What's On In The Arts

Festival of Fools: is once again bringing magic, joy and circus to the streets of Belfast from 29 April to 5 May 2023. Festival of Fools is the largest festival of free-to-access circus and outdoor performance on the island of Ireland, with over 70 performances taking place in the city centre over one weekend. We feature artists from around the world, alongside the best of locally based talent, this year our programme features German, Irish, Swedish, Korean, English and Portuguese nationals.

All daytime shows are free to attend. Evening shows happen at Circusful and tickets can be booked at https://www.foolsfestival.com/

Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (CQAF): the annual festival of music, comedy, theatre, art and literature is now on. Highlights include:

• Dani Larkin – Walking With Natives Tour, Duncairn Arts Centre, 27 April
• Paul Brady, ‘Crazy Dreams’ book launch, Rosemary Street Church, 28 April
• Joshua Burnside, Festival Marquee, 1 May
• Anne Gildea – How to Get the Menopause and Enjoy It, The Black Box, 1 May
• Zandra Rhodes In Conversation, Ulster University, Belfast College of Art, 2 May
• Bricolage – Circusful, 3-4 May
• Ferna, The Empire Music Hall, 4 May
• Not Now, The MAC, 4-5 May
• Ichiko Aoba, The Black Box, 7 May

View the full programme and purchase tickets at www.cqaf.com

Belfast Tradfest and Summer School: Belfast TradFest Summer Fest will return from 23-29 July 2023, jam-packed full of traditional music, song and dance, with some of the best traditional musicians, singers & dancers from across these islands. Featuring a week-long programme of workshops and a full programme of concerts, talks, lectures, sessions, céilís & festival clubs, this weekend is the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland and brings together both the Irish and the Ulster-Scots musical traditions, in a shared celebration of culture & heritage. Visit www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com

Deaf Arts Festival: Cre8 Theatre and c21 Theatre Company are pleased to announce that the inaugural Deaf Arts Festival NI will launch in the MAC, Belfast on the 6 and 7 May to coincide with Deaf Awareness Week 2023. The festival has been co-founded by both local companies as a way to connect with d/Deaf communities across Northern Ireland and beyond, creating opportunity, access, and inclusion to arts activity for integrated audiences, as well as place deaf artists in central roles on the main stage.

The festival kicks off in its first year with a theatre piece of brand-new writing from each company. Cre8 Theatre presents a brand new modern musical adaption of the classic ‘Sleeping Beauty’ written by Sarah Lyle and Charis McRoberts, for children and families, featuring sign song, music, an interactive vibrational sound experience, and puppetry, played in a relaxed environment, making it accessible to all audiences.

c21 Theatre Company will offer ‘Expecting’, a play containing a series of interweaving monologues and duologues in both English and sign language by Belfast Playwright Charis McRoberts. Both productions have been developed in collaboration with d/Deaf artist Paula Clarke and feature d/Deaf and hearing artists.

After the festival both companies will embark on a tour of regional arts venues at which each of the new productions will be performed.

c21 Theatre Company ‘Expecting’ tour dates:

Thursday 11 May, 8pm Studio 1A, Bangor

Friday 12 May, 8pm - Island Arts Centre, Lisburn

Saturday 13 May, 8pm, Marketplace Theatre, Armagh

Friday 19 May 8pm – Newry Town Hall

Saturday 20 May, 8pm Courtyard Theatre, Newtownabbey

Cre8 Theatre ‘Sleeping Beauty’ tour dates:

Saturday 13 May, 2pm, Marketplace Theatre, Armagh

Friday 19 May, 11am Newry Arts Centre

Saturday 20 May, 2pm Courtyard Theatre, Newtownabbey

Visit www.themaclive.com for details.

FILM, LITERATURE, DANCE AND DRAMA

Accidental Theatre: presents the following events,

• Alex Kealy: Winner Takes All, Weds 19th April 2023 8pm at Accidental Theatre, 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. The rising star of the British stand-up scene and writer for Mock The Week and The News Quiz explores Silicon Valley tech monoploies, advertising and addiction through his ‘perfectly expressed gags’.
• Cosmic Jam, Thurs 20th April 2023 8pm at Accidental Theatre, 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. New open mic with a full backline of instruments and mics. For performers or audiences interested in diverse and experimental music and jamming.
• Stones From David, Fri 21st April 2023 7pm at Accidental Theatre, 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. Stones from David returns to Belfast with another full band show after sold out shows in The American Bar and McHughs.
• Scratch Night, Thurs 11th May 8pm, Accidental Theatre, 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. For the first time since the pandemic the Scratch programme returns to Accidental Theatre! An opportunity for artists to get involved to display their work in progress. Audiences will have the chance to give their feedback on what they think about watch piece.

