds the key to ancient love stories. A huge supply base for the Roman army, it housed 600 Roman troops and is said to be the birth place of the Northumbrian King Oswin. 

Today, Arbeia is home to some of the finest full-scale Roman reconstructions and archaeological finds in the UK.

Not suitable for children aged 5 or younger.

Join us for an exciting animal handling and interaction session, where you can meet amazing creatures, learn fascinating facts, and enjoy hands-on crafty fun! Perfect for little explorers aged 4+.

Hosted by Angela's Ark.

2 sessions per day:

11am-12pm

12.30-1.30pm

Create your own artist's book using collage, printing and drawing. Experiment with rubber stamps, pen and print to create your artist's book. Bring a line from a song or poem to illustrate. 

Suitable for 12-18 years.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. 

Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Get your thinking caps on and put your invention skills to the test. Can you invent something using K-nex to help us clean up the beach?

A free family challenge for the Easter holidays using imagination and problem solving skills.

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Part of our Ways to Play programme. Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Plan your travel to the museum.

To be seen when we feel invisible. To be heard when our voices are lost in the noisy world around us. To feel understood despite the confusion surrounding us. This is a sense of belonging that we naturally yearn for. This exhibition focuses on the wider theme of what it means to be or to have uniqueness.

By investigating the work of artists including, Eva Hesse, Charles Avery, Yves Klein and Sol LeWitt, L-INK have explored notions of visibility, value and originality. This brought into focus many questions:. What makes you stand out? How much do we show our unique qualities? What is uniqueness?

L-INK have explored this idea through looking at artworks and meeting artists; Mani Kambo, Louise Scott and Mike Collier. This has offered insight into exhibition planning, art as practice and forming visual language and a stronger understanding of ways to communicate broad concepts.

With the notion that uniqueness is both sacred and possessed by all individuals, this experience invites you to reflect upon such qualities in relation to the wider world. The idea of "You" "I" and "Us" is uncovered by L-INK through the different elements of the exhibition. Ultimately highlighting the power of acknowledging our shared humanity. This is summarised in the Filipino phrase, Kapwa, meaning, ‘The Self in the Other’.

L-INK are a group of young people who work with the Hatton Gallery and Laing Art Gallery to create, curate collaborate and offer new perspectives

L-INK 2025 are: Lucy Adams, Josh Banks, Magda Best, Aimée Cast, Morgan Clark, Evie Dielehner, Georgie Donkin, Brett Gales, Sara Gkarouli, Rea Gkarouli, Naomi Harrison, Anna Jakubovics, Scarlett McCurry, Imogen Mellor, Ben Redhead, Sky Shone, Safi Touray,  Chloe Warnock, Rachael Warren and special guest Julius Papong 

With special thanks to Dale Glenister

Our popular Early Years Storytime Group gives families and carers with pre-school children the opportunity to meet regularly throughout the year. 

Join us every Friday (during term time) to read a story together, and take part in a hands-on activity. 

There are extra books and toys available for you to stay and play on the Upper Ground Floor of the Cutter building and the Winding House Café after the session.  

Join Amy our Early Years lead for a special holiday story Clean Up! by Nathan Byron. Small children can listen to the story and then get creative with an associated craft and simple play activities.

A new exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery explores over 200 years of landscape painting in the North of England and Scotland, focusing on the diverse and dramatic landscapes of the regions and how artists have depicted not only the world around us, but also our place within it.   

For centuries, the landscapes of the North have fascinated artists and this exhibition will focus on how these landscapes —urban, rural, land, sea, and sky— have changed. From the Romanticised visions of early artists to the more complex and sometimes harsh realities captured in later works, the paintings reveal not just the physical changes in the land, but also shifts in societal values and human experience.  

The exhibition charts thematic changes in landscape painting. It explores the idea of landscape as 'sublime,' awe-inspiring and overwhelming, and idealised or ‘picturesque,’ which was tied to notions of national identity. Some of the works examine the realities and everyday details of landscapes shaped by agriculture, industry, and urbanisation in later periods, including figures of labourers working in fields, quarries, and mines. It also explores the displacement of communities, the migration to urban centres, and the enduring connection between people and their surroundings, including conceptions of place and belonging.  

The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the past, understand the present, and consider the future of these ever-changing landscapes.

Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscape and Shifting Identities includes works by early pioneers of British landscape art such as John Knox, Alexander Nasmyth, and John Martin through to modern and contemporary works by Anne Redpath, L.S. Lowry, and Joan Eardley.  

This exhibition is organised in collaboration with The Fleming Collection and will bring together works from what is considered the finest collection of Scottish art outside public institutions with paintings from the Laing's outstanding permanent collection.  

• This one hour edible art workshop is suitable for children aged 3 - 12.
• Accompanying adults may book a ticket to decorate their own cookies, or can simply support their child.
• All children must be accompanied by an adult.
• This workshop can be adapted to vegan and gluten free, with advance notice.
• Please let us know about any food intolerances or allergies when you book.
• Ticket sales close at 12.30pm on Tuesday 22 April.

You'll be given three freshly baked cookies to decorate with a springtime theme. The Cookie Fairy will guide you, using step-by-step instructions, to learn the art of ‘flooding’ your cookies - creating a fine, even layer of icing which will be your background. Then, using a range of brightly coloured icing (of varied thicknesses) you’ll create miniature edible 'paintings,' beautifully themed for the season. Finally, using a fine layer or edible shimmer, you’ll complete your creations.

• This two hour edible art workshop is suitable for adults and teens.
• Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. 
• Accompanying adults may book a ticket to decorate their own cookies or can simply support their teen. Booking required for accompanying adults.
• This workshop can be adapted to vegan and gluten free with advance notice.
• Please let us know about any food intolerances or allergies when you book. 
• Ticket sales close at midday on Tuesday 22 April. 

Please note, this workshop does not involve baking - you'll be given freshly baked cookies, handmade by The Cookie Fairy.

Come and get creative with Hatton's Art Cart! Full of help-yourself art activities for families to do together. Available every day throughout the Easter holidays. Everyone welcome.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. 

Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Journeys is a project and exhibition that explores the experiences of individuals impacted by organ donation and transplantation, visualised through maps and objects.

The project, developed by the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation at Cambridge and Newcastle Universities and in collaboration with community publishers Foundation Press, invited participants to create maps to illustrate their unique journeys. In addition to the maps, participants selected objects that played significant roles in their experiences.

Real-life journeys can be incredibly challenging, especially when someone needs an organ transplant or when caring for someone who does. It's the same if someone becomes a living donor or starts a career in organ donation and transplantation research. We hope the experiences in this exhibition give you a new perspective on organ donation and transplantation, allowing you to consider what you would do in similar circumstances. 

The relaxed session for SEND visitors and their companions of Brick Alley’s LEGO User Group Discovery Bricks LEGO Show

Are you ready for a LEGO-filled day out you and your family won’t forget?

• Be the first to see the newest LEGO models and displays from a hand-picked selection of the best LEGO builders in the UK. From LEGO cities to Ninjago, Friends and trains to spaceships and more, we’ll have some of the UK’s best amateur LEGO builders showcasing their work.
• Join a range of fun LEGO STEM and Speed Build activities for all generations.
• Explore our range of specially-selected LEGO traders and sellers - from pocket money toys to hard-to-find LEGO sets and accessories.

It’s not all about the LEGO, either – the museum is open for all to explore, with three floors of exhibitions and displays covering science, technology, military and local history.

Back for the second year, the outstanding Newcastle Puppetry festival from Moving Parts Arts. 

Visit the Moving Parts Arts website for more information about the events, including dates and times: www.movingpartsarts.com

Free, no booking required activities:  

Saturday 19 April: Beasts on the Street

Monday 21 April - Sunday 27 April: Toon Underground Parade Exhibition

Friday 25 April: Feisty Fox Friends Workshops

Saturday 26 April: Mole in a Hole Workshops

Sunday 27 April: Boogie-ing Badgers Workshops

Bookable activities: 

Monday 21 - Saturday 26 April: Beasts and Varmints: 6-day Puppet Making Course

Monday 21 & Tuesday 22nd April: The Heart of Story: Crafting Narrative for Puppet Theatre Course

Wednesday 23 & Thursday 24 April: The Darker Side of Puppetry Course

Friday 25 & Saturday 26 April: Manipulating Marionettes Course: A New Approach

Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 April: 'Whirl-a-Bird' Puppet Making Course

The Brick Alley LEGO User Group bring Discovery Bricks LEGO Show to the Great Hall. 

