Community Post Type: News

Q&A with author Andrew McMillan at The Reader, held 13 Mar ’25

The Reader is excited to welcome award-winning Barnsley-born poet, novelist and professor Andrew McMillan next Thursday (13 March) where he will be ‘In Conversation’ talking about his critically acclaimed debut novel, Pity.

Is this your first visit to The Reader in Liverpool’s Calderstones Park?

It will be yes, although I lived in Liverpool for a couple of years whilst I worked at Liverpool John Moores University; it’s a lovely city and The Reader is an organization that I’ve always greatly admired!

The Reader has just been celebrating the 30th anniversary of World Book Day – can you name three of your favourite books as a boy/young adult?

Treasure Island was the first book I remember truly loving, I’d get mum to read to me from the Ladybird Children’s Classic edition every time I was off school ill. And then after that Goosebumps books, the Animorphs series as well.

Your award-winning poetry collections physical, playtime, pandemonium and debut novel Pity all have the letter ’P’ in common. Why is this?

I wish there was some deep and meaningful reason; in truth I just enjoy it, it amuses me; I like how they all line up on a shelf next to each other too. There’s something nice, too, in the challenge of finding the exact right word that suits each different project.

You must be delighted with the recognition and excellent reviews from critics Pity has received. What has particularly resonated with you?

It’s been really lovely that a lot of people have understood what I wanted to do and gone along with what isn’t the easiest of novels in terms of form and structure; it’s best to not take on board any reviews really, positive or negative, but I did see one review that mentioned they’d never read anything where someone took such care of a place as I did with Barnsley in Pity, and that felt very special.

Pity seems ripe for a TV adaptation – are there any actors you can imagine playing the main characters, Alex, Brian, Simon and Ryan?

I think Dame Judi Dench should play each one, and we’ll use CGI to put all the versions of her onto the screen together!

You recently coedited the acclaimed anthology 100 Queer Poems (Vintage, 2022) – is this something you felt was an important literary milestone and are there any particular poems or poets’ work which mean a lot to you?

It was such a special thing to be involved in putting together that anthology- it really did feel like an important moment, a bringing together of this real flowering of queer poetry we’ve seen over the last decade, but also a chance to reassert a different canon of queer poetry. So much of the work means so much to me in there, all 100 poems.

I have to say Nathan Walker’s piece, and Joshua Jones’ poem are two that are personal and treasures favourites, and the Ashbery poem we included has one of my all-time favourite lines of poetry: ‘There is nothing to do for our annihilation, except wait in the horror of it, and I am lost without you’,

What’s next for you in 2025…any exciting plans? Another novel? Screenplay?

So, it’s poetry next, in the next year or so, and then after that who knows! If anyone wants a screenplay they can get in touch!

The Reader’s In Conversation with Andrew McMillan will take place on Thursday 13 March, 6pm – 7.30pm, in The Reader Bookshop, Calderstones Park, Liverpool. There will be an opportunity for a Q&A with Andrew and book signings after the talk.

For further information and to book tickets please visit here.

 

Mum’s the word! Mother’s Day at The Reader, held 30 Mar ’25

Looking for local things to do with your mum in L18 or some ethical gift ideas?

The countdown to Mother’s Day is on. Here are four gift ideas from The Reader in Calderstones Park for Sunday 30 March so you can spoil the first lady in your life or sneak a wish list under your children’s or other half’s noses – and support a local Liverpool-based charity at the same time.

Every week, The Reader – the UK’s biggest Shared Reading charity – brings people together at Shared Reading groups at its home in Liverpool and across the country. Here, people connect and share experiences using stories and poems. There is no pressure to talk or read aloud.

All profits are reinvested into The Reader’s work as a charity providing free Shared Reading groups.

Book a Mother’s Day Roast

Treat mum to a Sunday roast where no one needs to do the cooking or washing up. It will be served in the gorgeous, restored grade II-listed Georgian-style Mansion House set against a backdrop of Calderstones Park in the Spring surrounded by daffodils and trees in bloom. Live music will soundtrack the afternoon.

What’s on the menu? A choice of three starters, two mains of pan chicken supreme or cauliflower steak with all the trimmings then finish off with raspberry Eton mess or chocolate caprice cake. There are mini portions for children.

How much? £40 for three courses or £32.50 for two courses; and for children £15 for three courses or £12 for two.

Book a table here.

6 literary treats for mums

Jamie Barton, Bookshop Manager at The Reader Bookshop in Calderstones Park – one of Liverpool’s independents – has recommended six books for Mother’s Day which include a mix of poetry, prose as well as two new novels to get stuck into and two books celebrating motherhood.

She said: “We suggest a couple of highly anticipated brand-new releases, both are touching and speak to the complexity of human relationships, but in very different ways. We also include two books celebrating memoir and motherhood – real and honest reflections on the joy, anguish and complexities of mother-child relationships.”