Visit www.accidentaltheatre.co.uk

Lyric Theatre: presents a new programme for 2022/23 with highlights including

• Agreement, available to see from now until 22 April, a new play by Owen McCafferty.

The clock is ticking. It’s April 1998 and the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the British Government and the Irish Government, all under the watchful eye of Senator George Mitchell, try to hammer out a deal that could pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland. Every word, every movement, every stare means something. This is the last chance saloon and no one is leaving until Agreement is reached one way or another.

In this major new play by one of our foremost playwrights, Owen McCafferty examines the negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement and weaves real drama out of this complex, momentous and landmark moment for Northern Ireland.

• Tartuffe, An Abbey Theatre Production, 25-29 April

In this spectacular dramatic comedy, the villainous Tartuffe shocks and enthrals with his deceptive powers. Charming to some, a danger to others, one family risks losing everything if he gets his way.

An Abbey Theatre production, this new version of Molière’s Tartuffe by Frank McGuinness is directed by Caitríona McLaughlin. A 17th century classic, given an audacious contemporary makeover - where truth faces off with deceit, who has the last laugh?

Molière’s exuberant comedy is brought back to life in an opulent Irish retelling of this classic tale.

• Country and Irish, 16-17 May
• Amadan presents, GEPETTO on 26th, 27th & 28th May 2023. Geppetto is a brand new children's production from Amadan Ensemble premiering at the Lyric Theatre. Geppetto is the story of a lonely old man, grieving the loss of his wife and isolated from the world outside his workshop. He spends his days pottering in his repair shop, half-heartedly fixing broken things, never quite getting to the bottom of the pile of these once loved but now discarded items. His small and solitary life is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious visitor that brings his broken things to life; a lamp causes havoc, a radio bursts into song, and a Hoover is determined to cause trouble. Geppetto is slowly pulled out of his lonely existence and into a world full of hope and opportunity. He’s finally able to move through life no longer weighed down by loss. As we leave him, the mysterious visitor has one last gift to bestow - one story’s end is just another story’s beginning.

For further details on these and to view all events visit www.lyrictheatre.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

Grand Opera House: presents a series of shows this month and next including the highlights below:

• Good Vibrations, 9-20 May

Returning by hugely popular demand, the Lyric Theatre’s sell-out production Good Vibrations débuts at the Grand Opera House. This staged musical version of the award-winning movie charts the life of Belfast punk legend Terri Hooley, a radical, rebel and music-lover.

This is the 1970s Belfast, conflict is shutting down the city. While all Terri’s friends take sides and take up arms, he opens a record shop Good Vibrations on ‘the most bombed half-mile in Europe’. Here he discovers a compelling voice of resistance in the city’s underground punk scene. Galvanising the young musicians into action, Terri is the unlikely leader of a motley band of kids and punks. Join Terri and the gang on their mission to create a new community, an alternative Ulster, and to bring his city back to life!

Other Grand Opera House highlights include,

• Johannes Radebe: Freedom Unleashed, 25-27 May
• The SpongeBob Musical, 30 May – 3 June
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 6-10 June
• Vote DLA, 13-17 June
• The King and I, 20-24 June
• Colin Murphy, 29 June – 1 July
• Oliver, 20-22 July
• Demon Dentist, 26-29 July
• Northern Ireland Opera Tosca, 9,12,14 & 16 September

For tickets and the full programme please visit www.goh.co.uk

Millennium Forum Derry-Londonderry: presents a new season of music, comedy, theatre and more. Highlights include:

• Christie Moore, 19-21 April
• Strictly Ballroom, 22-27 May
• Menopause the Musical, 28 May
• Tom Allen, 8 June
• Buddy – The Musical, 8-12 Aug