• See some of the newest LEGO®  models and displays from a hand-picked selection of the best LEGO®  builders in the UK
• From LEGO®  cities to Ninjago, Friends and trains to spaceships and more, we’ll have some of the UK’s best amateur LEGO®  builders to showcase their work
• Explore our range of specially-selected LEGO®  traders and sellers
• From pocket money toys to hard-to-find LEGO®  sets and accessories, there’s something for every LEGO®  fan!
• Take part in a range of fun LEGO®  STEM and Speed Build activities that all the family can enjoy

It’s not all about the LEGO® – the museum has three floors of displays exploring inventions, people, and Tyneside's history.

LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group. Brick Alley and Discovery Brick Show are not owned or endorsed by the LEGO® Group.

Join us this Easter for fun, family-friendly activities at the Great North Museum: Hancock.

Saturday 19 April - Sunday 27 April

Moving Parts Arts Puppetry Festival
Back for the second year, the outstanding Newcastle Puppetry festival from Moving Parts Arts. A combination of free activities and pay-for bookable activities.

Tuesday 22 April

Relaxed Early Opening
Enjoy early access to the Great North Museum: Hancock for a quieter, more relaxed experience. From 9-10am. Free, booking required.

Daily during museum opening hours

Underground Adventures with Murray the Mole
This collection of free family trails invites you to explore the museum, engage with objects, and collect prizes. Free to take part. For more information, please visit the Welcome Desk. 

Planetarium
Book your tickets on the day at the Welcome Desk, from £2.95 per person.

Mouse House
The Mouse House is a multipurpose space for our youngest visitors and their families to enjoy. 

Gallery Spinner Challenge
Have a go at our spinners, which you can find in several of our gallery spaces. The spinners are fun interactive games with exciting facts and challenges to explore. Free to take part.

Hancock Café
Our main upstairs café is open daily. 

Outdoor Café Pod
The pod is conveniently located in front of the museum entrance, right next to the picnic benches. Serving soft-serve ice cream, coffee, cold drinks, and snacks.

Part of our Ways to Play programme 

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Plan your travel to the Museum.

Explore the Spring Energy Trail throughout the museum. 

Follow the clues to collect all the letters. Unscramble the letter to create your answer, and enter our prize draw to win a spring hamper.

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Part of our Ways to Play programme. Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Plan your travel to the museum.

Visit the Robson room where you can have a go at some Medieval brass rubbings.

This is your chance to get creative during the Easter holidays with a brand new, family friendly art activity. 

At the centre of every miner's home was a kitchen, and at the heart would have been the range. It would provide warmth and comfort on the coldest days, as well as generating heat to cook meals, hot water for a pot of tea or to fill a tin bath to bathe in. 

Inspired by the painters of the Ashington Group who captured these scenes of domestic life in their paintings, you can create your own Victorian cooking range using the drawing and collage materials provided. 

You can find a real range on display in Coal Town downstairs in the museum, and see if you can spot a range in any of the paintings by The Pitmen Painters in the Ashington Group Gallery upstairs. 

A friendly member of staff will be on hand to help but we ask that children are not left unattended, grown ups are invited to get creative too! 

This activity is devised by artist Paul Merrick. 

The Pop Up Ashington Group Hut, designed by artist Imogen Cloët, is inspired by the hut in which the Ashington Group met to make and talk about their artworks. 

Supported by Arts Council England and Northumberland County Council.

Every fourth Sunday of the month between 10-11am is Quiet Hour, when there are fewer visitors in the museum and we turn down the sound in our exhibitions and displays. 

We also have ear defenders available for you to borrow, as some of the experiences around the museum can be quite noisy. 

Take part in our explorer trail here at Segedunum Roman Fort. For just 50p, little adventurers will receive a worksheet packed with activities:

• Follow the trail around the site and museum
• Navigate our maze puzzle
• Unscramble words in our Roman word search
• Get creative with some colouring in
• Discover fascinating facts about Roman festivals.

Things to see and do this Easter at Discovery Museum; for all the family: 

*NEW* Tiny Tyneside opens for children under 5

Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution - see a NISSAN cutaway car and fly solar planes 

Events

12 April - 27 April

Spring Energy Trail        

50p – enter prize draw with completed trail

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Tuesday 15 April 2025

Chain Reaction Challenge

Build and knock down dominos and marble runs.   

Free, 6+, booking advised

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Thursday 17 April 2025     

Marble Mazes

Roll marbles through LEGO™ maze to help the Easter Bunny

Free, 6+ booking required 

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Tuesday 22 April 2025      

*Cancelled* Build an ocean cleaner

Due to unforeseen circumstances this event has been cancelled.    

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Thursday 24th April 2025

Build a beach cleaner     

Use K-nex to create cleaners for a beach

Free, 6+ booking required

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Friday 25 April 2025

Discover a Story: Clean Up!

Story and crafts for young children

£3.50, ages 3-5      

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Monday 14 April

Meet the Expert - Electrochemical Technologies

Steam to Green ground floor, free, drop in

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Tuesday 15 & 22 April

Meet the Expert - Green Energy & Sustainability

Steam to Green ground floor, free, drop in

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Wednesday 16 & 23, Monday 28 April

Meet the Expert – All About Electric Cars and their Batteries

Steam to Green ground floor, free, drop in

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Thursday 17 & 24 April

Meet the Expert - Clean Energy and Communities

Steam to Green ground floor, free, drop in

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Part of our Ways to Play programme. Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Plan your travel to the museum.

Join in the annual festival of Northumberland's traditional music, dance, dialect, crafts, stories and heritage. 

The Chantry hosts some of the musical events and piping competitions. 

Chantry programme 

All details below are subject to confirmation. 

Audiences at the Chantry are requested to vacate the room after each scheduled event to assist with logistics. 

Friday 25 April 

Morning

• Border pipes have-a-go session with David Faulkner, in conjunction with the Bagpipe Society. 

Afternoon

• Shanties in the Chantry with Ian McKone of the Ran Tanners. 
• Followed by Dulcimer workshop with Sandie and Ken Hudson on the Appalachian dulcimer and guitar. 

Saturday 26 April 

Morning

• Meet the Pipers drop in session for players and listeners with the Northumbrian Pipers' Society. 

Afternoon 

• Competitions for Northumbrian Pipes and Border/Lowland/Half-Long Pipes. Audiences are welcome to attend. 
• Border Pipes concert with David Faulkner and friends. 

Sunday 27 April 

Morning 

• Morpeth Heritage Walk guided by James Boyd. 
• Bagpipe Allsorts, a sharing session for all pipes led by David Faulkner. 

Afternoon 

• The Myth of Morpeth, Shonaleigh retells her Millennium project story.
• Drop in Dulcimer Workshop, Nonsuch Dulcimer Club 'Come and Try' session on hammered and mountain dulcimers.

To find out more about the programme, visit the Northumbriana Gathering website.

Come along to Hexham Old Gaol and take part in our Easter trail. See if you can find all of the hares taken from medieval manuscripts hidden around the site. 

During the Easter holidays, come and have a go at making your own bouncing bunny. 

See how far and how high your bunny can bounce. 

Have a look around the museum and follow the Hexham Hare Trail. See if you can spot all of the Hares hiding around the museum. 

Discover the Laing with your little ones and support their early development in a fun and relaxed way, exploring a different theme each week. Each session involves a warm up with movement and motion, gallery exploration with fun interactive activities, a practical art activity with various materials, and a short story time. 

There is a different theme each week, but please note that the theme for the Monday and Friday session each week will be the same. 

This activity aims to be fully inclusive and anyone with additional needs is welcome. Sessions are aimed at 1-5 year olds.

If you'd like to have an informal conversation with tutor or member of the team before booking please email learning@laingartgallery.org.uk. 

Can't make these sessions? Our sister venue, the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead, runs Crafty Kids sessions aimed at 2-5 year olds, on Tuesdays during term time. The sessions follow a similar format to Little Artists and are led by friendly Early Years specialists. Find out more about Crafty Kids.

