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What's on in the Arts
1st February, 2024
From festivals, to concerts, exhibitions and more. Here's your guide to What's On in the Arts....
Belfast Tradfest Winter Weekend: Belfast will come alive to the sounds of traditional music once again with concerts, workshops, sessions, and talks during the Belfast TradFest 3rd annual Winter Weekend, throughout Belfast UNESCO City of Music. Taking place 23 - 25 February and supported by Belfast City Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Ulster University and Dunville’s Irish Whiskey, the festival programme is filled with internationally renowned talent in traditional Irish and Scottish music, song and dance. Highlights include:
An opening concert with Donegal songstress Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh who brings her fantastic band Altan back to Belfast to play the stunning Empire Music Hall on Friday 23rd February. Also on the bill that evening, Monaghan Harp maestro Michael Rooney plays a rare solo set in the city famed for its Harp Festival of 1792.
Longtime Tyrone resident, fiddler Bríd Harper is celebrated with a family friendly concert on Saturday 24th February in the Mandela Hall, featuring the cream of traditional musicians and singers such as Australian guitarist Steve Cooney, Donegal accordion wizard Dermot Byrne, Breton flute player Sylvain Barou, singer Rita Gallagher and many more.
Other highlights feature concerts with Ciarán & Caitlín, Mick O’Brien and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and a full programme of Festival Club events with acts such as Sligo’s Niamh Farrell, Jos Kelly and Cillian Doheny.
Don’t miss the annual Highland Piping Solo Competition at The Deer’s Head, Sunday 25th February.
For the full programme of events, classes and sessions visit www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com
IMBOLC International Music Festival 2024: takes place from 28 January 2024 - 4 February 2024 at the Cultural Quarter, Great James Street, Derry and is one of the highlights of the North West cultural calendar and one of Ireland's leading traditional music festivals. The festival is renowned for not only presenting performances in a great atmosphere by world class artists but in championing up-and-coming talent in a range of genres. Its inclusive vibe celebrates tradition in all its many forms, including the rich diversity of folk acts from grassroots to cutting edge. IMBOLC International Music Festival is generously supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Derry City and Strabane District Council. Visit www.derrystrabane.com for more details.
Belfast International Arts Festival: presents Cara Dillon, Coming Home, book launch. Coming Home features Cara’s original poetry and reflections on the stories that inspired her work and her Irish roots. A companion album presents the pieces in a profoundly moving combination of spoken word and song.
In Autumn 2023, Cara introduced the live Coming Home show at a sold-out concert at Belfast International Arts Festival 2023, in the Grand Opera House. Now, BIAF present the chance to hear the pieces in a more intimate setting at The Crescent Theatre, Belfast, on Tuesday 20 February and in Hodges Figgis Bookshop, Dublin, on Wednesday 21 February.
Cara will explore the stories, inspirations, and reflections that have shaped Coming Home and perform several pieces featured in the book and on the album. For tickets visit www.belfastinternationalartsfestival.com
RENDR Festival: Produced by the team behind the city’s annual photography festival, RENDR, will take place from 29 February – 1 March 2024, returning to the same location as last year’s festival at Portview Trade Centre in East Belfast as part of the NI Science Festival. This year’s festival will include Live Virtual Access, accessible from anywhere in the world.
New to the festival this year, RENDR will kick off at Ulster University for a one-day workshop open to everyone, led by industry experts and aimed to give people hands-on experience and an insight into the worlds of gaming, film and animation.
RENDR will once again present an epic line-up of speakers with over 30 speakers across two evenings alongside live and interactive demonstrations of new technology, digital art, gaming experiences and a food village offering the very best of Northern Ireland’s local food and drink producers, all set in a Blade Runner inspired environment.