For the full programme of events visit www.millenniumforum.co.uk

THE MAC: presents a fantastic programme of events with highlights including:

• Billy Boy, 21 -22 April, by East Belfast writer Rosemary Jenkinson, is inspired by interviews with young bonfire builders.
• Wasteland, 27-28 April. A dance show by Gary Clarke Company that dives headfirst into a gritty story of loss, hope, escapism, and survival.
• Jazz Up the 80s with the Jay Raynar Sextet, 13 May, Restaurant critic Jay Rayner, undoubtedly the best jazz pianist in Britain of all the judges on MasterChef, leads an ensemble of top flight musicians through a vivid night of the very best of song-writing and jazz.
• Queer Set Dancing. Part of the MACtivate programme in association with The Rainbow Project, our fortnightly Queer Set Dancing class with Alexa Moore is specifically beginner-friendly. Join Alexa and the group on select Thursdays 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 aims to create a welcoming and friendly environment for LGBTQ+ people and allies to learn a new dance, have some fun and meet new people.

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

Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents

• Poetry Jukebox. Poetry Jukebox are #ChangingTheMessage! This project aims to share beautiful, profound and life-affirming words and change the words on our streets, opening hearts and minds, putting poetry to work where it belongs: everywhere, for everyone. As well as pressing buttons on the physical jukebox outside the Cultúrlann, poetry-lovers will be able to listen online at www.quotidian.ie.

Visit Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich | Belfast (culturlann.ie)

Crescent Arts Centre: presents,

• Mairtín Crawford Award. The closing date for the Mairtín Crawford Awards for Poetry and Short Story is fast approaching. The submission window closes at midnight on Sunday 30 April. For those thinking about entering check out the recordings of the free workshops from March, visit https://belfastbookfestival.com/mairtin-crawford-award/preparing-your-work
• Poetry Day Ireland 2023. The Crescent Arts Centre are pleased to be presenting activity as part of Poetry Ireland’s Poetry Day Ireland 2023 on Thursday 27 April 2023. Activities at The Crescent includes;
  • Kae Tempest: intimate performance event to celebrate the launch of their new collection, Divisible by Itself and One
  • A series of Workshops with NI-based poet Bebe Ashley on the theme “Brighter Garden” (via a Bright Ideas Bursary)
• Stitch and Natter. On a Saturday morning, The Crescent runs free Stitch and Natter sessions in the café. Customers are encouraged to stop in for as long or as little as they’d like, and to come to all or just a few of the sessions.
  • This Apr - Jun term will be our 2^nd time running this free activity and the the sessions will be focusing on English Paper Piecing Patchwork. This block will last for 5 weeks.
  • All materials will be provided (along with tea, coffee, and biscuits)
  • The finished patchwork will be framed and displayed in The Crescent building (I have attached the artwork produce during Jan – Mar which was a nod to our resident swifts and produce over 7 weeks by 26 customers many of whom attended multiple times).
• Tech Tips: Support And Advice On Using Your Phone, Tablet Or Computer

The next slot for the Crescent’s popular drop-in Tech Tip workshops is running on 1^st May. More details can be found here: https://crescentarts.org/whats-on/tech-tips-support-and-advice-on-using-your-phone-tablet-computer-may23

• Creative Learning: Spring Term (17 Apr – 3 Jun). The latest course and workshop term has started. Lots of activity happening in the building, and lots of activity yet to start; https://crescentarts.org/courses

Seamus Heaney HomePlace: has releases details of their spring and summer programme. Taking place from May to August 2023 at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, the programme is overflowing with brilliant musicians, poets, authors, and artists. Highlights include:

• Setting the tone for a wonderful summer season is ‘Ellipses’ by Maria McManus and Keith Acheson, featuring the very talented Arco String Quartet.
• Poet Alice McCullough brings her critically acclaimed one-woman show ‘Earth to Alice’ to The Helicon on 12^th May, this event is taking place in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival, which runs from 11^th – 21^st May 2023.
• Audiences will enjoy several genres of music throughout the season, featuring renowned performers such as Mundy (27^th May), Lisa Lambe (3^rd June), Ruth McGinley (1^st July), Luka Bloom (8^th July) and Colm Mac Con Iomaire (26^th August).
• A film screening of the Oscar-nominated Irish-language feature film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) is planned for 10^th June. This coming-of-age drama tells the poignant tale of a young girl sent to live with distant relatives in eighties rural Ireland.
• Playwright, author and poetry aficionado Roger McGough brings ‘Alive & Gigging’ to HomePlace near the end of June. This will be Roger’s second visit to The Helicon following a memorable sell-out appearance in 2019.
• Then there is the special announcement of the debut performance of Brian Bilston in The Helicon in November. Brian Bilston has gathered a huge following on social media and has been described as ‘Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate.’
• The highlight of the summer is a weekend of events to mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney HomePlace will welcome a number of award-winning poets from across Ireland and the UK over the course of this commemorative weekend. The weekend will close with a poignant screening of Seamus Heaney and the music of what happens. This special weekend is taking place from 25^th - 27^th August 2023 at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy and is part of a full programme of events happening throughout the summer. A weekend pass for all five events is available to book.

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

MUSIC

Northern Lights Project: presents

Erik Satie's "Vexations"

Starting Saturday 6th May 2023, 4pm

The Playhouse, Derry

1 composition, 14 pianists, 24 hours, 840 repetitions!

Vexations is one of the longest (and strangest) pieces of piano music ever written. A performance can last for over 24 hours and yet the piece consists of only three lines of music, which are repeated 840 times and played at a very slow speed.

Rescued from oblivion in 1949 by Henri Sauget, a friend of Satie's, the piece came into the hands of John Cage, who initially thought it was unperformable. However, Cage went on to organise the first full performance in New York in 1963.

For this Derry performance, we will perform Vexations with a team of 14 pianists playing in shifts over the course of 24 hours. This promises to be a stimulating performance of one of the most curious, paradoxical and hypnotic pieces of piano music ever written!

Jamie Thompson Adjunct Ensemble: Irish composer and performer Jamie Thompson has launched his new album with support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland ACES programme. The album is called Sovereign Bodies / Ritual Taxonomy and features innovative electroacoustic music.

Thompson’s Adjunct Ensemble of highly celebrated musicians consists of a female opera singer, a turntablist, a spoken-word poet, a jazz-punk trio and soloists. Sovereign Bodies / Ritual Taxonomy is a remarkable artistic achievement like nothing you have heard before. The album was created through a mixture of improvisation, notated music, and experimental hip-hop, collage and electroacoustic production approaches. Sovereign Bodies / Ritual Taxonomy is due to be released internationally on Diatribe Records as a limited edition set of three postcards as well as all major digital retail and streaming services.

Dumbworld: Dumbworld is commissioning Congregation, created by multi-award-winning composer and artist Ray Lee, for its Irish premiere as part of its Ambulatory Arts programme - a series of immersive artistic interventions experienced on foot across the city of Belfast.

It's taking place on Sat 6 May, 11am & 3pm | Sun 7 May, 1pm & 4pm at various secret locations around Belfast. In Congregation, the audience is invited in small groups to discrete locations in a city where they are given a silver sphere. They are instructed that the sphere will guide them to a location by emitting sounds, one sound for the correct direction and another for the wrong direction. These events are supported by the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.

BBC NI and Arts Council of Northern Ireland present: Young Musicians’ Platform Award Concert: The BBC NI Young Musicians Platform Award: The Winners' Concert will took place at the Ulster Hall on 16 March 2023 featuring the Ulster Orchestra performing alongside the winners of the BBC Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Northern Ireland Young Musicians’ Platform Award. You can listen back to the concert online and presented by BBC’s John Toal at BBC Sounds - Classical Connections - BBC NI Young Musicians Platform Award: The Winners' Concert - BBC Sounds

Northern Ireland Opera: presents,

A Midsummer Night’s Dream on 12 May at Belfast’s Ulster Hall in an evening of music with the Ulster Orchestra which starts with Schumann’s Violin Concerto performed by Sayaka Shoji and conducted by Dinis Sousa.