Bedside Companion for Gardeners

“A mix of fact and fiction, fantasy and experience, this book is a treasure trove of green-fingered inspiration where practical advice blends seamlessly with poetry and prose from intrepid gardeners past and present. Dip in and out of this collection with an entry for every night of the year that draws on writing through the ages and from across the globe.”

ISBN: 9781849947138

How much? Hardback price: £25

A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of The Year

“An anthology of 366 poems from around the world and throughout history, all especially selected for reading aloud, with one glorious poem for every day of the year.”

ISBN: 9781849948463

How much? Hardback price: £25

NEW: Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

“A funny, touching, hopeful gem about love, marriage and second chances.”

ISBN: 9781784745752

How much? Hardback price: £14.99

NEW: We Do Not Part by Han Kang

“Like a long winter’s dream, this haunting and visionary new novel from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang takes readers on a journey from contemporary South Korea into its painful history.”

ISBN: 9780241600269

How much? Hardback price: £18.99

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

“This is the remarkable story of an eccentric and determined woman: a rabbi’s daughter, born in Poland and raised in the Deep South who fled to Harlem, married a black preacher, founded a Baptist church and put 12 children through college. A celebration of resilience, faith and forgiveness, it is an eloquent exploration of what family really means.”

ISBN: 9780747538325

How much? Paperback price: £10.99

Nobody Told Me by Hollie McNish

“A collection of poems and stories; Hollie’s thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.”

ISBN: 9780349726571

How much? Paperback price: £12.99

To see this list and further Mother’s Day recommendations from The Reader Bookshop where books can also be ordered online please visit here.

Experience gift ideas for culture lovers

Surprise your mum with a ticket or if your mum lives in the city, close to the park and is a frequent visitor, how about a year-long Calderstones Membership?

Later this spring The Reader is paying tribute to one of English literature’s greatest writers. A special Jane Austen Day celebrating the author’s 250th birthday includes a Georgian-inspired lunch with dishes from Pen Vogler’s Dinner with Jane Austen recipe book, a talk from Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire and a Pride and Prejudice Shared Reading session.

Date and time: Sunday 27 April 2025, from 10.30am.

How much? £50 including food.

Book here.

If your mum loves live theatre, treat her to a ticket to see one of five newly announced open-air theatre productions for this spring and summer in the restored Art-Deco Garden Theatre in Calderstones Park.

What’s On? Twelfth Night (10 July), Much Ado About Nothing (1 August), Pride and Prejudice (3 August), Pan and the Eternal Wreck (13 August) and HMS Pinafore (21 August).

How much? Adult tickets range from £10 to £18 per person.

Full programme details here.

A Calderstones Membership entitles people to a range of benefits across 12 months, including 10% off food and drink in the cafes (excluding alcohol), books in the Reader Bookshop, the Ice Cream Parlour and tickets for events at The Reader and The Storybarn, as well as priority booking.

How much? £25

Where can I find out more? Visit here.

Gift ideas for green thumbed mums

Is your mum is a beginner or seasoned gardener? Is she is looking to improve her gardening design know-how, learn how to propagate plants or create a wildlife haven? If so, this spring The Reader has joined forces with highly experienced and qualified horticultural experts from Estuary Botanics who will be providing real-life hands-on advice and tuition in three hands-on practical gardening courses. They include:

A one-day workshop on designing and planting vibrant, long lasting and sustainable summer containers.

Date and time: Saturday 5 April, from 10am – 3pm

How much? £45

Book here.

A one-day hands-on plant propagation workshop learning techniques in seed sowing, taking cuttings, and dividing perennials to create new plants for free.

Date and time: Saturday 3 May, 10am – 3pm

How much? £45

Book here.

A six-week wildlife course learning to create a beautiful and sustainable garden from how to find the best spot for a bird box to creating a pond and planting a nectar-rich flowerbed.

Dates and time: Starts Thursday 12 June, 10am – 1pm and runs at the same time every Thursday for six weeks.

How much? £145

Book here.

For further information about The Reader visit here.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For further information or interview requests, please contact catherinevonledebur@thereader.org.uk

About The Reader

The Reader is a charity that uses the power of literature and reading aloud to transform lives across the UK. Our volunteers and staff bring people together to read great stories and poems – creating powerful moments of connection. We call this Shared Reading.

In a world that feels increasingly divided, and with increased pressures on our mental health, Shared Reading offers us time and space to share what matters to us.

They read with children, families, adults in libraries and community spaces, people in care homes, people with physical and mental health conditions, those coping with or recovering from addiction and people in the criminal justice system. Our work improves wellbeing, reduces loneliness and helps us find new meaning in our lives.

The Reader is supported using public funding by Arts Council England, players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, and Garfield Weston Foundation, as well as The National Lottery Community Fund.

Find out more at thereader.org.uk / @thereaderorg

The Reader – Charity Number 1126806 (SCO43054 Scotland)

ArtHouse Spring Open 2025 – EMERGE, starts 25 Mar ’25

In keeping with venues up and down the country, Southport Contemporary Arts’ gallery, the ArtHouse in Eastbank Street, will once again be showcasing a wide spectrum of original and captivating works of artwork during its own eagerly anticipated Spring Open Exhibition.