For the full list of speakers revealed to date and to book tickets, visit RENDRfestival.com and stay up to date with the latest developments and speakers announcements on the festival’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Belfast Children’s Festival: Roll up, roll up, Belfast Children’s Festival 2024 is coming to town. This year’s festival features a circus theme and will welcome crowds to ‘big top’ venues including the Lyric, The MAC, Belfast Cathedral and Crescent Arts Centre from 8-16 March 2024. Over 100 events and performances will take place during the festival, including productions from the Netherlands, Scotland, England and Ireland, local artists plus firm festival favourites such as Baby Rave and several UK and Ireland premieres. More information to follow the January 2024 launch. Visit www.youngatart.co.uk
Waterside Theatre presents: Spread the Word Literary Festival. The Waterside Theatre in Derry-Londonderry has announced that, with support from Derry City and Strabane District Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the ‘Spread The Word’ Literary Festival is back, from 6th-11th February. 'Spread the Word' is a multi-disciplinary, multi-platform, multi-age, cross-community literary festival that will highlight the importance of reading, writing and literature. It provides a platform for local and international literary voices, through talks, discussions, workshops, immersive storytelling and rehearsed readings. Visit www.watersidetheatreni.com for more information.
Belfast Music Society (BMS) presents: the Belfast International Festival of Chamber Music from 23-25 February 2024 at the Great Hall in Queen’s University Belfast. Highlights include:
- 23 Feb, The Pavel Haas Quartet
- 24 Feb, Simon Höfele & Elisabeth Brauss
- 25 Feb, Ailish Tynan & James Baillieu
Visit www.belfastmusicsociety.org for tickets and more information.
Moving on Music presents: Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival, 1-9 March 2024. Audiences this year can expect an incredible mix of veterans and young’uns of extraordinary talent – every night different, every night special. There’s a brand-new suite of music written by local legend Stephen Davis, free-playing that’ll blow your socks off with Alan Niblock, John Butcher and Mark Sanders, an improvising supergroup of Christy Doran, Ronan Guilfoyle and Gerry Hemingway, and life-affirming moments from Seb Rochford and Zoe Rahman. The Festival also welcomes four acts to the island for the very first time – Jasmine Myra and her seven piece band, Luke Bacchus Quartet, Scottish trio AKU!, and French trailblazers NOUT.
The Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra, John Donegan’s ‘The Irish Sextet’, and Tom Ollendorff Trio with Aaron Parks make sure our afternoons are well and truly covered. As always, you can pay per ticket or take advantage of the Full Festival Ticket, giving access to all 11 gigs for £45 (limited number available). For tickets visit www.brilliantcornersbelfast.com
Big Telly Theatre Company: Northern Ireland’s critically acclaimed Big Telly Theatre Company are delighted to premier their new show ‘GRANNY JACKSON’S DEAD’ at NI SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2024. In partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, The National Centre of Social Research and the Centre for Cultural Value, the event will take place at 47 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6RY on Thurs 15 - Sun 18 & Wed 21 - Sun 25 February at various times. Taking place in a domestic house in the style of an Irish wake, Granny Jackson's Dead promises to be the session to end all sessions - after all, that’s what Granny would have wanted.
Pioneers of immersive, site-specific theatre production, Big Telly Theatre Company tackle tech and tradition in this beautifully bonkers ode to an Irish Wake. Skillfully created and directed by Big Telly’s artistic director Zoe Seaton, a recipient of The Stage 100 and the Theatre Innovation award at the Origin First Irish Festival in New York. The company will also collaborate with a talented writing team, Owen Booth, Bernie McGill and R.B. Kelly. What makes this approach truly unique is the team's approach, as each writer explores the storyline from a distinct character perspective to seamlessly blend theatre, virtual reality, and gaming, to explore the psychological and social impacts of digital memorialisation.
This is a cross-artform journey filled with home truths, twists, turns, and of course, tea. Tradition collides with technology as the family grapples with the decision to let Granny's spirit go free while preserving her digital legacy. To book visit https://nisciencefestival.com/events/granny-jacksons-dead
Lyric Theatre: presents an exciting programme this autumn and winter with highlights including:
31 Jan – 3 Feb 2024: Belfast Girls. Escaping the Famine in 1850 five fierce young women board the Inchinnan in Belfast in hope of a new, better life in Australia. But confined in close quarters in the belly of the ship on a tumultuous sea journey as they sail away from their homeland secrets are revealed, enemies made, and it becomes clear that no matter where they go, there is no escaping the dark pasts they carry with them…
In the Irish premiere of this new drama by award-winning Dundalk playwright Jaki McCarrick, An Táin Arts Centre and Quintessence Theatre bring their unique physical ensemble style to McCarrick’s gripping story, exploring urgent, current questions around classism, patriarchy, and the ripple effects of colonialism through a powerful historical play based on true stories.