Then, in the company of a female chorus from Northern Ireland Opera with soloists Catherine Donnelly and Mary McCabe, we head to an Athenian forest for an hour, for Mendelssohn’s complete incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Skittish fairies, star-crossed lovers and even the braying of a donkey find their way into the score, which matches the darting, whimsical Shakespeare tale to perfection. For tickets visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk

On 19 May at The Harbour Commissioner’s Office in Belfast NI Opera also present Chorus! An evening of opera choruses. Following on from the huge success of the 2022 Opera Chorus Development program and their performances in the highly acclaimed production of La Traviata at the Grand Opera House Belfast, we proudly present our 2023 Northern Ireland Opera Chorus as the feature of this very special showcase. Our choristers have become one of the greatest assets for our company and through this specialised program they have worked with industry professionals including vocal coaches, conductors, language coaches, choreographers and movement directors from highly prestigious operas house all over the UK and Europe.

This concert puts these highly accomplished artists as the centre focus of opera and allows us to perform many varied styles and periods of writing for an opera chorus. Come and enjoy well-loved favourites as well as some lesser know delights from Monteverdi, Wagner, Puccini, Verdi, Smetana and John Adams. Book tickets at www.niopera.com

NI Opera also returns to The Grand Opera House in 2023 with Puccini’s Tosca, after their critically acclaimed production of La Traviata in 2022. Tosca is an operatic thriller set in Rome, taking place over one day, making it one of the most intense and exciting operas ever written. Floria Tosca is a beautiful soprano, deeply in love with painter Mario Cavaradossi. When the corrupt Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia, discovers that Mario has been helping political prisoners escape, he sees a way of forcing Tosca into the ultimate sacrifice to satisfy his lust. Scarpia will entrap her and try to get rid of her lover… who will survive?

Directed and conceptualised by Cameron Menzies, performed with the Ulster Orchestra and the NI Opera Chorus on 9, 12, 14 & 16 September. Visit www.niopera.com

Brigid O’Neill: has released her new single Easy. The single is from the singer’s new album The Truth and Other Stories. The album was recorded in Nashville with Grammy-Nominated producer Neilson Hubbard (Mary Gauthier, The Orphan Brigade, John Prine). Brigid will be touring the album with a gig at the Cobblestone Dublin on the 22nd April. Other dates throughout Ireland coming up soon! Visit www.brigidoneill.com

Ulster Orchestra: presents

• 21 April, Latin Rhythms
• 5 May, Dwellers in all time and space
• 6 May, Symphonic Soul and Motown. The Ulster Orchestra has welcomed Evelyn Partners as exclusive sponsor of their upcoming Symphonic Soul & Motown concert on Saturday 6 May at Belfast Waterfront. This is the first association the Orchestra has had with Evelyn Partners. Symphonic Soul & Motown features a playlist of hits from legendary artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and many more, brought to you by the full Ulster Orchestra and guest vocalists. Tickets available on https://www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk/whats-on/symphonic-soul-motown!/ and for an additional £10 (tickets sold separately), you will receive access to the funkiest disco ever, with DJ and dancing until 12.30am. You’ll definitely be Dancing in the street on your way home!

• 12 May, Midsummer Night’s Dream
• 26 May, Bella Italia

For further information and to view the new season programme please visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk

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,

• 26 April, Colin Stetson (electronic/jazz/other), The Empire Music Hall
• 30 April, Fly Magic (Jazz), The Deer’s Head
• 5 May, Blind Stitch (folk/other/trad), Duncairn Arts Centre
• 25 May, Richard Dawson (folk/other/roots), The Empire Music Hall
• 2 June, Anna B Savage (contemporary/folk/electronic/other), The Deer’s Head

Visit www.movingonmusic.com

The Black Box: For further information 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)

Portico of Ards: presents,

• 22 April, A Glamourous Night of Ivor Novello and Friends
• 29 April, The Legend of Luke Kelly
• 5 May, ELVIS SPECTACULAR
• 13 May, The London Handel Players
• 21 May, Anne Page Organ Recital
• 27 May, Tribute: Patsy Cline and the Country Divas
• 2 June, The Shamrock Tenors
• 3 June, Serenade to Music: the Ulster Consort
• 11 June, Music From The Movies Organ Recital
• 30 June, Kinnaris Quintet

To view the full programme visit www.porticoards.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)