A fun-filled 1 hour session led by our friendly Early Years specialist, Steph. Each session is based around a theme found in the artworks, such as colour, texture, line, and animals, which are designed for 2-5 year olds. 

Discover the gallery with your little ones, and support their early development in a fun and relaxed way. In these sessions, families will discover the artworks, get creative with a range of art materials, and explore the gallery together. There will be stories, songs, and fun creative activities - all designed to actively engage pre-schoolers with the gallery.

First, we'll gather for stories and singing. No need to sit still for long though - we'll be going exploring, doing treasure hunts around the gallery, and playing creatively to help us discover the artworks on display. At each session, your child will make something to take home, using a wide range of art materials, including ones that they may not have tried before.

After the session, please enjoy the gallery at your leisure. We provide space for families to enjoy a packed lunch. If you want a cafe, the nearest is at Gateshead Central Library, just along the street.

•  Activities designed for 2-5 year olds, but younger accompanying siblings also welcome.
• Please book a ticket for all children who will be participating. Sibling discount available.
• One adult per participating child, due to space restrictions.
• Disabled parents may bring a PA or Carer for support - please book relevant ticket.
• Sessions run fortnightly on Tuesdays, with a break for school holidays.

Parent/carer reviews:

'Excellent session, well planned short activities for the children. Lovely interaction with the children and parents. Thank you very much.'

'Lovely session. Well paced and very interactive - our first time but we'll come again'.

These sessions are a chance to develop your English in a friendly and informal setting.

We will use the art collections in the gallery and local history as inspiration for our discussions.

Session themes:

Wednesday 5 March: Find out about the Shipley and other free local museums

Wednesday 12 March: Explore our paintings and make your own

Wednesday 19 March: Learn about our local park and local history. Please note that this session has been cancelled. 

Wednesday 26 March: Explore our ceramics and make your own

Wednesday 2 April: Explore our textiles and make your own

Wednesday 09 April: Talk about your favourite Shipley artwork and celebrate with us

The nearest stop on the Tyne & Wear Metro is Gateshead Interchange.

Bus service 52 from Gateshead Interchange stops outside the Shipley Art Gallery.

Sustainable Clay explores the environmental impact of this naturally occurring material. Potters and artists have long valued clay for its connection to a particular place, the very earth beneath our feet, but they are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of this material. From industrial mining to international transportation, the toxicity of glaze ingredients to the intense energy and heat required every time the kiln is fired, contemporary artists are questioning the sustainability of clay and adapting their work in response.

All of the contemporary artists in this exhibition have a link to the North East of England, through study, teaching, residencies or commissions. This reflects the important role of Newcastle University’s Fine Art Department as a centre for ceramic creativity and innovation. As this exhibition shows, the North East provides them with a unique context – a place where the industrial production of ceramics once thrived due to plentiful supplies of coal, the clay that was dug up as a by-product, and the waterways and railways that transported raw materials and finished products around the globe. Clay continues to be a global commodity and sustainability is now a global concern.

The artists featured in this exhibition are taking an experimental approach to clay as a sculptural material while striving for sustainability within their creative processes. Some are digging local clay to work with or finding more sustainable ways to fire their kilns, others are no longer firing their clay or choosing not to glaze their work, and some are using their ceramic skills to work with alternative materials.

Sustainable Clay features work by 12 artists at different stages of their careers: Wolfgang Weileder, Laurie Powell, Katie Cuddon, Shitanshu Mauyra, Andrew Burton, Lady Kitt, Rosie McLachlan, Brigitte Jurack, Paul Scott, Xiang Yang, Eva Masterman and Bethany Stead. Their work will accompanied by studio interviews, filmed by Jason Thompson, and an introductory space with highlights from the Laing and Shipley Art Gallery’s outstanding ceramics collections.

This exhibition has been curated as a collaboration between Matthew Jarratt, Visiting Professor of Creative Practice, Newcastle University and the Hatton Gallery.  

Image: Cumbrian Blue(s), Sellafield No:9, 5/5. Transfer print collage on bone china platter with platinum, 410mm x 345mm x 24mm. Paul Scott 2005.

Watch interviews with the artists on YouTube.

Newcastle University’s new MA Curating Art presents three exhibitions of roughly one month each. First is a ‘one-work’ exhibition, looking again at a treasure from the Hatton’s permanent collection. The second exhibition is a re-examination of historical and modern artworks acquired by the Hatton across its first century of teaching fine art. The third exhibition combines contemporary art and historical artworks in unexpected ways.

Image: 'Wentworth Woodhouse', William Cowen, oil on canvas, Hatton Gallery

Join us for the 10th anniversary display of work by the North East Modern Quilt Guild (NEMQG). 

The NEMQG formed in May 2015 when a small group of likeminded sewists came together. Since 2017, the group have met at Shipley Art Gallery. 

The NEMQG is part of a thriving worldwide community of modern quilters and is a not-for-profit organisation, looking to not only promote the modern ethos in quilting style and techniques, but also looking to educate and support the wider community through its projects. 

Over the years the NEMQ has donated group-made quilts to local community groups, as well as raised funds for northeast charities and organisations including North East Museums. 

The support that the guild receives from the Shipley is invaluable and the group are delighted that the gallery is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the NEMQG with them.

Housed in Woodhorn'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. 

View past winners and highly commended artworks.

Free, drop in. Donations welcome.

George Horton, a self-taught artist from South Shields, became one of the most renowned painters of the North East in the early 1900s, celebrated for his watercolours of coastal scenes. Despite a challenging upbringing and no formal training, his talent earned him spots in prestigious exhibitions, including the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon.

Horton’s artistic journey began with determined practice, sketching old works at his local library despite his father’s disapproval. An early fascination with portraiture led him to acquire a human skull for anatomical studies, which resulted in his estrangement from home at seventeen.

A move to South Shields marked a new chapter, where he found support through his marriage. A transformative honeymoon to Holland sparked his lifelong passion for the Dutch landscape, inspiring countless sketching trips.

While beloved in France and Holland, Horton struggled to gain wider recognition in England, partly due to his late entry into the London art scene. Nevertheless, his devotion to art remained unwavering throughout his 68-year career, painting purely for the love of his craft.

This exhibition offers a chance to rediscover Horton’s legacy and celebrate the passion and perseverance of George Horton. 

Five years ago COVID-19 came to our shores. The first confirmed cases were in York, in late January 2020, and the patients were treated at the high-level isolation unit at the RVI in Newcastle. On 23 March Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a televised address to the nation, and lockdown regulations came into effect across the UK three days later.

This display features some of the things the museum collected to represent COVID-19 and the massive impact the pandemic had on all of our lives.

'My Life as a Pitman' is a special collection of paintings made by Ashington Group artist, Oliver Kilbourn. 

The collection forms a comprehensive record of Kilbourn's 50 year career underground, offering valuable insight into the working environment of a North East coal miner during the mid 20th century. 

This collection is on display as part of the Ashington Group 90 programme, so don't miss your chance to view these unique artworks. 

Ashington Group 90 is supported by The Ashington Group Trustees, Northumberland County Council, Arts Council England, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and Sir James Knott Trust. 

2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the excavations in 1875 at the 'Roman camp' now, Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort. 

This exhibition will look at the progress of the first few years of excavations from 1875 – 1881 when the Roman Remains Park was then established. 

The displays will include what was found, the people involved in the work as well as photographs taken at the time. 

This collection of free family trails invites you to explore the museum, engage with various objects, and collect prizes. 

You can use the trail up to four times across one, two, three, or four visits. Complete each trail to earn a sticker. 

If you complete all four trails, you'll earn a special Golden Murray sticker and have the chance to enter a prize draw for a Murray the Mole toy. 

For more information, please visit the Welcome Desk. 

Travel to the museum by Tyne and Wear Metro and up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free with a fare-paying adult.

SHOAL is 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.

Each image is based on a collection of marine plastic that forms a 'shoal', arrangements of different species of fish that the plastic ultimately affects. Objects and particles have been duplicated to represent both the scale of lives lost and the amount of plastic that entered the Pacific Ocean as a result of the Tohoku earthquake and Japanese Tsunami, March 11 2011.