3 Feb – 2 Mar 2024: Little Women. Step into the world of sisterhood, courage, and ambition with our latest theatre production of Little Women, originally penned by Louisa May Alcott and masterfully adapted by Anne-Marie Casey. Under the skilful direction of Emily Foran, experience the enduring journey of the March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - as they navigate the challenges of the Civil War era, forging unbreakable bonds of love and family. Join the Lyric Theatre for this heart-warming and captivating rendition of Little Women that breathes new life into a cherished classic.
7 Feb: I am Maura. From the creative team behind the smash hit 'The Gap Year', Commedia of Errors present this hilariously heartfelt look at young love from the eyes of a Belfast teenager. Presented at the Belfast Children’s Festival this pocket-rocket play is back on tour for generations young and old to enjoy.
16-17 Feb: Rebecca Caine: Dividing Day. Join soprano Rebecca Caine, accompanied by Nathan Martin, for a journey of self-discovery with help from writers including Bernstein, Bucchino, Guettel, La Chiusa, Sondheim, Weill and Yeston. Rebecca Caine is an international opera singer and actress who created the role of Cosette in Les Miserables for the RSC and was a celebrated Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera in the West End and her native country, Canada. Her operatic credits include the roles of Lulu, Vixen, Marguerite, Violetta, Susanna for companies such as English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Nice, Glimmerglass and Scottish Opera.
For further details on these and to view all events visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk
Grand Opera House: presents an exciting series of shows including,
6-10 Feb 2024: The Drifter’s Girl
14-17 Feb 2024: Cupid’s Bow by Northern Ireland Opera
21-24 Feb 2024: The Juniper Tree by Northern Ireland Opera
27 Feb – 2 Mar 2024: The Mouse Trap
6-9 Mar 2024 – Madagascar
12-16 Mar 2024: An Officer and a Gentleman
22-30 Mar 2024: This Sh*t Happens All the Time by NI playwright Amanda Verlaque
For tickets and to view the full programme please visit www.goh.co.uk
Strand Arts Centre: presents films and events, visit www.strandartscentre.com
The Playhouse in Derry-Londonderry: presents a series of events this autumn with highlights including,
The Playhouse and Northern Ireland Opera presents:
Experience a set of staged concerts in the round until May 2024. From short opera, song cycles, cabaret to musical theatre from the golden age, each event will take you into a world of beautiful music, drama and emotion in the special, intimate surroundings of The Playhouse.
All productions fully staged with singers in costume, accompanied by a pianist. Shows include:
- 2 March 2024 – Sea Wrack
- 20 April 2024 – The Lost Boy
Visit www.derryplayhouse.co.uk
Linen Hall Library: the Linen Hall Library is a truly unique institution. Founded in 1788, it is the oldest library in Belfast. The library is free for all to enter and enjoy. The Linen Hall Library offers a year-round programme of arts and cultural events featuring authors, academics, historians, performers, and much more. To view the full events programme visit www.linenhall.com
Millennium Forum Derry-Londonderry: presents music, comedy, theatre and more with highlights including:
Moves and Melodies. Moves and Melodies is an age friendly project in the Millennium Forum that includes song and dance workshops for 60 people. This project will be provided complimentary and will be held once a month in the Studio Theatre. The music facilitator is Fiona Logue and the dance facilitators are Claire Harkin and Emma Lindsay from Emma Lindsay Dance. There will be an opportunity to learn new dance skills and sing a range of song styles every month. 2pm – 3.30pm. For further information contact Lisa Heaney on 028 7127 2779 or email lisah@millenniumforum.co.uk
The Ferryman, 15 Feb 2024
Visit www.millenniumforum.co.uk
THE MAC: presents a fantastic programme of theatre, comedy music and talks with highlights including:
19 Oct – 14 Mar, Queer Set Dancing. Come along to a Queer Set Dancing class with Alexa Moore. Part of the MACtivate programme, in association with The Rainbow Project, the MAC’s fortnightly Queer Set Dancing class with Alexa Moore is specifically beginner-friendly. Join Alexa and the group from 6.30pm-8.30pm for a fun class with no expectation of any prior dancing experience. The class is run by a queer woman and we aim to create a welcoming and friendly environment for LGBTQ+ people and allies to learn a new dance, have some fun, and meet new people. Come along when you can - you don't need to have joined from the first date to attend. All welcome.