Co-Director of SCA, Norrie Bewick-Calvert explains the focus for this year’s entries: “The theme is going to be ‘Emerge’, which we thought was an apt one as we move from the gloom into the sunshine.”

Profiling not only SCA members, the SCA Spring Open traditionally also offers the wider artistic community the opportunity to display their own work in the gallery.

SCA already has a reputation for bringing together a range of high quality contemporary art and craft from both emerging and established artists throughout the year and this annual celebratory exhibition will once again celebrate the scope of creativity and artistic talent across the region from Ceramics and Jewellery, to Oil Paintings and Mixed Media Collage.

Norrie confirms: “In this year’s exhibition, open to all artists and makers living and working in Liverpool City Region and Lancashire, we are inviting participants to respond to the theme in their own distinctive way using inventive and original methodologies.  Entrants have been asked to reflect on emerging from our hibernatory Winter mode into a Spring filled with light and a sense of progress. The whole exhibition will create an uplifting and inspirational collection of unique work for all to enjoy. It is always a pleasure to welcome in new work and meet so many creatives, especially at this time of year when we have all been a little cocooned.”

Freelance artist and printmaker, Mike Goodwin from Litherland, who works mainly in pen and ink to bring his detailed humorous graphic illustrations to life, offers his own personal take on this year’s theme: “The protagonist, Teddy, ’emerges’ from his bedroom window to greet the brand new day!”

Teddy Boyle is Mike’s 87 year-old rock ‘n’ roller, who is often seen coiffured with or without his giant wig.

Event

Despite no formal training, Mike was a past winner of the Sefton Open Arts competition and continues to exhibit locally: “My pen and ink drawings often take weeks to complete. I’m not a fast worker and tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, so I have to be quite patient in order to get it right (in my eyes)”.

Leaded glass artist, Margaret Maule, has also been burning the midnight oil preparing her new Tiffany style glass panel for the exhibition: “I have always loved glass, the variety of colours and effects it can create. It’s such an ancient material, which has stood the test of time. My inspiration for it came from a visit to Blackwell House in the Lake District. The Arts and Crafts interior has, in my opinion, not dated in over a hundred years, which is what I wanted to celebrate in my panel. It is called “Blackwell Bloom” and I have used some, not all, handmade glass in its construction.”

Also exhibiting will be Neil Prior, a professional artist from Ainsdale. Neil already has an established track record of commissions in oils, including portraits, still life, landscapes and more recently, his popular, dog portraiture. Hot on the heels of his recent homage to Vermeer solo exhibition – “The Art Detective” – his featured painting, “Eastern Promise”, lives up to its title depicting a mysterious woman’s face seductively ‘emerging’ from beneath an embroidered black headscarf trimmed with silver jewellery.

No stranger to the local art scene, Pauline McNulty has been drawing and painting now for over forty years: “I initially engaged with art through Adult Education in the ‘80s. Since then I have extended the depth and breath of my experience and skills through classes and courses in watercolour, acrylics, life drawing, linocut, silk painting and pastels backed up with extensive academic study”.

The natural world has always provided the stimulation for Pauline’s accomplished technique: “I just love to sketch and paint animals, wildlife and flora”.

In keeping with this year’s theme, Pauline’s pen and wash entry – “Sunflowers and Honey Bees” – depicts a springtime swarm of Honey Bees emerging from their Hive.

Norrie concludes: “We are hoping that visitors will feel uplifted from their visit to the Gallery and that the Artists taking part will feel the positive impact of their creative connectivity, that is such an important part of what SCA sets out to achieve.”

This year’s Spring Open will run from 25th March until 12th April at ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Southport PR8 1EJ.  Opening times: Tuesday – Friday: 10am-3pm & Saturday: 11am-4pm.

Record Store Day Returns to the Wirral at Dig Vinyl West Kirby, held 12 Apr ’25

The Wirral’s newest record shop, Dig Vinyl in West Kirby, is excited to once again announce its participation in Record Store Day UK on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. This marks the shop’s second year taking part, and after a hugely successful debut last year, the team is ready to go even bigger, bringing even more exclusive releases to the Wirral’s vinyl community.

Record Store Day, which began in 2007, celebrates and promotes the distinctive culture of independent record shops with special vinyl releases made exclusively for the event and stocked only by participating retailers on the day. Over the years, it has evolved into a global celebration of record shops, with thousands of stores taking part across the world, including over 260 in the UK. As the Wirral’s destination for new releases, classic reissues, and all things vinyl-related, Dig Vinyl is looking forward to once again welcoming collectors through its doors for this year’s event.

Dig Vinyl expanded to the Wirral in November 2023, opening its second shop on the bustling Banks Road, just a short walk from the station and a stone’s throw from the beach. This marked a major milestone in Dig Vinyl’s decade-long journey, which began with the opening of its Bold Street shop in Liverpool back in 2014. After years of growth, including three expansions and a big move within Bold Street, the team was thrilled for the chance to bring their love of vinyl to a new corner of Merseyside.