COMMUNITY ARTS

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

27 April, Dani Larkin

28 April, Pa Sheehy (unplugged)

29 April, David Kitt

4 May, Saphwat Simab & Junaid Ali

13 May, Sam Amidon

21 May, Lumiere

22 Sep, Flook

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
• Airneál na nÓg, 19|04|23 - 15|06|23. Ranganna 1 – 7 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm, £30. Airneál na nÓg returns under the direction of Caitríona Gribben and will give children the chance to immerse themselves in music. There will be a variety of activities developing young people’s skills in the arts and Irish culture, focusing on the tin whistle and singing, and of course a lot of fun along the way. This is an 8 week course.
• Cultúrlann’s Drama School ‘Aisling Óg’ will start back from 22 April – 24 June, £30. This is a great opportunity for children from Primary 1 and up to build on their confidence, conversational skills and acting abilities. All whilst making new friends and having great fun. We explore every aspect of the arts including dance, art, music and drama to fulfil an exciting and engaging programme. We also produce an end of term performance to show off all our hard work.
• Cumann Óige na bhFál is back on the 24th April with a session for primary school children (6:00 – 8:00pm) and a teenagers’ session (8:00 – 10:00pm). As well as this, they’re running personal development courses for our teenagers.
• Don’t miss Plúra-Lúra, Nóra Bheag, Daideo and all their friends with their stories, songs and dances that small children will enjoy while enhancing their educational development. There will be plenty of storytelling, puppets and art activities to keep the little ones entertained. Na Bopóga is a perfect activity for young children and guardians. 22 April – 13 May, £3 per week.
• A new season of Babaithe Cultúir (Culture Babies), has started with the next days on 02|05|23 and 06|12|23. Babaithe Cultúir offers a range of interactive and creative experiences that support young children’s creative expression by enabling them to try new things, and the freedom to get as messy and as creative as they want, in a safe, fun and welcoming Irish language environment. Babaithe Cultúir will help to build very young children’s self-confidence, interpersonal and technical skills as well as offering a wonderful way to spend one-on-one time with your child. Delivered in Irish, everyone is welcome regardless of fluency in the Irish Language. Suitable for ages 0-4.
• Join Cultúrlann for a beautiful concert as they celebrate the coming of Bealtaine and the beauty of nature through music with the majestic Gráinne Holland and friends on 13 May 2023.

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: 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: unique to WheelWorks Arts is their state of the art ArtCart — a mobile arts studio that travels to your venue and opens up to provide an additional studio space for workshops and is packed full to the brim with digital equipment such as ipads, music and film making technology. Virtual ArtCart activities take place at your own venue. Where outdoor space is limited, Wheelworks bring the ArtCart creativity inside your centre. They also come with a full outdoor suite — marquees, stage sound, lighting and outdoor heaters.

This unique space allows your young people the opportunity to experience professional equipment in a custom-made studio. It allows your centre to offer a range of socially distance spaces and utilises outdoor space. This Halloween they have a selection of fun, 2 hour projects to offer your young people, aged 10-18, in a variety of traditional and digital artforms! To book your perfect digital and arts activities just email lisa@wheelworksarts.com and visit www.wheelworksarts.com

Streetwise: 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

VISUAL ARTS

The Citizens Wallpaper Project 2023: The Citizens Wallpaper is an artistic project, led by experienced international photojournalists, artists and workshop leaders. It benefits the local community by giving the participants skills and techniques in citizens’ journalism and photojournalism using the latest technologies. The project engages communities in the creation of a visual representation of their lives, traditions and cultures. A photographic exhibition by APAC, Belfast’s CPA and Ballymoney camera clubs, will display 24 representations from the Citizen’s Wallpaper project’s four canvasses. The exhibition can be visited by the public at APAC’s online Eirene Gallery from 23 March – 23 July, visit www.apacfoundation.org

Ulster Museum: presents, The Druthaib's Ball, the 2021 Turner Prize-winning installation by the Belfast-based artists collectively known as Array Collective. They are the first artists from Northern Ireland to win the prestigious Turner Prize. The group of eleven artists from the north and south of Ireland, England and Italy all live and work in Belfast creating collaborative actions in response to socio-political issues affecting them and their communities.