Teechers by John Godber. 25 Jan – 10 Feb 2024. Directed by Lisa May. ( Age 12+). Fast-moving, inventive and highly entertaining, Teechers is John Godber’s brilliant take on life at a modern Comprehensive. Through their hilarious end-of-term play, three Year 11s exuberantly sketch the new drama teacher’s progress through two terms of recalcitrant classes, cynical colleagues, and obstructive caretakers. Disillusioned, he departs for the safe waters of a private school and leaves behind his students, whose youthful irreverence gives way to despair. Brought to the stage by Bruiser Theatre Company with high energy, break-neck comedy, and breathtaking ensemble performances, Teechers is a modern classic with something vital to say about education for the 'haves' and 'have nots'.
For all this and more visit www.themaclive.com to view a full programme of events and exhibitions.
DU Dance (NI): presents Belfast Boys, physical dance theatre for boys aged 7-11 years at the Crescent Arts Centre. Classes at 2-3pm every Saturday. No experience is necessary. Book at info@dudanceni.com
Crescent Arts Centre: presents a series of language, visual arts, craft, music, dance classes, and more plus workshops and events. Visit www.crescentarts.org for details.
Seamus Heaney HomePlace: has releases details of their Autumn/Winter programme. Taking place from Sep-Dec 2023 at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, the programme is overflowing with brilliant musicians, poets, authors, and artists. Highlights include:
- 3 Feb, Find Your Voice in Stillness with Deirdre Cartmill
- 10 Feb, Film screening of Ballywalter with Q&A
- 15 Feb, Five Days: written and performed by Joe Nawaz
- 9 Mar, The Book Who Wanted to be Loved, a reading and workshop for World Book Day
- 4 Apr, Dara McNulty in conversation with Marie-Louise Muir
- 12 Apr, An evening with Irvine Welsh
- 14 Apr, Jan Carson in conversation
- 27 Apr, Lemn Sissay
- 29 Apr, Ulster Orchestra on Your Doorstep – Villa Italia!
To view the full programme visit www.seamusheaneyhome.com for tickets and information.
Declan McConaghy Show: Newry based former BBC broadcaster, Declan McConaghy has created a new series of short films where he talks in-depth to creatives from Newry and the surrounding area who have made a contribution to theatre, music, dance and the performing arts in general. The view the films visit https://www.facebook.com/DMCSHOW ) or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH9LxmhE8O1Af3Csk-k6vA
1st Old Boys Silver Band present: a rare opportunity to hear what is believed to be a lost piece of music by Enniskillen-born composer Joan Trimble will take place in March. ‘Érin go Brágh’ has not been performed since it was first broadcast by the BBC in 1943 and will be performed as part of a brass band concert hosted by the 1st Old Boys Silver Band from Belfast. who are breaking new ground by embarking on a project entitled, ‘Another World: the best of brass music from this land’.
The project’s title reflects the island of Ireland’s position as part of, yet separate from, the worldwide brass community. The project will see the 1st Old Boys Silver Band collaborate with top internationally-acclaimed soloists Peter Moore (trombone) and Jonathan Gawn (tuba), both with brass band roots, for an evening concert of music that celebrates music from composers and performers with ties to the island of Ireland, North and South. Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the varied programme gives the opportunity to hear revivals of older pieces long-considered lost, including Ms. Trimble’s Érin go Brágh. Tickets for the concert, which will take place in Stranmillis Drama Theatre on March 4, are available via Eventbrite, and from secretary1ob@gmail.com
Northern Ireland Opera: presents,
Cupid’s Bow, a host of wonderful and recognisable characters from opera come to ‘Cupid’s Bow, a bar where they can share their stories and some arias. A brand-new event conceptualised by Cameron Menzies for Valentine’s Week at the Grand Opera House Studio, 14-17 February 2024.
The Juniper Tree: A new production of the opera by Philip Glass and Robert Moran, based on a Grimm’s fairytale, coming to the Grand Opera House Studio 21-24 February 2024.