Since opening, the West Kirby shop has been embraced by the area’s vibrant independent retail scene, quickly becoming a go-to spot for both seasoned collectors and those just starting their vinyl journey. The shop carries the same diverse selection of genres, eras, and sounds as its Liverpool counterpart, with an ever-growing range of records spanning new releases, secondhand gems, and rare finds from the US, Europe, Japan, and beyond. With buyers available in-store on most opening days, they’ve also made it easier than ever for vinyl lovers on the Wirral to sell or trade their collections.

Dig Vinyl West Kirby will be open for Record Store Day at 10am on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. Customers are encouraged to drop into the shop with their RSD requests and fill out the Wishlist located at the counter by March 10th. All Record Store Day releases are exclusive to the event and sold in-store on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to plan accordingly, as items cannot be reserved or saved.

Although Dig Vinyl’s Bold Street shop will not be participating in the event, they will be marking the occasion with 10% off all secondhand stock at the city centre location.

Dig Vinyl West Kirby: 156B Banks Road, Entrance Via Alexandra Road, West Kirby, CH48 0QB

View the official RSD release list here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/rsd-list
Find out more about RSD at Dig Vinyl: https://digvinyl.co.uk/blogs/news/rsd2025

Snooker legend Steve Davis to headline Liverpool multi-arts festival this March ’25

A legendary snooker world champion will headline a festival in Liverpool later this month with his acclaimed electronic music group.

Steve Davis’ band The Utopia Strong tops the bill at this year’s Angel Field Festival 2025, taking place at Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus from 20th until 27th March. The week-long festival will see a range of arts and music on offer in what is a truly eclectic line-up.

The Utopia Strong will play The Capstone Theatre on Friday 21st March at 7:30pm. The band from Glastonbuty released their self-titled debut album in 2019 and their second, International Treasure, in 2022 with the late great DJ Andrew Weatherall proclaiming the band’s sound as “gnostic sonics in a nutshell”.

Liverpool’s own The Savoy Jazzmen, who formed an incredible 65 years ago, will play the festival on Saturday 22nd March at 2pm.

The band first performed at the Mardi Gras Jazz Club Liverpool on Tuesday 3rd May 1960. They also played regularly in the Downbeat Jazz Club in the 1960s and a poster can be seen in the World Museum advertising the group’s session in the club with the Swinging Blue Jeans. The band played at the original Cavern – which began as a traditional jazz club – and a brick in the wall opposite the new Cavern commemorates these sessions.

Then, later on Saturday evening, The Hope Metropolitan Orchestra and Choir will deliver a stunning showcase of Mozart’s great work of 1791, including a performance of his famous Requiem. The concert will feature Barbara Ruzsics (soprano), Sarah Helsby Hughes (mezzo-soprano), Hugh Kaliski (tenor) and Joseph Murphy (bass). The year 1791 saw Mozart complete several great works – the piano concerto in Bb, k.595, the operas The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito, the Clarinet Concerto k.622, the string quintet in Eb k.614, the much-loved motet Ave Verum Corpus.

On Sunday 23rd March at 7:30pm, Liverpool audiences will be able to experience a concert of music of a reflective nature featuring works by the composers Erik Satie, John Cage and David Revill. French composer Satie (1866 – 1924) was an early pioneer of musical modernism exerting a profound influence on 20th-century music, meanwhile American composer Cage (1912 – 1992) was a legendary music theorist perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4”²33”³, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from being present for the duration specified by the title. British composer David Revill, who passed away in 2024, is the author of The Roaring Silence, the authorised biography of Cage.

East Meets West – A Musical Interpretation of Poem’s Savors is a programme that includes a piano recital alongside a lecture on the subject of contemporary piano works combining Eastern and Western cultural influences.

Hua Lin, one of the most prominent contemporary Chinese composers, and Chinese pianist Lei Cai, Professor of Piano at Ouachita Baptist University will perform these pieces on Tuesday 25th March, 7:30pm and introduce the works to the audience through reading his English translations of the Chinese poems and showing traditional Chinese paintings of the artistic conception.

As well as these exciting highlights, the festival will feature diverse range of music, art, performances, workshops and talks throughout the week at Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus.

Angel Field Festival is an exciting week-long festival of arts and culture at The Capstone Theatre and Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus from 20th until 27th March 2025. It will showcase an enthralling and diverse programme of music, art, dance, film, workshops and discussion.

For more information and tickets, visit the festival’s website here.

Liverpool man wins 2025 Oscar for best production design on Wicked

Lee Sandales from Gateacre in Liverpool was part of the team which won best production design for the film Wicked at the Oscar award ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

His mother Audrey said it was an “extraordinary” moment for her son who also scooped a BAFTA earlier this year. She said he “loves doing his job” and his family “are very proud of him”.

