Celebrate culture and creativity with Attenborough Arts Centre’s autumn programme
‘Mary Seacole’ by Habib Hajallie.
Celebrate culture and creativity with Attenborough Arts Centre this Autumn through their accessible and inclusive programme. Explore themes of climate and social justice in the galleries, see the latest performances from leading artists and companies in the theatre, get hands-on with artist-led creative courses and engage with a range of free events designed to celebrate individual and community creativity.
Attenborough Arts Centre’s galleries are busy this season, showcasing free exhibitions that are open to all. From 15 September 2023 – 26 January 2024, the exhibition Arcadia for All? Rethinking Landscape Painting Now from The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery and the University of Leeds will delve into themes of access to nature, environmental crisis, colonial legacies and racism in relation to landscape.
From 20 October – 10 December 2023, the space will showcase Habib Hajallie’s Black Pen Portraits. The exhibition champions figures from ethnically diverse backgrounds that have been omitted from traditional British portraiture.
The venue will also bring back its popular Attenborough Late event, guest curated by Opal22, the Leicester-based arts organisation rooted with and within African and Caribbean communities, for Black History Month. The late-night takeover will feature live performances and creative activities in response to the gallery’s current exhibitions on the evening of 20 October.
Attenborough Art Centre performance programme is led by a range of exciting performances from leading artists and companies. Featured performances include Varjack-Lowry’s The Baby Question on 12 October, a theatrical film exploring the stories of women who are child-free set in the world of a 70’s top of the pops style chart tv show. Ben Fredericks blends immersive theatre and digital projections to ask what impact genetic engineering should have on humanity’s future in Choosing Children, 14 – 15 October. Meanwhile, leading choreographer Jo Fong and clown George Orange present The Rest of Our Lives on 10 November, a joyful evening of dance, music and games as they negotiate middle-life together. Black History Month is celebrated in October with Apittame, the Leicester creative collective, exploring Creative Writing Black Historical Figures on Saturday 7 and Creative Writing Afrofuturism Saturday 21. Come December, the centre sees a host of holiday related shows including Seven Cinderellas & the Beanstalk by The Comedy Asylum, 14 December, Theatre Anonymous, A Christmas Carol by 14/48 UK, 16 December, and Fishhouse Theatre return, this year with a new production entitled Rocket In My Garden, 18 – 21 December, the perfect show for families.
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 all.
The Rest of Our Lives by Jo Fong and George Orange, Friday 10 November, 7pm - 8:15pm
Highlights of its popular Creative Course programme include Captured on Canvas with painter Jemisha Maadhavji who was recently featured in BBC 1’s ‘Extraordinary Portraits’. Through the eight-week course Jemisha will demonstrate painting techniques, teaching key skills and knowledge to support traditional and contemporary portrait painting with oils. Unearth a new passion in Singing From Scratch with Laura Freeman, a Leicester-based singer and multi-instrumentalist, teacher and conductor. Meanwhile, in the October half-term Attenborough Arts Centre is launching four new Creative Workshops just for families including Cyanotypes for Beginners, Lego Printing, Beginner Crochet, and Modern Punch Needle: Colouring with Yarn.
Alongside Exhibitions, Performances and Creative Courses, Attenborough Arts Centre also runs a range of free events to engage local communities including Family Gallery Workshops based on current exhibitions each Saturday during exhibitions and free Sunday Sessions in the café each Sunday with creative activities from 12-4pm and Soundbites Lunchtime Concerts every Tuesday.
With such a range of events on offer, there is sure to be something for everyone this autumn at Attenborough Arts Centre.
Visit the Attenborough Arts Centre website for more details.