NI Opera’s new Salon Series are one act productions featuring opera, art song, cabaret and music theatre, which will be touring different locations in Northern Ireland during 2024 including the Playhouse Derry-Londonderry and The MAC in Belfast.
Les Nuits d’Été & À Chloris: 20 January 2024 7.45pm, Downstairs at The MAC, £30/£14 concessions & 27 January 2024 8pm, The Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry, £20
Sea Wrack: 2 March 2024, The Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry, £20
Mussorgsky’s‘Songs and Dances of Death‘ & Mahler’s ‘Kindertotenlieder‘: 23 March, 7.45pm, Downstairs at The MAC, £30/£14 concessions
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered with soprano Wendy Ferguson and pianist, Ruth McGinley: 13 April 2024, 7.45pm, Downstairs at The MAC, £30/£14 concessions & 25 May 2024, 8pm, The Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry, £20
The Lost Boy with vocalist, Conor Quinn: 2 December, 8pm, Upstairs at The MAC, £22/£14 & 20th April 2024, 8pm, The Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry, £20
Visit www.niopera.com for details
Belfast Music Society (BMS): presents,
BMS Chill, 0-13 years and 14 Years plus, at the Crescent Arts Centre, 24 Feb.
Belfast Music Society presents an afternoon of accessible high quality classical music for people with additional needs and their families. Join RiChmusicNI as they create both a stimulating and soothing environment for children and adults alike. People are very welcome to come and familiarise themselves with the space 30 minutes before the concert starts. NB: Tickets are £5 per person with an access companion/PA. Please let BMS know of any accessibility or additional needs so they can make this experience as enjoyable as possible. Email: info@belfastmusicsociety.org
Visit www.belfastmusicsociety.org
Portico of Ards: presents pianist, Pavel Kolesnikovon Sunday 5th February at 3pm, with support from National Lottery Good Causes through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Pavel will arrive at Portico for a recital of Chopin and Schubert, as magical as it will be unforgettable.
Tickets £20. Visit www.porticoards.com
Ulster Orchestra: presents their new 2023/24 Season which is on sale now.
31 Jan, On Your Doorstep, Armagh.
2 Feb, On Your Doorstep, Strabane.
3 Feb, The Two of Us: The Songs of Lennon & McCartney.
Visit www.ulsterorchestra.com for the full programme and to book tickets.
Oh Yeah Centre Belfast:
The NI Music exhibition at Oh Yeah is the only permanent exhibit for popular music in Northern Ireland. There is much to see, including a series of storyboards documenting and plotting the history and the stories of Folk, Punk, Rock, Jazz and more. Exhibition Opening Times, Mon – Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 12-5pm. To enquire about a visit, or for further info and group bookings please contact info@ohyeahbelfast.com or call 02890310845
Moving On Music: presents,
4 Feb, Mary Ocher, Black Box
28 Mar, Mary Lattimore, St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown, Belfast
3 Apr, Jolie Holland and Band, Black Box
11-14 Apr, Tour – McGoldrick, McCusker, Doyle
Visit www.movingonmusic.com
The Black Box: presents a varied programme of music, comedy, street art tours and other arts events.For further information n visit www.blackboxbelfast.com
Scott’s Jazz Club: Scott's Jazz Club runs a weekly concert in Ballyhackamore club 1a Sandown Road every Friday Night from 9pm. The club provides a welcoming environment for world class jazz music to be experienced in a concert setting. For upcoming performances visit Scott's Jazz Club (scottsjazzclub.com)
ITMA: 'Drawing from the Well' is an online monthly ITMA series which connects artists with archival materials to inspire new art. To date, nine videos, podcasts and blogs have been created by leading traditional musicians, singers, and dancers, including Louise Mulcahy, Martin Hayes, Edwina Guckian and Cormac Begley. All episodes are free to view online at https://www.itma.ie/drawingfromthewell
Tommy Sands and Artsawonder: In this new online film series, legendary musician, Tommy Sands, films, sings, listens and learns from a singing five times world champion drum major Alan McBride, two young women, Jenna Stevenson and Wendy Graham Hanna, who initiate and drive an Arts hub shop, a rhythmic drum weaver rhythmic drum weaver Damien McKeown and a young woman Bronagh Kelly who lovingly echoes the poetry of her mother. To watch visit Media | Artsawonder (wixsite.com)