Read the full BBC article here

ArtsGroupie March Activities – Free Storytime and Free Walks, starts 1 Mar ’25

ArtsGroupie March Activities

Storytelling & Shadow Puppetry

– Family Fun Liverpool Libraries and Information Services with Culture Liverpool

ArtsGroupie will bring libraries to life with three weekends of storytelling, complete with Liver bird puppet and also family shadow puppetry workshops.

Saturday 1 March, Old Swan Library | 10.30am – 12.30pm, Storytelling | 1.30pm – 3.30pm, Shadow Puppetry | No booking required

Saturday 8 March, Norris Green Library | 10.30am – 12.30pm, Storytelling | 1.30pm – 3.30pm, Shadow Puppetry | No booking required

Saturday 15 March, Belle Vale Library | 10.30am – 12.30pm, Storytelling | 1.30pm – 3.30pm, Shadow Puppetry | No booking required

Free Street Theatre Tours

Tours will begin at THE BLUECOAT and finish at the Lights Up on Liverpool Theatre Exhibition – Central Library.

Lasting around one hour.

Liverpool Theatres Through Time

Thurs 13th Mar at 5:30pm

Liverpool’s Pantomimes

Fri 14th Mar at 12pm

Stars of the Liverpool Stage

Sat 8th Mar at 12pm

The Comedy and Tragedy of Liverpool Stages

Sat 1st Mar at 12pm

Sat 15th Mar at 12pm

To book your place, please email artgroupie@outlook.com and state the date and number of people attending

Thanks to support from Heritage Lottery, PLAY READING GROUP is back –

They will meet fortnightly till June at Central Library on a Thursday evening 5:45 till 7:45pm.

Reading aloud, a play text and discussion.

ALL WELCOME

Email – artgroupie@outlook.com or simply turn up.

Central Library – the Game Room –

5-45 for a 6pm start till 7:45 pm

  • Thurs 27/2
  • Thurs 13/3
  • Thurs 27/3
  • Thurs 10/4
  • Thurs 24/4
  • Thurs 1/5
  • Thurs 29/5

The Learning Foundry launches new home for built environment training in North West for ’25

Liverpool-based training provider, The Learning Foundry, has opened its second training site which will offer training in construction, green skills and housing management, for people aged 16+ across the Liverpool City Region and beyond. Attended by Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, the Skills Centre will specialise in creating opportunities for local people, giving them hands on experience that will lead to a range of in-demand skills in the built environment sector.

The Liverpool City Region is experiencing a significant construction skills gap. With over £2 billion in new construction projects anticipated annually for the next five years, The Learning Foundry is proud to be supporting local people to gain the skills they need to change their lives, and the community in which they live.

With 35 years’ experience delivering quality training programmes, The Learning Foundry is well-placed to support local people to land sustainable work in in-demand sectors, from construction to housing or green skills. The Learning Foundry will use the Skills Centre to deliver programmes to people aged 16+ across the North West, including Property Maintenance Operative apprenticeships, specialist Skills Bootcamps in Green Skills and free feeder programmes for young people and adults living in the Liverpool City Region.

As part of The Regenda Group, The Learning Foundry is uniquely positioned to provide high quality training to the sector. Benefitting from the support of the Group, its programmes have been guided by the expert knowledge and requirements of social housing provider, Regenda Homes and construction specialists M&Y, Maintenance and Construction, as well as eco and green skills experts, Ecogee.

The Learning Foundry’s Interim Managing Director, Terry Collier, says:

“The launch of our Skills Centre is crucial for The Learning Foundry. Creating a designated home for built environment training is giving our communities the opportunity to access practical skills that employers are seeking in their recruitment processes. Working collaboratively with our partners across The Regenda Group enables The Learning Foundry to address skill gaps within the sector so our learners transition quickly and effectively into employees that have immediate impact in the workforce.”

Managing Director at M&Y Maintenance and Construction, Gill Kelly, says:

“At M&Y Maintenance and Construction we’re not just building structures; we’re committed to building futures. It’s been a pleasure to support The Learning Foundry shape their programmes, we couldn’t ask for a better fit. Construction training programmes at The Learning Foundry offer two major advantages. Firstly, they offer a great opportunity to local people to gain the versatile and in-demand skills that they need to work in across the built environment sector. The second is that through collaboration, The Learning Foundry can address skill gaps within our sector, allowing learners to upskill and impact in the workforce.”

Programmes will begin running from the new Skills Centre from February 2025. If you would like to register your interest for any of the programmes you can do so via The Learning Foundry website: https://www.thelearningfoundry.co.uk/

DaDaFest Reveals 2025 Programme

Award-winning DaDa has revealed its exciting 2025 festival programme which marks the Liverpool-based disability and Deaf arts-led organisation’s 40th anniversary.

A busy line-up of film, including large-scale projection, performances, visual arts, workshops and talks are promised at this year’s DaDaFest International 40 (DDFI40) which runs from 8-31 March.

With 90% of events open to the public for FREE the organisation is encouraging supporters to help it to keep it that way through donations.