'Shoal' is a description given to a group of fish swimming together, a large number of people, or things. 

This project was made possible by The Royal Photographic Society and Photographic Angle Environmental Bursary Award 2012.

Photograph © Mandy Barker

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. 

Hobson was possessed of a curious eye, a passion for nature and the great outdoors, and he lived for his art. His paintings feature looming power station cooling towers, and the dilapidated remnants of past industrial might. He also recorded the spectacular natural world of the North Country, on his frequent rambles in the countryside, accompanied by his wife Pat and son Harry. Above all, Hobson painted because he saw beauty before him, no matter what the subject, warts and all. 

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.  

She was also interested in movement and states of change, which began with studies she produced as a student of Fine Art in Newcastle. During this time, she began to actively consider the parallels between human and plant forms, an important theme that extended throughout her life.     

As part of the exhibition, the Laing Art Gallery has commissioned Surface Area Dance Theatre, a live performance organisation that works at the interface between sign language, D/deaf culture, and dance, to develop and produce a performance to camera in response to the Nerys Johnson archive, titled Down Amongst the Plants.  

Down Amongst the Plants pays tribute to Johnson’s engagement with the rhythms of nature through Butoh, a form of Japanese dance. The choreographer of the performance, Vangeline, is the artistic director of the internationally acclaimed New York Butoh Institute, based in New York, USA.  

Johnson was not only an artist, but also a curator. Her curatorial career began at the Laing Art Gallery in 1968, when she took up the post as a Keeper of Fine Art. She eventually became the Keeper in Charge of the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Arts Centre (DLI) in 1970. During this time, the museum’s Contemporary Art Centre became a regional hub for art, attracting internationally acclaimed artists like Bridget Riley and Henry Moore. 

Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice celebrates the richness of Johnson’s life and work and explores how her individual artistic practice flourished with the support of her vast social network. 

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city centre every Saturday morning with a free talk from the Friends of the Laing Art Gallery. Find out more about some of the paintings in our collection and share your experience with fellow art lovers.

March Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt (1868)

April La Place Nationale Dieppe by Sylvia Gosse (1935) 

May Sunderland Old Pier and Lighthouse by John Carmichael (1840)

June A Grecian Flower Market by John Waterhouse (1880)

Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt (1867).

Discover our What's On page to explore our events programme. 

Find out more about North Shields 800 here: Visit North Tyneside

Discover our What's On page to explore our events programme. 

Find out more at Railway 200.

A small, friendly group who meet in the gallery to enjoy drawing and painting together.

New members are welcome to join, whatever your level of skill and experience.

Please note, this is not a taught class. Instead, it's an opportunity to work on your art in good company and inspiring surroundings. You'll need to bring your own materials and equipment. Please note that oil paints and aerosol or fixative sprays are not permitted. The group is suitable for adults. 

There's plenty of opportunity for chat and skill sharing at this supportive group. We use shared tables, or you're welcome to borrow a gallery stool and sketch around the gallery. 

Some refreshments are provided.

To join, or try a session, please contact:

Kari Lawson
Email: Karimlawson@gmail.com
Tel: 07867 494 421

Discovery Museum’s new exhibition explores the story of energy in the North East by looking back to the industrial revolution, and forward to the pioneering contributions in green technologies happening now across the North East region.

With exciting new hands-on displays demonstrating wind and solar power, historical science and engineering objects and even a 'cutaway' electric NISSAN Leaf car on display, Steam to Green will showcase how the North East is leading the way in green energy.

The exhibition was created in partnership with Newcastle University.

Headline sponsor: Vattenfall

Follow this link to find out more about Vattenfall our headline sponsor

Supported by: The Reece Foundation, Newcastle University, Faraday Challenge, Friends of Discovery Museum, the Headley Trust and the Art Fund.

Sponsored by: Lumo,  Tyne and Wear Metro and Northumbrian Water

Spark your child’s imagination with stories about science and curious objects. This is an opportunity for tiny engineering, inventing, discovering, designing and investigating. 

At Tiny Sparks young children aged 3-5 can explore science, history and museum collections each week through play, craft, activity, song and story. 

Tiny Sparks is the perfect place for little ones to socialise and make new friends. 

What to expect:

• Sessions will take place in Play + Invent on the 2nd floor. 
• We recommend arriving early to allow plenty of time to make your way through the museum. 
• Please wear clothes suitable for messy play. You might like to also bring a spare outfit with you!
• Other children participating in the session may have food allergies, we therefore ask that no food is consumed during Tiny Sparks. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe. 
• Only adults accompanying a participating child will be admitted. 
• To run sessions we need a minimum of three children, aged 3-5 years old, booked on to attend. If we do not make these numbers we will contact attendees to let them know. 

Join Georgina and Albany the Great North Mouse for ‘Museum Mice’, a two part series of sessions on Friday mornings at 10:30 - 11:30am.

Our Museum Mice sessions are designed for children under 5, and are the perfect place for your little one to socialise with new people and make friends, whilst exploring our Museum collections though play.
The sessions will begin with songs, followed by free time to explore other play activities within the space and an opportunity to have a closer look at some of our museum handling collections! 

Our current theme  is called 'Splish Splash Under the Sea'. Each round will follow a new theme for your little ones to enjoy.

• Part 1: Friday 2 May 2025 at 10:30 - 11:30am
• Part 2: Friday 9 May 2025 at 10:30- 11:30am 

Please arrive at the main entrance of the museum where the welcome desk can direct you to the location of the session. 

Sessions will usually take place in the Mouse House, but occasionally sessions may move to different location within the museum. 

You are booking a two part series. If you are unable to attend a particular date please contact Georgina at georgina.scott@northeastmuseums.org.uk so that we can offer the space on that date to another family.

Join Georgina and Albany the Great North Mouse for ‘Museum Mice’, a two part series of sessions on Friday afternoons at 1-2pm.

Our Museum Mice sessions are designed for children under 5, and are the perfect place for your little one to socialise with new people and make friends, whilst exploring our Museum collections though play.

The sessions will begin with songs, followed by free time to explore other play activities within the space and an opportunity to have a closer look at some of our museum handling collections! 

Our current theme  is called 'Splish Splash Under the Sea'. Each round will follow a new theme for your little ones to enjoy.

• Part 1: Friday 2 May 2025 at 1-2pm
• Part 2: Friday 9 May 2025 at 1-2pm

Please arrive at the main entrance of the museum where the welcome desk can direct you to the location of the session. 

Sessions will usually take place in the Mouse House, but occasionally sessions may move to different location within the museum. 

You are booking a two part series. If you are unable to attend a particular date please contact Georgina at georgina.scott@northeastmuseums.org.uk so that we can offer the space on that date to another family.

Discover the Laing with your little ones and support their early development in a fun and relaxed way, exploring a different theme each week. Each session involves a warm up with movement and motion, gallery exploration with fun interactive activities, a practical art activity with various materials, and a short story time. 

There is a different theme each week, but please note that the theme for the Monday and Friday session each week will be the same. 

This activity aims to be fully inclusive and anyone with additional needs is welcome. Sessions are aimed at 1-5 year olds.

If you'd like to have an informal conversation with tutor or member of the team before booking please email learning@laingartgallery.org.uk. 

Can't make these sessions? Our sister venue, the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead, runs Crafty Kids sessions aimed at 2-5 year olds, on Tuesdays during term time. The sessions follow a similar format to Little Artists and are led by friendly Early Years specialists. Find out more about Crafty Kids.

Sustainable Clay explores the environmental impact of this naturally occurring material. Potters and artists have long valued clay for its connection to a particular place, the very earth beneath our feet, but they are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of this material. From industrial mining to international transportation, the toxicity of glaze ingredients to the intense energy and heat required every time the kiln is fired, contemporary artists are questioning the sustainability of clay and adapting their work in response.

All of the contemporary artists in this exhibition have a link to the North East of England, through study, teaching, residencies or commissions. This reflects the important role of Newcastle University’s Fine Art Department as a centre for ceramic creativity and innovation. As this exhibition shows, the North East provides them with a unique context – a place where the industrial production of ceramics once thrived due to plentiful supplies of coal, the clay that was dug up as a by-product, and the waterways and railways that transported raw materials and finished products around the globe. Clay continues to be a global commodity and sustainability is now a global concern.