Crescent Arts Centre: has a new term of classes to book and enjoy now. Fancy learning to speak some Italian before your holiday to Italy this year? Well now’s your chance! From visual arts, language classes, acting, dance, music making and more, there’s something to tantalise all tastes. Visit www.crescentarts.co.uk
Duncairn: presents live music from the following,
- 2 Feb, Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Myles O'Reilly
- 10 Feb, Zoé Basha & Aina Tulier
- 11 Feb, Naomi Berrill
- 15 Feb, Oíche na Cailíní
- 17 Feb, The Breath
- 8 Mar, Seamus Fogarty
- 22 Mar, Cinder Well
Visit www.theduncairn.com
Duncairn Player: all of the previous video projects can now be viewed from the Duncairn Player including The Duncairn Virtual Cabaret, Take 2, Carlingford and the Ring of Guillion Sessions. Visit Player — The Duncairn
The Duncairn also has a range of workshops and craft classes and courses. For further details visit www.theduncairn.com
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents,
- Irish Language Intensive Course. Intensive courses are a great way to boost your language skills in a short space of time. The course will be both motivating and informative and will take your confidence in the Irish language to another level. The levels we offer are: Bunrang|Beginner , Meanrang | Intermediate , Ardrang | Advanced . Please email sinead@culturlann.ie for more information
- Yoga Classes with Dunla, 6:30-7:30pm, £5.No need to register, just pay on arrival.
- St Bridgid’s Cross making workshop, 1st February.
For this and more visit www.culturlann.ie
Greater Shantallow Community Arts: presents Spill The Tae Youth Led Podcast from the young people at Studio2/GSCA. This amazing group of creative young people have launched their very own podcast and it can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcast. The young people plan, host, interview and edit the Podcast. To date they have interviewed some of their local MLA’s, Councillors, survivors and local Derry’s own Serena Terry, creator of Mammy Banter. As well as this they have a voice and a safe place where they can openly talk about mental health and what it means to them. You can find the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast but also by clicking this link below.
https://shows.acast.com/spill-the-tae-youth-led-podcast
Eden Place Arts Centre: in Derry-Londonderry has an exciting range of courses and workshops to get your creative juices flowing including wood sculpture, Inner Landscapes, Abstract Art, Ceramics, Painting for Beginners, Contemporary Botanical Watercolours, Landscape Painting Life Painting, Spinning and Weaving plus Portrait Painting, among others. All courses are designed for adults aged 18+. Visit www.edenplaceartscentre.com
WheelWorks Arts: presents,
ArtCart: Unique to WheelWorks Arts (WWA) is their ArtCart community engagement and outreach programme, which brings creative and artistic activities to your community. ArtCart is also the name WWA gives to its bespoke vehicle that can travel across Northern Ireland and transform into a unique workshop space. ArtCart is available for hire at youth, community, education, and festival events, bringing artistic and creative activities to the community. The available inventive activities cover digital and traditional arts and can include animation, DJing/music making, arts & crafts, and digital arts using augmented and virtual reality. For further information and to hear about their special Art Cart offers over Christmas, visit https://www.wheelworksarts.com/artcart or email artcart@wheelworksarts.com.
TS3 Programme: The Tech Studio Skills Share (TS3 programme) is a new initiative by WheelWorks Arts (WWA) that offers training to help people improve their creativity and skills in digital communication by harnessing the specialist artistic expertise of the WWA team. The staff team at WWA consists of professional artists and digital innovators who have a wealth of knowledge, talent, and experience in delivering creative activities. They are now offering a range of training opportunities to the corporate and commercial sectors. For further information, visit https://www.wheelworksarts.com/ts3-training.
TechStudio: This is a 60m2 meeting room and collaboration space available for hire at our office in Weaver's Court, close to Belfast city centre (BT12 5GH). The room is equipped with a range of digital and recording resources, including cameras, green screens, tripods, iPads, and an interactive whiteboard, all available for hire. For pricing and to book the TechStudio, please use our online booking system. For further information, visit https://www.wheelworksarts.com/room-hire or email info@wheelworksarts.com or business@wheelworksarts.com.