Events include a significant new photographic exhibition at the waterfront Open Eye Gallery, a stunning poetic film installation screened on the outside of the Cunard Building, thought-provoking live theatre and a special Bluecoat Weekender at DaDa’s city centre home.

DaDa, founded in 1984, develops and presents excellent disability and Deaf arts through an artistic programme that includes high quality festivals, interventions and events, fed in to by a year-round programme of engagement work with developing and established artists, young disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent people, their families and the wider community.

DaDaFest, which was launched in 2001, showcases the work of disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent artists.

The festival theme for 2025 is Rage: A Quiet Riot! which was chosen after speaking to artists about the work still to be done to achieve full equity.

Events take place at venues across the city centre and beyond as well as online.

Sweat The System

Film

In the Film DDFI40 programme, artists showcase different shades of rage – bubbling, building and bursting in a quiet riot.

Launching DDFI40 on International Women’s Day, 8 March, Bristol-based artist and curator Cathy Mager’s Hand Ships Sail is a poetic conversation in British Sign Language in which two Deaf women share their dreams for the future as they look out over the night sky. It will be beamed on to the side of the Cunard Building from 8-10pm on the day.

A co-commission between DaDa and Culture Liverpool, Movement Megaphone is an original dance film by Patrick Bannon, an associate artist at RAWD, which explores turning up our voice through dance. It will be screened at Open Eye Gallery on Mann Island from 8-10 and 17-31 March.

And on 18 March there will be an evening of films at FACT which reflect on the festival theme including a screening of shorts created by disability artists Dolly Sen, Dora Colquhoun and Amina Atiq.

Live Performance

Artists Faith Bebbington and Janet Price unveil their visual commission Pimp my Wheelchair at Sefton Park Palm House on 9 March with a special launch event which will feature a thought-provoking catwalk-esque procession. Their exhibition features crutches, chairs and hearing aids ‘pimped up’ with sculptures inspired by plants which have natural defence mechanisms which express rage against attack.

It runs until 30 March and ahead of that on 28 March there will also be an informal event to mark the end of the exhibition and celebrate DaDaFest International 40 – Rage: A Quiet Riot including a live performance from Dora Colquhoun as well as music.

Midgitte Bardot is the alter ego of solo artist Tamm Williams. Shooting From Below, staged at the Unity Theatre on 21 March, is a work-in-progress sharing of a new show which explores people’s regressive attitudes to those with dwarfism and poses the question – who is really dwarfing who?

Then on 22 March, join the brilliantly bold Not All Your Circus Dogs at the Unity where they present Not F***ing Sorry. Co-produced by The Hale and Access All Areas, the show promises ‘shameless sexy punk crip cabaret’.

Meanwhile The Bluecoat Performance Space is the venue for Rage Reactor on 22-23 March. Open from 11am to 5pm each day, the event sees artist Zack Mennell working with an archive of NHS and DWP letters and with family photos to create a commissioned installation alongside three performances over the two days which combine poetic explorations of childhood trauma with the trauma the civil nuclear industry enacts on the land.

And The Bluecoat Garden sees an interactive performance from Dora Colquhoun on 22 March, where the fictional National Bureau for Sitting (NBFS) will assess members of the public to see whether they can take a seat in a very comfortable Chesterfield chair.

Deaf author Natalie Denny will lead a special DaDaFest International 40 Storytime at The Bluecoat Festival Hub on 22 March where she will share her much loved ‘Keisha Jones’ series.

Amina Atiq will present Pop Up Poetry in the Bluecoat Garden and Courtyard on 23 March, with specially developed work reflecting on the festival theme RAGE performed alongside some of her existing poems.

Then on 28 March, Eat Me and Preach – a collaboration between DaDa and Liverpool’s original drag dinner cabaret and club night – comes to District in the Baltic Triangle, promising a raucous evening of performance and protest.

And on 29 March, artist and performer Patrick Bannon and choreographer Alice Lapworth will host a free open dance workshop at Open Eye Gallery to learn some of the moves in Movement Megaphone, followed by a one-off live performance.

Cathy Mager, Spectroscope, Night Bloom, Nov 2024 Science Gallery London, George Torode Photography

Visual Art

The visual art strand of DDFI40 opens with a new exhibition titled Rage, Riot and Revolution at the Open Eye Gallery on Mann Island. Over four decades, disabled women in Liverpool and the North West have been powerful agents of change locally, nationally and internationally, reshaping their communities and the way society views disabled people.

Launched on International Women’s Day and running until 31 March, the exhibition – featuring photography by Jan Williams of the Caravan Gallery – celebrates their resilience, ingenuity and impact.

DaDa Chief Executive and artist Zoe Partington will be Painting in Light at venues across the Liverpool City Region including, Sefton Park Palm House, Williamson Art Gallery and The Bluecoat and more to be revealed. Running from 8-31 March, the light sculptures convey stories, messages and insights into disabled people’s struggles in a world where society still excludes them from the mainstream.

The exhibition will also be available to view online with audio description and a podcast discussion to capture the story behind it.