The artists featured in this exhibition are taking an experimental approach to clay as a sculptural material while striving for sustainability within their creative processes. Some are digging local clay to work with or finding more sustainable ways to fire their kilns, others are no longer firing their clay or choosing not to glaze their work, and some are using their ceramic skills to work with alternative materials.

Sustainable Clay features work by 12 artists at different stages of their careers: Wolfgang Weileder, Laurie Powell, Katie Cuddon, Shitanshu Mauyra, Andrew Burton, Lady Kitt, Rosie McLachlan, Brigitte Jurack, Paul Scott, Xiang Yang, Eva Masterman and Bethany Stead. Their work will accompanied by studio interviews, filmed by Jason Thompson, and an introductory space with highlights from the Laing and Shipley Art Gallery’s outstanding ceramics collections.

This exhibition has been curated as a collaboration between Matthew Jarratt, Visiting Professor of Creative Practice, Newcastle University and the Hatton Gallery.  

Image: Cumbrian Blue(s), Sellafield No:9, 5/5. Transfer print collage on bone china platter with platinum, 410mm x 345mm x 24mm. Paul Scott 2005.

Watch interviews with the artists on YouTube.

An inclusive art class held on the first Saturday of every month for 10-15 year olds. 

Participants will have the opportunity to work with professional art educators, working in a different medium or with a different technique each month. 

This group aims to be fully inclusive and anyone with additional needs is welcome. If you would like to have an informal conversation with the tutor before attending then please contact the Laing learning team on learning@laingartgallery.org.uk.

Join us for a workshop on Dandyism with artist Ziza Patrick. 

Step into the world of Dandyism, where elegance meets rebellion, and fashion becomes a powerful tool for self-expression. Participants are encouraged to bring their own outfits, but a curated selection of flamboyant clothing and accessories will also be available to explore your individual style.

This is more than just a styling workshop, it’s an invitation to deconstruct traditional formalwear and rebuild it with flair, individuality, and bold imagination. Whether you're drawn to crisp tailoring or extravagant silhouettes, this is your moment to reimagine what sophistication can look like and on your terms.

We’ll celebrate beauty, uniqueness, and joyful self-expression, helping you to present the most authentic and radiant version of yourself to others on a makeshift runaway.

Take a look at the step-by-step guide to prepare you for the event.

Ziza Patrick is a multidisciplinary artist and a dance theatre maker of Rwandan heritage. He creates a variety of work that explores the themes of African traditions and cultural norms, investigating the effect they have on people from the global south who were born or have lived in the western communities most of their lives. 

GIFT 2025 is made possible with the generous support of funding and support from Arts Council England, Gateshead Council, Newcastle University, Quebec Government Office in London, High Commission of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts.

Museum opening times: 11am-4pm

Train running days: Museum opens 30 minutes before the first train departure. Please check Ticketsource for train running times. 

We regret that currently we are unable to offer wheelchair access to our carriages as the door openings are restricted to 55cm.  Wheelchair users must be able to self-transfer onto the passenger carriages to ride on our heritage trains. As a heritage railway, we are exempt from certain aspects of the Equality Act. For further help or information, please visit our access information page.

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This event is part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Make your ‘Ways to Play’ adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and / or Ferry.  

Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it’s even more affordable. Find out more

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.

Newcastle University’s new MA Curating Art presents three exhibitions of roughly one month each. First is a ‘one-work’ exhibition, looking again at a treasure from the Hatton’s permanent collection. The second exhibition is a re-examination of historical and modern artworks acquired by the Hatton across its first century of teaching fine art. The third exhibition combines contemporary art and historical artworks in unexpected ways.

Image: 'Wentworth Woodhouse', William Cowen, oil on canvas, Hatton Gallery

On the first Wednesday of every month, there is live music in the Winding House Café. 

Dave and Ray from 'Three's a Crowd' will be performing a mix of easy listening songs from the 60s and 70s. 

Come and show your support.

These sessions are a chance to develop your English in a friendly and informal setting.

We will use the art collections in the gallery and local history as inspiration for our discussions.

Session themes:

Wednesday 5 March: Find out about the Shipley and other free local museums

Wednesday 12 March: Explore our paintings and make your own

Wednesday 19 March: Learn about our local park and local history. Please note that this session has been cancelled. 

Wednesday 26 March: Explore our ceramics and make your own

Wednesday 2 April: Explore our textiles and make your own

Wednesday 09 April: Talk about your favourite Shipley artwork and celebrate with us

The nearest stop on the Tyne & Wear Metro is Gateshead Interchange.

Bus service 52 from Gateshead Interchange stops outside the Shipley Art Gallery.

10am - 2pm every Wednesday. 

Meet inside of the museum entrance. 

Free, all materials provided. No experience necessary. 

Refreshments provided.

Join volunteers from Charge! The Story of England's Northern Cavalry for a talk to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. 

Hear about the final 11 months of the Second World War from D-Day to VE Day with a focus on our regiments the 13th/18th Hussars, 15th/19th Hussars and the Northumberland Hussars. 

The talk includes the opportunity to take part in a Q&A, and visit the Charge! gallery which brings the 300 year history of England's Northern Cavalry regiments to life. 

Join us for the 10th anniversary display of work by the North East Modern Quilt Guild (NEMQG). 

The NEMQG formed in May 2015 when a small group of likeminded sewists came together. Since 2017, the group have met at Shipley Art Gallery. 

The NEMQG is part of a thriving worldwide community of modern quilters and is a not-for-profit organisation, looking to not only promote the modern ethos in quilting style and techniques, but also looking to educate and support the wider community through its projects. 

Over the years the NEMQ has donated group-made quilts to local community groups, as well as raised funds for northeast charities and organisations including North East Museums. 

The support that the guild receives from the Shipley is invaluable and the group are delighted that the gallery is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the NEMQG with them.

Acrylic pouring is a fascinating way to make abstract art. Pour liquid acrylic paint onto a surface and tilt it gently, making the paint flow into a completely unique abstract design. 

In this workshop you will decorate a serving / chopping board using the technique of acrylic pouring. Choose between lava or seascape, and use the flip cup technique to make the paints flow across the surface.

You'll pour onto a 29.5 x 20 x 1.5cm food safe board. There's the option to add embellishments using locally sourced seaglass / sea coal and your own handmade polymer clay animals. 
   
This workshop is led by Rebekah of Redeemed Arts who has a passion for upcycling and acrylic pouring. Rebekah will guide you through the process, in which you'll make a beautiful, functional artwork.

The results of this technique are surprising and unique every time, allowing anyone to be an artist. Your items will be left to dry after the workshop, and Rebekah will resin seal them ready for you to collect from the gallery approximately three weeks later. The resulting pieces will be foodsafe and suitable for everyday use.

This workshop is suitable for ages 16+. If you need a carer / personal assistant to accompany you, please book them a free ticket.

Acrylic pouring is a fascinating way to make abstract art. Pour liquid acrylic paint onto a surface and tilt it gently, making the paint flow into a completely unique abstract design. 

In this workshop you'll decorate a set of 4 coasters using this technique. Choose your colours and have a go at one or two techniques to make them flow across the surface. 

This workshop is led by Rebekah of Redeemed Arts who has a passion for upcycling and acrylic pouring. Rebekah will guide you through the process, in which you'll make a beautiful, functional set of artworks.

The results of this technique are surprising and unique every time, allowing anyone to be an artist. Your coasters will be left to dry after the workshop, and Rebekah will resin seal them ready for you to collect from the gallery approximately three weeks later. The resulting pieces will be heat resistant to 90°c and suitable for everyday use.

This workshop is for adults (age 16+).

What to expect: 

• Participants will receive a safety brief and induction at the beginning of this experience.
• Upon the completion of your experience day, you'll receive a certificate and a complimentary North Tyneside Steam Rail Association mug.
• You’ll learn how to prepare, start up and operate this powerful machine before collecting some wagons and taking a freight train for a run out on the line. 
• Your driver experience includes a workshop tour and a visit to the museum at your leisure.
• There will be a max of 2 participants per session.
• Refreshments provided. 

We reserve the right to cancel and amend the experience at any time. In the event of cancellation due to operational issues, the rescheduling of the event or a refund will be offered. 

