Get creative this summer with Attenborough Arts Centre’s new programme
A range of inspiring performances, exhibitions and courses feature in Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre’s new summer programme, which invites you to get creative.
Highlights of its popular Creative Courses programme include Jazz Performance Workshops lead by saxophonist and composer Richard Everitt from the 15 May, which functions like a real jazz band exploring improvisation and musical technique development. Captured on Canvas returns taught by figurative painter Jemisha Maadhavji from the 6 June, who has exhibited large-scale work across the UK and was recently interviewed for Vogue India. Learn a traditional craft with Sumiko Eadon with Japanese Woodblock Printmaking (Mokuhanga) from the 11 June - an associate artist at Leicester Print Workshop, Sumiko takes absolute beginners through every aspect such as chiselling, inking and hand-burnishing. Meanwhile, on 30 July explore spoken word with Cathi Rae’s Creative Writing Bootcamp as the poet, campaigner and spoken work artist kickstarts creative writing practices.
Featured performances include the ongoing programme with The Sitar Music Society as they host Sitar Open Sessions from 7 May to 10 December, and a night of Indian Classical Music with Yuva Kalā on 13 May. Rinkoo Barpaga joins the centre for Made in India Britain on 26 May 2023 which tells the story of, Roo a deaf Punjabi boy from Birmingham, in a coming of age story about discovering your community, performed by Rinkoo Barpaga in BSL with narrated spoken English. Meanwhile, on Saturday 3 June 2023 leading UK company BLINK Dance Theatre presents Elvis Died of Burgers, a fun performance piece which winds a journey from dancing, rapping and rhyming about the artists’ love of food to investigating the culinary conundrum surrounding Elvis, The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s demise. 14/48 returns to Attenborough Arts Centre for their Festival Shuffle, celebrating their 10th year in Leicester. This festival puts the theatre makers in the hands of fate, as a random draw decides who will write, direct, design, score or perform 14 world premiere plays. For families, Sanskruti Dance’s Apple and Spice introduces children to Indian storytelling, dance and shadow puppetry on Sunday 18 June 2023.
With the majority of performances offered on a ‘Pay What You Can’ pricing scale, Attenborough Arts Centre remains committed to ensuring access to the arts for everyone irrespective of their income.
In Attenborough Arts Centre’s galleries, which are free for everyone to visit and explore, British sculptor and disability rights activist Tony Heaton presents altered, exhibiting intelligent and thought-provoking work about his lived experience as a disabled person, from 22 March – 25 June 2023.
Meanwhile Christopher Samuel, who has recently been working with the University’s School of Museum Studies on a National Trust research project as part of the Creative Engagement Fellowship scheme, will present a solo exhibition The Archive of An Unseen, which tells the story of the artist’s childhood, growing up as a black, disabled, working class child from a single parent household through photographs, medical documents, videos, and archival items. The exhibition takes place from 5 May – 16 July 2023.
The venue will also bring back its popular Gallery Late event, a late-night takeover of curated live performances and craft making in response to its exhibitions on 12 May 2023. Meanwhile, Attenborough Arts Centre’s popular Craft & Arts Fair returns 20 May 2023 which bring together craft makers and lovers from across Leicester to support local artist talent.
Attenborough Arts Centre also runs extensive Learning programmes for people of all ages, from free Wildcard Wednesday and Life Drawing sessions for students to free Family Gallery Workshops on Saturdays.
With such a range of events on offer, there is sure to be something for everyone this summer at Attenborough Arts Centre.
Visit the Attenborough Arts Centre website for more details.