The Druthaib's Ball is on display at the Ulster Museum until 3 September 2023. The acquisition to the Ulster Museum collection was supported by the Art Fund and the Department for Communities. Visit www.ulstermuseum.org

R-Space: McCaw Allan – a tea towel collection runs from 22nd April – 19^th May 2023 at R-Space Gallery (32 Castle Street, Lisburn) and online via R-Space Social media channels and www.rspacelisburn.com

In the 18^th Century tea towels were companion objects, found alongside the finest chinaware and crystal, designed to match the other table linens. Fast forward 200 years and the tea towel had become essentially an undervalued yet accessible and ‘democratic’ art form bringing creativity and design into households across Ireland. Alongside Belfast and Lisburn, Lurgan was one of the leading centres of linen production in Ulster and this exhibition celebrates the work of one Lurgan company in particular. McCaw, Allan & Co Ltd, now part of the Samuel Lamont Group, was founded in 1904, a partnership between Robert Johnston McCaw and Harry Allan.

Belfast Exposed: presents,

Bank Gallery: Blinded by the very force it imagined it could handle by Donovan Wylie, 20^th April – 28 July. Belfast Exposed is delighted to present Blinded by the very force it imagined it could handle, a new film from Donovan Wylie and Peter Mann. The work examines the enduring legacy and architecture of the Troubles, as we mark the 25^th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and features never before seen footage from the demolition of the notorious Maze/Long Kesh Prison in 2007.

Blinded by the very force it imagined it could handle builds on work done by Wylie as part of his landmark exhibition The Maze (2004) - which was shown at Belfast Exposed - that saw Wylie given access to the Maze/Long Kesh site as in stood empty in the post-Good Friday Agreement political landscape.

Gallery 1: The Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 4 Touring Exhibition from 6^th April – 20^th May 2023. Since 2015, the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards have provided a major opportunity for UK-based artists on a biennial basis. Specifically for artists in the first ten years of their careers and who use photography in their work, the Awards encourage the creation of new work and provide a significant milestone in an emerging artist's career. The current awardees are Heather Agyepong and Joanne Coates.

Studio Gallery: Built on four years of work with Belfast Exposed, Paul McCabe brings A door, a picture frame and the number 52 to the Studio Gallery from 6-22 April, in association with the Healing Through Photography Conference.

Born and based in Belfast, McCabe is a photographer whose practice is a tool to explore his inner thoughts and emotions, combining the use of various symbols that explore his own journey and struggles with mental health. Having worked with Belfast Exposed for several years to expand his creative practice and develop his photography, McCabe's images provide both himself and the viewer with an insight into the artist’s mind. With passion and creativity, McCabe’s work demonstrates the powerful tool for communication that photography can be. By sharing his story and experiences through art, McCabe hopes to support others with their recovery. Visit www.belfastexposed.org

The MAC: presents,

Upper Gallery – At The Table, 7 April to 2 July 2023. At The Table brings socially and politically engaged practices into The MAC’s core gallery programming. It is their first major exhibition developed from MACtivate - the work The MAC do with their five Associate Partners which speaks to some of the most pressing and challenging issues in our society including mental ill health, LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive rights, housing injustice and the rights of people seeking asylum. This exhibition has been co-designed with people and communities connected to their Associate Partners - The Rainbow Project, Participation and the Practice of Rights, Alliance for Choice, Action Mental Health and Extern.

The Tall Gallery - Louise Wallace: Midnight Feast, 7-13 August 2023. Louise Wallace produces work that is deliberately provocative, utilising a palette of lush colour to create images that draw on abstraction and Surrealism to transform the suburban into scenes that hover between the familiar and the uncanny. Visit www.themaclive.com

Belfast Print Workshop: is celebrating 45 Years of Belfast Print Workshop with an exhibition at their premises at Cotton Court in Belfast. Belfast Print Workshop still has thirteen of the original members who were there at the beginning and it is a home for another generation of artists who are now establishing themselves. The Workshop has been a dynamic home for printmakers and it is a pleasure to acknowledge its contribution to the arts in Northern Ireland as we celebrate forty five years of growth and development with this exhibition. Visit www.bpw.org.uk

Craft Northern Ireland: for more information visit www.craftni.org

Golden Thread Gallery: presents fully conscious movements, fully different time, an exhibition by Dorothy Hunter, 25/03/23- 20/05/23. In March 2023 The Golden Thread Gallery will present new work in the project space by Dorothy Hunter titled fully conscious movements, fully different time. Having been awarded ACES from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the exhibition in the Project Space will focus on the changing underground terrain in the caves of Fermanagh and Cavan, through video and installation artwork. Hunter uses careful interventions within her installations, creating space to contemplate different geographic sites and aid our interpretation of time and space. She is interested in different modes of displaying artwork and the act of collecting. Visit www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk

Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents

Michelle Harton Exhibition, available to view now until 27 April.