This experience involves climbing up / down vertical steps to the height of 6 feet. Before booking, you must inform us of any illness or disability. Failure to do so may result in the experience being cancelled on arrival. 

Please email: info@stephensonsteamrailway.org.uk for more details.

Participants must: 

• Be physically fit and aged over 18 at the time of the experience. Our risk assessment process requires that a doctor’s letter be provided confirming that participants over the age of 75 are medically fit and capable to participate in the Drive a Diesel Engine experience. This must be made available to the railway before the day of the experience.

• Be able, in the event of an emergency evacuation; to climb on/off the locomotive from ground level unaided, this may be up to a 1.5 metre (5 feet) vertical climb with steps at up to 0.6M (2ft) spacing. You must also be able to cope with discomfort, variable temperatures, weather and lighting, heights, noise and vibration.

• Be able to read (with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary) a car number plate from 20 metres.

• Must be able to hear and understand verbal instructions in noisy surroundings.

• Disclose any medical conditions and treatment/medication that may affect mobility, concentration, dexterity, co-ordination, consciousness and ability to understand and follow instructions.

• Drive a Diesel Engine experience may not be suitable for those with some disabilities, particularly where these affect mobility, concentration, dexterity, co-ordination and ability to understand and follow instructions. We advise you to contact us prior to booking one of our experiences if you believe this may affect the participant to ensure the activities are suitable.

• Alcohol & Drugs: Participants must not come on the Drive a Diesel Engine experience under the effects of alcohol, or any drugs which may affect their vigilance, whether medically prescribed or not, or consume such while on the Drive a Diesel Engine experience

• Safety Information: On the day of your Drive a Diesel Engine experience, participants will receive a short Safety Briefing relevant to the day’s activities.

• Mobile Phones / Photographic Equipment – Whilst driving, participants are prohibited from using mobile telephones/other interactive mobile devices and photographic equipment. Opportunities for photographs are available once the locomotive has come to a stand and is secured by the crew.

• We will permit you to transfer the place to someone else yourself, under the same booking conditions, but you must advise us of the details immediately when they are known.

• We reserve the right to terminate, without refund, your Drive a Diesel Engine experience if the participant is deemed unsafe on the day.

• We reserve the right to cancel a Drive a Diesel Engine experience in the event of circumstances beyond our control, but we will provide an alternate date or provide a refund.

• Locomotives will be used from the current fleet available and cannot be specified in advance.

A fun-filled 1 hour session led by our friendly Early Years specialist, Steph. Each session is based around a theme found in the artworks, such as colour, texture, line, and animals, which are designed for 2-5 year olds. 

Discover the gallery with your little ones, and support their early development in a fun and relaxed way. In these sessions, families will discover the artworks, get creative with a range of art materials, and explore the gallery together. There will be stories, songs, and fun creative activities - all designed to actively engage pre-schoolers with the gallery.

First, we'll gather for stories and singing. No need to sit still for long though - we'll be going exploring, doing treasure hunts around the gallery, and playing creatively to help us discover the artworks on display. At each session, your child will make something to take home, using a wide range of art materials, including ones that they may not have tried before.

After the session, please enjoy the gallery at your leisure. We provide space for families to enjoy a packed lunch. If you want a cafe, the nearest is at Gateshead Central Library, just along the street.

•  Activities designed for 2-5 year olds, but younger accompanying siblings also welcome.
• Please book a ticket for all children who will be participating. Sibling discount available.
• One adult per participating child, due to space restrictions.
• Disabled parents may bring a PA or Carer for support - please book relevant ticket.
• Sessions run fortnightly on Tuesdays, with a break for school holidays.

Parent/carer reviews:

'Excellent session, well planned short activities for the children. Lovely interaction with the children and parents. Thank you very much.'

'Lovely session. Well paced and very interactive - our first time but we'll come again'.

The young people will get to work like an Egyptologist and examine different evidence to discover some of the secrets of mummification. They will use original source material and will look at x-rays and CT scans from the two Egyptian mummified people in the Great North Museum: Hancock. The group will also consider the ethics around displaying human remains in a museum. 

This session aims to provide a 'real' insight into the journey the mummified people have been on and includes close-up imagery of our unwrapped person which may be unsuitable for some children. Please speak to a member of staff before booking to discuss any concerns you have.

Curious Crawlers is a  relaxed session for pre- walking babies who are finding their own unique ways to move around (crawling/ bottom shuffling/ high speed rolling with confidence).

This is an opportunity for early movers to explore their curiosity, learn songs, make new friends and explore the senses whilst discovering some of our curious museum objects.

The session will begin with some group singing, followed by unstructured exploration of the den spaces, a selection of toys and sensory experiences to explore and move between at their own pace. 

Upon arrival to the museum please visit the welcome desk who will be able to direct you. Curious Crawlers will usually take place in our mouse house space but may occasionally move to another location within the museum.

Curious Crawlers is a  relaxed session for pre- walking babies who are finding their own unique ways to move around (crawling/ bottom shuffling/ high speed rolling with confidence).

This is an opportunity for early movers to explore their curiosity, learn songs, make new friends and explore the senses whilst discovering some of our curious museum objects.

The session will begin with some group singing, followed by unstructured exploration of the den spaces, a selection of toys and sensory experiences to explore and move between at their own pace. 

Upon arrival to the museum please visit the welcome desk who will be able to direct you. Curious Crawlers will usually take place in our mouse house space but may occasionally move to another location within the museum.

Join us for a monthly Saturday art class for 7-12 year olds and their grown ups. 

At each session you'll be taught by a professional artist, and will try different techniques such as watercolours, ceramics, mixed media, drawing and more. 

Session Themes:
17 May: 'Gods Eyes' weaving and decorative patterns

14 June: Ships on the Tyne, Futurist painting

12 July: Insect screenprint

No session in August 

13 September: A clay receptacle based on objects and paintings in the gallery

18 October: Spooky castle in charcoal

15 Nov: Create a colourful Rangoli for Diwali

13 Dec: Winter animals step-by-step

Accompanying adults are encouraged to join in - the class is a great opportunity for families to enjoy creative time together. 

Our artist has extensive experience of working with young people including those with SEND and Neurodiversities. We understand that some young people may be older than 12 but find the class age appropriate due to SEND - please contact Hannah.Mackay-Jackson@twmuseums.org.uk if this applies to you.

These sessions will be designed to be welcoming and inclusive for all. 

Explore the museum after hours and take part in creating a large-scale collaborative artwork with Moving Parts Arts, inspired by THE HERDS with support from Art Fund.

The Late Shows is an award-winning late-night free culture crawl.

During The Late Shows, open art studios, music and performance venues, galleries, museums, studio collectives and landmark historical buildings come together to host intriguing interactive events for visitors. It’s all about encouraging people to do something cultural with their evening.

Come along to the Hatton for an array of art activities. Featuring music by Novyi-Lef, a synthesiser duo who have written pieces based on Kurt Schwitters’ work. Also featuring a short film by artist Rebecca Etheridge entitled ‘Mum’. Create a collage postcard and send it from the gallery. Take part in exciting drawing activities. Buy a gift or two from our makers' mini-market featuring local crafts people and artists.

The Late Shows is an award-winning late-night free culture crawl.

During The Late Shows, open art studios, music and performance venues, galleries, museums, studio collectives and landmark historical buildings come together to host intriguing interactive events for visitors. It’s all about encouraging people to do something cultural with their evening.

Join us for The Late Shows on Saturday 17 May. 

The Laing Art Gallery will have two events on this year: 

Craft & Creativity 

In celebration of the new exhibition, With These Hands, which explores the representation of craft in paintings, drawings, and prints, turn your hand to crafting in a series of drop-in creative activities. 

With These Hands - exclusive access tour

Esme Whittaker, Keeper of Art at the Laing and curator of With These Hands, will give an exclusive tour of the new exhibition, which explores the representation of craft in paintings, drawings, and prints from 1750 to the present day. Limited tickets are available, so pre-booking is essential. 

Enjoy a night of crafting and creativity led by Gateshead based makers, creators and organisations.The evening will be a showcase of activities that take place both within the gallery and beyond, including local creatives, groups and live music.