DaDaFest @ Bluecoat will see an archive exhibition, running from 8-31 March, which charts festivals, events and exhibitions hosted at the School Lane arts centre.

Meanwhile DaDa Fellow Chris Shapiro creation Koishii (the Japanese word for ‘I miss’ in the sense of yearning), an interactive game experience will be available on the DaDa website from 8-31 March.

Matt Allen presents his new digital commission It’s Not You, It’s M.E. at the Bluecoat and online on 11 March.

Allen is an artist whose practice explores dreams, reality and anxiety and draws upon autobiographical material to create interactive artworks. He is a recipient of FACT’s 2024 Digital Artist Residencies programme, and this new work about ME and chronic fatigue is supported in partnership with DaDa.

Disabled curator Gill Crawshaw and YEP (Young Everyman Playhouse) Producers present a DaDa @ 40: Dive into Our Archive at the Liverpool Everyman theatre bar from 19-31 March. Utilising some of DaDa’s extensive archive of material and memorabilia, Crawshaw is working with the young people to share a snapshot of disability arts history from a younger perspective.

Amina Atiq at the DaDa Launch
Amina Atiq at the DaDa Launch

Talks and Workshops

Drop in to the DaDa Festival Hub at the Bluecoat on 9 March for A Wee Riot with Edinburgh Fringe Society, a chance to chat with members of the society’s artist services’ team about all things Fringe ahead of a new year-round artist hub which is due to open in the Scottish capital in 2026.

Liz Crow, ZU-UK and Dora Colquhoun come together in partnership with Metal Culture for a very special event at Edge Hill Station on 15 March. How f*cked are we? A Long Table discussion about the climate crisis will explore climate change and disability from local and global perspectives, using artist Lois Weaver’s Long Table format.

DaDa is thrilled to be working with ZU-UK and Maria Oshodi and co-hosting a closed Research Lab at FACT on 16 March, one of the international elements of DDFI40.

An Ignite Artists round table takes place on Zoom on 17 March, covering the topic Using Creative Workshops to Imagine Better Futures of Care for and with People with Energy Limiting Conditions. Artists Khizra Ahmed, Khairani Barokka, Julian Gray, Mish Green and Louise Kenward will discuss a research project they are involved with which is led by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University.

Meanwhile Disability Arts Online and Telepresence Stage present a Seminar and Screening at FACT on 19 March.

In the morning, two of the UK’s leading disabled-led theatre companies, Birds of Paradise Theatre Company and CRIPtic Arts, will give presentations and hold a panel discussion on the possibilities and benefits of unique online and hybrid performance outcomes they have developed. While later in the day there will be a practical workshop.

Then the Bluecoat Festival Hub is the venue for Ignite 1:1 Artist Advice Sessions with Arts Council England on 23 March, with Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent creatives or organisations able to access the in-person advice from an ACE Relationship Manager.

There will also be an Ignite: First Time Arts Council Applicants Session on Zoom on 24 March with the webinar including an introduction to the Arts Council, its National Lottery Project Grants, developing your creative practice and tips on applying for funding.

And on 26 March Australian artists Amy Claire Mills and Bedelia Lowrenčev lead an online workshop, Sweat the System, which invites participants to move and shake their bodies through sweat and play.

Bluecoat Weekender

DaDa has called the Bluecoat its home since 2008 and has welcomed many disabled artists to the historic Liverpool arts centre during that time. Disabled people asked for a space in a cultural fun venue to meet as often disabled people are segregated

The Bluecoat Weekender on 22-23 March brings together a host of events and activities including Painting With Light, Zack Mennell’s Rage Reactor, Dora Colquhoun’s Would You Like a Seat? storytelling with Natalie Denny and pop-up poetry with Amina Atiq.

There will also be a DDFI40 Festival Hub and Quiet Space open on the weekends of 8-9 and 22-23 March which will be open to both artists and audiences for networking, informal meetings or simply to take time out.

DaDa’s chief executive Zoe Partington says: “DaDa has a rich powerful history of pioneering disability arts, and shifting culture within the arts when it comes to representation of disabled artists and the value to society of including disabled artists is immense and changes negative stereotypes.

“The impact of this work has become even more evident in the conversations we’ve had in planning our 40th anniversary festival, with venues like The Bluecoat telling us, since DaDaFest first took place there, they have revolutionised representation of disabled artists and audiences within their venue as a direct result, and with DaDa’s influence they now work regularly with disabled artists within a venue where they have invested heavily in disabled people being present and continue to improve access.

“The festival programme is diverse and exciting, and we have worked hard to keep most of the events free for people to access. But we know that many people believe in, and want to support, the work that we do, and so we want to remind people that we are a not-for-profit organisation and they can support us to keep creating opportunities for disabled artists to be present and to curate accessible experiences for everyone to enjoy.”

For full festival details and booking visit dadafest.co.uk.

If you want to support DaDa to keep many of the events free during DaDaFest you can support its Just Giving campaign www.justgiving.com/campaign/ddfi40.