ChangeMaker: This is a programme by WWA that connects people from diverse communities with varied identities within organisations, communities, or geographical areas. It encourages open dialogue, exploration, and recognition of differences to foster mutual inclusion, enhance interpersonal understanding, and ultimately boost inter and intra-community cohesion. The programme explores perceptions, stereotypes, and misconceptions that workshop participants may have, with a view to understanding other contributors' values, heritage, biases, and experiences, and why people may have certain views or stereotypes. It also highlights how many of these perspectives may be unintentional, unconscious, and often unchallenged. For more information, contact Lesley@wheelworksarts.com.
Streetwise Community Circus: Fancy learning how to juggle and other circus skills?! In response to Covid 19 Streetwise Community Circus has developed a team of tutors who are now working via Zoom to reach out to those who can no longer participate in workshops. To take advantage of this opportunity all you have to do is email Streetwise on streetwiseathome@gmail.com. Suitable for participants who range in age from 8 to 80 plus.
Arts Care:
has a wonderful range of arts activities available online on their Arts Care 4U Premium +, their online arts delivery channel that everyone can access. Arts Care’s new dedicated online arts and well-being workshop resource, ‘Break-Time’, accessed via their website to support the mental, emotional and physical well-being of children and young people through the Arts. New art, music, dance & exercise, drama, creative writing and clown doctor’s CDTV videos will be uploaded regularly and it’s all FREE. Visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ85xLA2BlQQdrnWBhKw1hw
2 Royal Avenue presents: An exciting visual arts exhibition celebrating the work of some of Northern Ireland’s most talented artists is now on display at 2 Royal Avenue, a welcoming community and cultural hub located in the heart of Belfast city centre. Featuring contemporary works from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Collection, the exhibition entitled, Social Construct, runs from 1-28 February and is free to view. This current exhibition brings together works from artists including Sinead Bhreathnach-Cashell, Shiro Masuyama, Nina Oltarzewska and Sally O’Dowd, whose process of making art is through social interaction, connecting their work to the real world, its communities and everyday lives.
On display, the public can see a range of approaches to ‘socially engaged’ artwork creation demonstrating how art can help uncover truths and expand on our perspectives. The artworks on display, are intended to encourage viewers to step outside of their day to day and ignite their imaginations. By working with unconventional materials such as discarded hair or old smart phones, or fantastical forms such as over-sized sausage sculptures, the artists are visually communicating social stories about the complexities of our world. Visit www.maywe.co.uk
The MAC: presents, Niamh McCann: ‘someone decides, hawk or dove’. 8 Dec 23 – 7 April 24. 'someone decides, hawk or dove' is a commissioned work by artist Niamh McCann as part of the programme for ART:2023, a Decade Of Centenaries supported by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The title of the exhibition 'someone decides, hawk or dove' is a line from the poem Hairline Crack in Belfast poet Ciaran Carson’s 1989 collection Belfast Confetti. Hairline Crack is also the title of a film central to this exhibition which comprises of three acts with two musical interludes. An eyeless dog guides us through three separate landscapes: one bucolic, one musicological and one socio-political, in an odyssey along the border region of Northern Ireland. Like a mythological seer, this eyeless dog perceives and interprets obscure truths, through philosophical musings on Man’s long hubristic dominion over beasts, places, people. Visit www.themaclive.com
Belfast Print Workshop - buy framed prints by BPW members working across a range of techniques, supported by The National Lottery, www.bpw.org.uk
Queen Street Studios, Belfast. www.queenstreetstudios.net
Seacourt Print Workshop. Visit www.facebook.com/seacourtprintworksshop
Craft NI Gallery presents: QEST Northern Ireland Showcase Exhibition, 1 Feb – 22 March, Craft NI Gallery, Belfast. Visit www.craftni.org
Golden Thread Gallery: While they temporarily ‘go dark’, GTG is delighted that their programme of free workshops for all ages will also continue in collaboration with The Naughton Gallery at Queens. Starting from October, their workshops for families and kids, and for teens and adults, will take place in the Lanyon Building at QUB. As always, all materials will be provided, plus snacks. Dates and times may vary. Full details will be shared on the GTG website and social media in advance. Workshops are free but please book your place by emailing. And make sure you’re on their mailing list to be the first to know! For further information visit www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich.