Have a dance around Turbinia! Join us for a (silent) Disco at Discovery Museum. There will be a variety of music channels available for most tastes with games and other fun activities too.

A dedicated quiet space will be available for visitors who need a place to relax. Noise-cancelling headphones and sensory packs (fidget toys, weighted blankets) are also available.

Join the Museum’s Librarian for a tour of the Library, then meet NHSN's Heritage Researchers to explore some of the treasures held in NHSN's North East Nature Archive. There will be intriguing letters, beautiful books and stunning artworks to discover. 

You will also have the opportunity to share your reflections on nature as part of Nature's Cure in Times of Need project, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Your stories can be added to the archive collection, helping create a record of local people's connection with nature across the North East. 

Refreshments will be provided in NHSN’s Council Room after the tour. 

Places will be limited. Please email joanne.charlton@northeastmuseums.org.uk to secure your place. 

This is a promenade performance of compositions from students of the Composing for Spaces and Places module at Newcastle University, Led by Dr Rob Mackay. Each short performance is inspired by an object or collection in the museum.

Nurture Nest is a session for babies who haven't learnt to crawl yet. It is an opportunity for young babies to engage in tummy time as a group, learn songs, make new friends, and explore the senses whilst discovering some of our curious museum objects and exploring our sensory environment. 

Tummy time mats will be provided during the session but you are welcome to bring your own if you would prefer. The session will begin with a short singing session, followed by unstructured exploration of the environment.

If your baby isn't crawling but have started to explore their own unique ways to move with confidence, you may find our curious crawlers session more suitable. 

The session theme for this round is 'Sea'. We will explore a new theme each round. 

Upon arrival to the museum, please visit the welcome desk who can direct you to the sessions location. The session will usually take place in the Mouse House but occasionally may need to move to an alternative location in the museum.

Nurture Nest is a session for babies who haven't learnt to crawl yet. It is an opportunity for young babies to engage in tummy time as a group, learn songs, make new friends, and explore the senses whilst discovering some of our curious museum objects and exploring our sensory environment. 

Tummy time mats will be provided during the session but you are welcome to bring your own if you would prefer. The session will begin with a short singing session, followed by unstructured exploration of the environment.

If your baby isn't crawling but have started to explore their own unique ways to move with confidence, you may find our curious crawlers session more suitable.  

The session theme for this round is 'Sea'. We will explore a new theme each round.  

Upon arrival to the museum, please visit the welcome desk who can direct you to the sessions location. The session will usually take place in the Mouse House but occasionally may need to move to an alternative location in the museum.

Join Ben Jones, Shipley project Coordinator, for a short talk on the interesting history of Saltwell Park Museum, which was located in Saltwell Towers in the centre of the park until the late 1960’s and its art, craft and social history collection.

Following this local historian and naturalist Michael Turner, will take you on a fascinating walk around historic Saltwell Park itself. Michael will guide you through the 12 Grade ll Listed Structures and talk about the intriguing stories behind them.

Meet at the Shipley Art Gallery just before 10am. Please wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the weather.

Part of the National Trust's Blossom Programme.

Every fourth Sunday of the month between 10-11am is Quiet Hour, when there are fewer visitors in the museum and we turn down the sound in our exhibitions and displays. 

We also have ear defenders available for you to borrow, as some of the experiences around the museum can be quite noisy. 

Bring your favourite bear along for a heritage train ride!

The Mosstroopers will be bringing the magic of the woodland to life with their Woodland Animal Stories puppet shows! Join Reynard the Fox, Isengrim the Wolf and other charming critters for Animal Tales throughout the day - each show lasting around 10 minutes.

Plus, enjoy on a delightful Teddy Bear Trail through the museum, collect clues and complete the adventure with your furry friend by your side!

Puppet Shows with the Mosstroopers at:

10:55-11:05am
11:50am–12pm
12:50–1pm
1:40–1:50pm
2:40–2:50pm

Train running times: 

11:15am
12:10pm
1:10pm
2:00pm
3:00pm

Enjoy early access to the Great North Museum: Hancock for a quieter, more relaxed experience. 

This relaxed session is for autistic visitors, visitors with learning disabilities or sensory and communication disorders, along with their families and carers. Or anyone else who feels they need a quieter experience of the museum. If that's not you, please visit after 10am. 

You can also enjoy a free 15-minute planetarium show - sign up at the Welcome Desk on the day (limited capacity).

In this ‘meet the expert’ session come along and meet Matthew Jordison who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about green energy and sustainability. 

Matthew is the Net Zero Innovation & Delivery Officer at Gateshead Council and has extensive experience in energy and sustainability. He currently leads initiatives like the District Energy Scheme, developing business strategy, engaging communities in the transition to sustainable energy solutions and developing a regional skill/job plan.

He'd love to meet you so come along with any questions you have and enjoy the Steam to Green exhibition too. 

Get creative this May half term. Both sessions are themed around blossoms as we celebrate the season.

Tuesday 27 May: Create a decorative windsock with a blossom design.

Thursday 29 May: Use a paper plate, card, and tissue paper to create a vase of beautiful blossoms. 

Recommended for age 3+ supported by an adult.

Over the course of 3 days (Tuesday-Thursday), young people are welcome to explore the galleries, talk about art, and create their own work in sessions led by a professional arts educator. Experiment with materials, learn new skills, and create a dynamic set of works in the Laing's Art Studio.

For an extra charge we also have an option to add early drop-off available from 9.30am and late pick up until 4pm. Please select which days you would like to add these when purchasing your general ticket. Please note this additional cost is per child. 

Parents/Carers will need to fill out a registration form for each child attending. The information gathered in these forms is essential to the wellbeing of your child and the success of these sessions, failure to submit these forms may result in your booking being cancelled. 

Use Lego and plastic components to build a model, then programme it using an iPad. Using Scratch block coding, you’ll be able to make your model move, make noise, light up, play music, and more! You’ll learn coding, digital literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking – all through play!

• Suitable for ages 5 – 12, no experience necessary
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• No admittance to under 5s – this includes accompanying siblings

Please note, it is not possible to take your model home as the parts will be used for other workshops.

Excavate objects in our Time Quest space and record them like a real archaeologist. Create detailed drawings of your finds and take your drawings home.

This activity is part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro

Every spring, blossom declares the arrival of brighter days to come. We invite you, wherever you are, to enjoy blossom’s fleeting beauty and celebrate all the good it can do – for people and for nature.

As part of the National Trust 2025 Blossom Festival, we are very lucky to have an immersive real-time film of a tree coming into blossom from a local innovative creative studio, Novak. Treat yourself to 90 minutes of relaxation and calm in the Blossom space and enjoy a coffee from our cafe while re-focusing your mind and body in serene surroundings. 

It is completely up to you whether you make yourself comfortable on one of our bean bags or chairs, or you might want to take a slow walk around the space. You could even practice some light yoga, whatever feels right for you in this beautiful, peaceful environment.

Housed in Woodhorn'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. 

View past winners and highly commended artworks.

Hear the thunder of hooves as the historical re-enactment group, Equistry, brings the Roman cavalry to life at the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Segedunum's opening as a visitor attraction.  

Come and discover cavalry training techniques, armour and weaponry in the action-packed displays. Get up close with the stars of the day. Bella, our 15 year old Irish sports horse, a war horse through and through, and, 10 year old, Raven, a Shire cross who has been part of the team since she was 4 years old. 

Did you know?

The Roman cavalry weren't actually from Rome, the auxiliary were conscripted from all parts of the Roman Empire as they were the best horsemen.

Follow the dawn to dusk cycle of a Japanese cherry blossom tree in this immersive experience.

This captivating visual experience was created by NOVAK, a Newcastle-based creative studio, and features a soundscape created by Digital Voices for Communities, who work to empower communities through digital media. Also including poetry created in collaboration with Lotte Dijkstra, a landscape designer and PhD student at Newcastle University.

The Festival of Blossom is a project by the National Trust that provides opportunities for people to connect with nature and each other. Everyone needs nature, and blossom can be a universal symbol of hope and renewal that we can all benefit from after winter ends. Festival of Blossom is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

The Newcastle University Fine Art BA Degree Show brings together the work of emerging artists at the culmination of four-years of study on the BA in Fine Art. The exhibition displays a diverse set of contemporary voices, practices and media including painting, new media, film, video, sculpture, photography, print, sound and installation. 