Jury Announced For John Moores Painting Prize 2025 As Competition Opens

John Moore's Painting Prize 2025 Jurors
Top: (L-R) Zhang Enli, Michael Simpson / Bottom: (L-R) Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Louise Giovanelli, Zoé Whitley

Walker Art Gallery and the John Moores Painting Prize Trust are excited to announce the jury for the 2025 John Moores Painting Prize, alongside the formal opening of the call for entries. This distinguished panel of art world and creative industry figures will assess thousands of entries to determine both the exhibition content and prize winners.

Through their collective expertise, the jury will shape one of Britain’s most anticipated contemporary painting exhibitions, with their final decisions remaining confidential until the official announcement. The First Prize winner will receive £25,000 and a prestigious solo display at Walker Art Gallery, while each artist chosen for the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition will receive an exhibiting fee.

Louise Giovanelli is a London-born artist based in Manchester who studied at Manchester School of Art and Städelschule Frankfurt. Her work has been featured in prominent solo exhibitions at venues including White Cube London and Hong Kong, Hepworth Wakefield, and GRIMM New York. She has participated in significant group shows worldwide and her work is held in numerous prestigious collections, including MOCA Los Angeles, the National Museum Norway, and the Yuz Museum Shanghai. Her practice has earned her recognition in major institutions across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Gemma Rolls-Bentley is a leading contemporary art curator with nearly two decades of experience championing diversity in the field. Her 2024 book Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and the Spaces Between has received widespread acclaim. She specialises in amplifying female and LGBTQIA+ artists’ work, having curated for international institutions including Leslie Lohman Museum, Somerset House, and the Tom of Finland Foundation. In 2022, she curated the Brighton Beacon Collection, the UK’s largest permanent queer art display. She teaches across a number of institutions and serves on multiple boards, including Queercircle and the Courtauld Association Committee.

Michael Simpson is a British artist based in Wiltshire and winner of the 2016 John Moores Painting Prize. Having studied at Bournemouth College of Art and the Royal College of Art London, his distinguished career includes solo exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Serpentine Gallery London, Minsheng Museum Shanghai, and Spike Island Bristol. His work features in prominent collections including Tate Modern, Long Museum Shanghai, and the Louisiana Museum, cementing his position in contemporary British art.

Dr. Zoé Whitley is a London-based, US-born curator and writer. With a twenty year history in Britain’s leading museum collections and exhibition-making galleries (V&A, Tate, Hayward, and most recently as Director of Chisenhale Gallery, 2020-2025), projects to her credit include co-curating the acclaimed touring exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power (2017-2020), curating the British Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, and editing the major monograph on Barkley L. Hendicks:  Solid!  She is the author of two children’s books in the popular series Meet the Artist series on Frank Bowling and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

Zhang Enli is a prominent Chinese contemporary artist renowned for his extensive international exhibition history. Since 2000, his work has been showcased in over thirteen museums, with major solo exhibitions held across Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom in partnership with Hauser & Wirth. Notable venues include the Long Museum, Power Station of Art Shanghai, Galleria Borghese Rome, and the ICA London. His works are collected by prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou, Tate Collection, and Royal Academy of Arts. In 2014, he served as a juror for the John Moores Painting Prize China.

Sandra Penketh, Executive Director of Collections and Research at National Museums Liverpool, said:

“We are delighted to announce this exceptional jury for the John Moores Painting Prize 2025. Their diverse perspectives and deep understanding of contemporary art practice will ensure a rigorous and thoughtful selection process. The Prize continues to be a vital platform for painters working in the UK today, and we look forward to seeing the innovative and challenging works that will be submitted for consideration.” 

Alongside the First Prize, the jury will award the Lady Grantchester Prize, offering £5,000, with a residency and £2,500 worth of art materials supplied by Winsor & Newton. Applications from artists in their final year of study or within five years of graduation are especially encouraged to apply for this award.

Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to vote for their favourite painting to win the Visitors’ Choice Award. The winning artist will receive £2,025.

Named after its founding sponsor Sir John Moores in 1957, the internationally renowned prize, organised in partnership with the John Moores Painting Prize Trust, continues to support artists and bring the best contemporary painting to Liverpool. The competition has awarded more than £700,000 in prize money across 32 exhibitions, showcasing more than 2,400 works of art.

Past prize winners include David Hockney (1967), Mary Martin (1969), Lisa Milroy (1989), Peter Doig (1993), Keith Coventry (2010), Rose Wylie (2014), Jacqui Hallum (2018), and Kathryn Maple (2020).

The call for entries comes ahead of the opening of a new exhibition by the First Prize winner of the 2023 edition, Graham Crowley. Opening 17 March, Graham Crowley: I paint shadows offers unprecedented insight into Crowley’s distinctive exploration of light and shadow through painting, featuring new works alongside his Prize-winning piece ‘Light Industry’.

The call for entries for the John Moores Painting Prize 2025 is now open and runs until 5pm on 24 March 2025.

For further information and to enter, visit liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/jmpp.