In “The Land Of Gemini” artist Michelle Harton desires to show how beautiful the earth is through the lens of an imagined dream world named after her star sign. She is inspired by the magical glimpses we get daily, be it a sunset, a rock pool, light reflecting off a body of water and the energy seen and unseen that emanates from each living thing. Michelle invites the viewer to leave their burdens within the paintings and take relief from the movement and colours and time spent with a piece. Her aim is for the viewer to get lost in the painted landscapes she creates and leave the exhibition a little lighter than they came in. She hopes the mystical nature of the work encourages viewers to think about their own natural surroundings and how they can also feel magical while understanding that we are the caretakers of this beauty.

‘Léaspáin’ by Susan Hughes exhibition, available to view now until 27 April.

‘Léaspáin’ is part of an ongoing body of artwork exploring the intersection of psychedelic sensual experiences in nature with traditional Irish folklore. The intensity of the artists’ own experience of bioluminescent phosphorescence started an inquiry into how humans throughout history have made sense of mysterious natural occurrences, the stories that are associated with them and the physical and cognitive effects on the body.

Hughes uses synthetic and artificial materials often associated with the ‘urban’ to create immersive viewing environments. In this exhibition she presents digital video and perspex light boxes as sculptural manifestations of her subject matter. Susan Hughes, from Belfast, graduated with a Masters Degree in Art in 2021 from the University of Ulster. She has completed many artist residencies in Ireland and Scandinavia where she has used her traditional fiddle playing as a bartering tool to gain access to local stories.

For further details visit www.culturlann.ie

VOID Gallery: presents Re_sett_ing_s, from 4 March to 3 June 2023. In October 2022, Re_sett_ing_s – a collaborative exhibition between Locky Morris and Jaki Irvine – opened at The Complex Gallery, Dublin. The artists, who are probably best known for working solo, were approached separately by Mark O’ Gorman speculating on ‘hidden connections’. Unbeknownst to him, they had a close friend in common, artist Anne Tallentire, whose Setting Out 3 (2021), with its yellow builder’s string and hints at musicality, acted as a kind of starting point and touchstone for the development of the work.

VOID also presents: Krunal Gohil - Vyang-Kath, 21 March – 4 April. Void Gallery is delighted to welcome MFA student Krunal Gohil to present his exhibition, Vynag-Kath, in our education space between 21 March - 4 April. Krunal received the Void Gallery Fine Art Graduation Prize in 2022.

The collection of work is a response to his life experience, childhood, and the nature and domestic animals of Angadh, India, where he was born. His biggest interest and driving force has always been to be connected to nature. He sees animals as having personalities and personalities, as well as commonalities between them and people. This background served as the foundation for his body of work and captures the spirit of what he wishes to portray via his images. Visit www.derryvoid.com

CCA, Derry-Londonderry: presents

SEAMS, 1 April – 3 June 2023.

SEAMS is a solo exhibition by Laura Wilson comprising three installations including a significant new body of work entitled Winding then Winding. Laura is interested in how everyday materials such as bricks, textile, wheat, salt and bread dough transmit historical and embodied knowledge between people over time and place. Laura develops research-led projects, working with specialists and experts to communicate relationships between materiality, memory and tacit knowledge, explored through sculpture, performance, drawings and video. This exhibition is a survey of Laura’s recent works connected by the body, learning, movement and labour. Visit www.ccadld.org

ArtisAnn:

ArtisAnn Gallery, 70 Bloomfield Avenue, Belfast, BT5 5AE
www.artisann.org

Tue – Fri: 11am to 6pm ; Sat: Noon to 5pm

All artworks are available to buy. You can also buy art from this exhibition through the Arts Council supported Own Art scheme which gives you an interest-free loan over 10 months (and you still get to take the art home immediately the exhibition ends). Visit www.artisann.org