Free, drop in. Donations welcome.

George Horton, a self-taught artist from South Shields, became one of the most renowned painters of the North East in the early 1900s, celebrated for his watercolours of coastal scenes. Despite a challenging upbringing and no formal training, his talent earned him spots in prestigious exhibitions, including the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon.

Horton’s artistic journey began with determined practice, sketching old works at his local library despite his father’s disapproval. An early fascination with portraiture led him to acquire a human skull for anatomical studies, which resulted in his estrangement from home at seventeen.

A move to South Shields marked a new chapter, where he found support through his marriage. A transformative honeymoon to Holland sparked his lifelong passion for the Dutch landscape, inspiring countless sketching trips.

While beloved in France and Holland, Horton struggled to gain wider recognition in England, partly due to his late entry into the London art scene. Nevertheless, his devotion to art remained unwavering throughout his 68-year career, painting purely for the love of his craft.

This exhibition offers a chance to rediscover Horton’s legacy and celebrate the passion and perseverance of George Horton. 

Five years ago COVID-19 came to our shores. The first confirmed cases were in York, in late January 2020, and the patients were treated at the high-level isolation unit at the RVI in Newcastle. On 23 March Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a televised address to the nation, and lockdown regulations came into effect across the UK three days later.

This display features some of the things the museum collected to represent COVID-19 and the massive impact the pandemic had on all of our lives.

'My Life as a Pitman' is a special collection of paintings made by Ashington Group artist, Oliver Kilbourn. 

The collection forms a comprehensive record of Kilbourn's 50 year career underground, offering valuable insight into the working environment of a North East coal miner during the mid 20th century. 

This collection is on display as part of the Ashington Group 90 programme, so don't miss your chance to view these unique artworks. 

Ashington Group 90 is supported by The Ashington Group Trustees, Northumberland County Council, Arts Council England, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and Sir James Knott Trust. 

With These Hands explores the representation of craft in paintings, drawings, and prints. The process of making and mending by hand whether a domestic pastime, rural and semi-industrial labour, or essential war effort, is a persistent theme to which artists return. Yet these artworks are rarely straightforward observations of everyday activity. Instead, the act of making is used to symbolise personal and communal identity, leisure and work, tradition and progress.

Produced in Britain and Europe from the 1750s onwards, these images reflect a society undergoing immense change. The growth of industry, the reorganisation of the methods and places of work, the changing status of women and the conflicts of World War I and II all impacted the value placed on hand skill. Some artists were interested in capturing traditions – their works romanticising crafts they perceived as almost lost – while others were drawn to the atmosphere and activity of the workshop and factory.

With These Hands takes you from refined drawing rooms to weaving sheds, from a woodland saw pit to an inner city carpenter’s shop, and from country blacksmiths to industrial forges. It focuses particularly on the changing role of making in women’s lives, the relationship between craft and community, and its impact on our landscape. The exhibition features paintings and prints by artists including Mary Cassatt, G.F. Watts, Stanhope Forbes, Harold Knight, Evelyn Dunbar, and Ralph Hedley.

At a time when we are reassessing the importance of hand making, for mental health and environmental benefits, paintings and prints help us to understand our complex attitudes towards craft. The exhibition will bring together paintings and objects – quilts, embroidery, metalwork, wood carvings, ceramics and basketry – to explore both traditional techniques and contemporary approaches. Makers include C. R. Ashbee, Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew and local quilter Amy Emms.

Loans from Tate, V&A, Royal Academy of Arts, Imperial War Museums and regional galleries complement the strengths of North East Museums’ collections. Objects from the Shipley Art Gallery’s outstanding craft collections and the Discovery Museum’s textile collection are shown alongside paintings from the Laing.

2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the excavations in 1875 at the 'Roman camp' now, Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort. 

This exhibition will look at the progress of the first few years of excavations from 1875 – 1881 when the Roman Remains Park was then established. 

The displays will include what was found, the people involved in the work as well as photographs taken at the time. 

This collection of free family trails invites you to explore the museum, engage with various objects, and collect prizes. 

You can use the trail up to four times across one, two, three, or four visits. Complete each trail to earn a sticker. 

If you complete all four trails, you'll earn a special Golden Murray sticker and have the chance to enter a prize draw for a Murray the Mole toy. 

For more information, please visit the Welcome Desk. 

Travel to the museum by Tyne and Wear Metro and up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free with a fare-paying adult.

SHOAL is 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.

Each image is based on a collection of marine plastic that forms a 'shoal', arrangements of different species of fish that the plastic ultimately affects. Objects and particles have been duplicated to represent both the scale of lives lost and the amount of plastic that entered the Pacific Ocean as a result of the Tohoku earthquake and Japanese Tsunami, March 11 2011.

'Shoal' is a description given to a group of fish swimming together, a large number of people, or things. 

This project was made possible by The Royal Photographic Society and Photographic Angle Environmental Bursary Award 2012.

Photograph © Mandy Barker

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. 

Hobson was possessed of a curious eye, a passion for nature and the great outdoors, and he lived for his art. His paintings feature looming power station cooling towers, and the dilapidated remnants of past industrial might. He also recorded the spectacular natural world of the North Country, on his frequent rambles in the countryside, accompanied by his wife Pat and son Harry. Above all, Hobson painted because he saw beauty before him, no matter what the subject, warts and all. 

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.  

She was also interested in movement and states of change, which began with studies she produced as a student of Fine Art in Newcastle. During this time, she began to actively consider the parallels between human and plant forms, an important theme that extended throughout her life.     

As part of the exhibition, the Laing Art Gallery has commissioned Surface Area Dance Theatre, a live performance organisation that works at the interface between sign language, D/deaf culture, and dance, to develop and produce a performance to camera in response to the Nerys Johnson archive, titled Down Amongst the Plants.  

Down Amongst the Plants pays tribute to Johnson’s engagement with the rhythms of nature through Butoh, a form of Japanese dance. The choreographer of the performance, Vangeline, is the artistic director of the internationally acclaimed New York Butoh Institute, based in New York, USA.  

Johnson was not only an artist, but also a curator. Her curatorial career began at the Laing Art Gallery in 1968, when she took up the post as a Keeper of Fine Art. She eventually became the Keeper in Charge of the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Arts Centre (DLI) in 1970. During this time, the museum’s Contemporary Art Centre became a regional hub for art, attracting internationally acclaimed artists like Bridget Riley and Henry Moore. 

Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice celebrates the richness of Johnson’s life and work and explores how her individual artistic practice flourished with the support of her vast social network. 

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city centre every Saturday morning with a free talk from the Friends of the Laing Art Gallery. Find out more about some of the paintings in our collection and share your experience with fellow art lovers.

March Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt (1868)

April La Place Nationale Dieppe by Sylvia Gosse (1935) 

May Sunderland Old Pier and Lighthouse by John Carmichael (1840)

June A Grecian Flower Market by John Waterhouse (1880)

Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt (1867).

Discover our What's On page to explore our events programme. 

Find out more about North Shields 800 here: Visit North Tyneside

Discover our What's On page to explore our events programme. 

Find out more at Railway 200.

A small, friendly group who meet in the gallery to enjoy drawing and painting together.

New members are welcome to join, whatever your level of skill and experience.

Please note, this is not a taught class. Instead, it's an opportunity to work on your art in good company and inspiring surroundings. You'll need to bring your own materials and equipment. Please note that oil paints and aerosol or fixative sprays are not permitted. The group is suitable for adults. 

There's plenty of opportunity for chat and skill sharing at this supportive group. We use shared tables, or you're welcome to borrow a gallery stool and sketch around the gallery. 

Some refreshments are provided.

To join, or try a session, please contact:

Kari Lawson
Email: Karimlawson@gmail.com
Tel: 07867 494 421

Discovery Museum’s new exhibition explores the story of energy in the North East by looking back to the industrial revolution, and forward to the pioneering contributions in green technologies happening now across the North East region.

With exciting new hands-on displays demonstrating wind and solar power, historical science and engineering objects and even a 'cutaway' electric NISSAN Leaf car on display, Steam to Green will showcase how the North East is leading the way in green energy.