Exhibition | 'A Bloody Good Thing' with Women From The Inside Collective, 18 Jan– 28 Feb 2024.
A Bloody Good Thing’ is a body of photography and video work created in Limerick by the female collective ‘Women from the Inside’ that explores menstruation and the diverse number of changes that can happen to a woman’s body throughout her lifetime. This exhibition challenges the way menstruation may be perceived, as there are still negative connotations attached to it in society. They wanted menstruation to be seen as a celebration, a chance to release negative energies and the beginning of a new phase of regrowth and rebirth.
Exhibition | 'Ní Bhíonn Imeacht Gan Chaill' with Helouise O'Reilly, 18 Jan – 29 Feb 2024.
In Ní Bhíonn Imeacht gan Chaill, O’Reilly explores the relationship between language and identity within the context of the Irish language. This work centres on Oileán Thoraí - said to be one of the richest Irish language communities in Ireland. The Island's rich history of folklore, mythology and tradition have directly influenced the language and place names there.
Visit www.culturlann.ie
Belfast Exposed: presents,
Archive Gallery: Now and Then – 40 Years of Belfast Exposed, 1 Feb – 23 Mar 2024. Celebrating 40 years since the first photography exhibition bearing its name took place, Belfast Exposed has put together a celebration of photography that will showcase the breadth of talent from across Northern Ireland.
Welcoming works from various artists that all incorporate photography into their practice, ‘Now & Then: 40 Years of Belfast Exposed’ kicks off the gallery’s Spring season and runs throughout February and March.
Just one of the many exciting exhibitions and experiences that Belfast Exposed has on its anniversary calendar, ‘Now & Then’ will provide a snapshot into life in Northern Ireland through the lenses of those who have lived and worked here.
Belfast Exposed also offer a series of photography classes and workshops for all levels of experience. Visit www.belfastexposed.org
VOID Gallery: presents, Áine Mac Giolla Bhríde, Nov 18, 2023 – Feb 3, 2024.
Void Art Centre is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Áine Mac Giolla Bhríde in the UK. The exhibition takes place across the two galleries at Void Art Centre. Conventionally, of course, galleries are rooms dedicated to the viewing of art, but as spatial environments, they are often repurposed venues whose original function was not the presentation of artworks. The galleries of Void Art Centre are located on the ground floor of the building, in a large, glass-fronted space, once a commercial unit host to a variety of businesses throughout the building’s lifetime. In 2021 two rooms of the ground floor were restructured to approximate ‘white cubes’ and sit within the larger edifice or shell. Galleries can be seen as somewhat emblematic of the adaptive and resourceful use of existing architecture today.
VOID also has a range of learning opportunities available for all ages, such as talks, workshops and more, visit their website for full details.
Visit www.derryvoid.com
CCA: presents, Susan Hughes: Stones from a Gentle Place, 20 Jan – 16 Mar 2024.
The exhibition follows the artists’ encounter with bioluminescence while swimming in the sea at night, and her subsequent observation of how humans throughout history have made sense of natural phenomena, the stories associated with such occurrences, and the physical and cognitive effects on the body.
Susan’s research has expanded beyond bioluminescence (microscopic plankton ignited by movement) to fluorescent geology and Will ‘o the Wisp (phosphorescence caused by plants decaying in boggy ground). These phenomena are otherworldly, seemingly synthetic in their brilliance, independent combustion and neon colours. Alongside this, Susan has travelled across Ireland, connecting with archivists, storytellers, musicians and mariners, gathering folklore related to this natural phenomena in the landscape.
In the exhibition the artist plays with psychedelic and ambient lights, colours, materials and sounds in otherwise dark rooms. Analog and digital sit aside one another inviting the viewer to submit to a malleability of time, hard fact and fairy tale. Visit www.ccadld.org
ArtisAnn: ArtisAnn Gallery, 70 Bloomfield Avenue, Belfast, BT5 5AE. All artworks are available to buy. You can also buy art through the Arts Council supported Own Art scheme which gives you an interest-free loan over 10 months. Visit www.artisann.org
