National Museums Liverpool have commissioned Writing on the Wall to deliver a Creative Heritage Programme working with the archive of lifelong Black British activist Dorothy Kuya (1933-2013).
The Dorothy Kuya Walking Tour
Dorothy Kuya was born in 1933 into Liverpool’s Black community, one of the oldest in Europe. She grew up during a time of monumental upheaval and global change. She began her life of activism after joining the Young Communist League at age 13 and was an early member of the Movement for Colonial Freedom (now Liberation). The Dorothy Kuya walking tour will take you on a journey through three stages of Dorothy’s life and activism:
Early Years
During this part of the tour, we will be exploring the effect of Pan-Africanism, Communism and trade-unionism on the post-war political activities of Liverpool’s Black Community.
Community Relations
In 1970 Dorothy became the first Community Relations Officer for the newly established Liverpool Community Relations Council. As CRO, during this period she also began her research into racism in education and children’s books.
Granby Resident
In 1993 Dorothy was a founding member of the Granby Residents Association, set up in response to plans to demolish many houses in the area. She was also integral in advising National Museums Liverpool on what would eventually become the International Slavery Museum.
Come along for this rare opportunity to learn more about this radical Black British figure. As part of Black History Month 23 we present: Ms. Dorothy Kuya.
Q&A between historian Dr Greig Campbell and author Mike Carter at Bar Casa, Liverpool @ 1pm on Saturday 16 September.
The talk will explore the 1981 People’s March for Jobs by delving into Mike’s experiences when researching his 2018 book All Together Now: One Man’s in Search of His Father and a Lost England.
Mike’s father, Pete Carter, was one of the three principal March organisers and, as part of his research for the book, he retraced the full route taken by the Green Army in May 1981.
Here’s a Guardian review of All Together Now:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/28/all-together-now-one-mans-walk-search-of-father-lost-england-mike-carter-review
The full address of the venue is:
Bar Casa
29 Hope Street
Liverpool
L1 9BQ
If you plan to come, can you please RSVP to info@thepeoplesmarch.co.uk
In Tracing the Biennial, an invited panel of guests who were involved in its early years will provide a fascinating insight into its origins, aims and how it came to be the UK’s largest visual arts festival.
They will discuss why the festival is important for Liverpool, what has made it so successful, and why audiences travel from around the world to see it.
Panelists include Lewis Biggs, former Liverpool Biennial Director; Jonathan Swain, who led the independent programme that complemented the first Liverpool Biennials; Bryan Biggs, Bluecoat’s Director of Cultural Legacies, and who has been involved from the start; Laurie Peake, who was Project Director from 2002 – 2012, and Lois Keidan, who was involved in the live art programme, ‘Liverpool Live’, co-curated by the Bluecoat and the Live Art Develeopment Agency. Gabriela Saenger Silva chairs the discussion and reflects on her own more recent involvement with the Liverpool Biennial when she was Meditation Coordinator in 2016 and 2018.
This is a rare opportunity to hear about Liverpool Biennial’s 26-year development and why it continues to play a crucial role in the city’s cultural offer, with a reach far beyond Liverpool.
As part of this year’s Heritage Open Days, join them to explore Yoko Ono’s event hosted at the Bluecoat in 1967 in a fascinating talk with our Director of Cultural Legacies Bryan Biggs.
This year’s Heritage Open Days theme is ‘Unwrapping Creativity’.
A leading figure in conceptual and performance art, experimental film and music, Ono first visited the Bluecoat in 1967, when she presented an event, Music of the Mind and the world premiere of The Fog Machine, to a packed hall. Featuring audience interaction, it included people being invited to wrap her in bandages. Returning to the venue in 2008 during Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture celebrations, she referenced this previous event by asking the audience to this time unwrap her.
Join Bluecoat for this fascinating talk by Director of Cultural Legacies Bryan Biggs as they revisit these two iconic occasions. The talk will be accompanied by a rich display of archival material relating to the artist’s Liverpool visits.
Doors 6.30pm
Talk 7pm
Q&A 8pm
Join the Convenience Gallery and the team from Spaces of Hope as they delve into the history of the Old Lairds Art school.
This event will feature a talk and Q&A session lead by Spaces of Hope researcher Dr. Michael Howcroft, who led on the research in Birkenhead, alongside members and attendees from the Old Birkenhead School of Art and the Laird Enterprise Trust.
Do you remember the Old Birkenhead School of Art? Would you like to learn about its role in the hidden history of community-led planning?
Researchers from the University of Sheffield have been investigating how local people and organisations across the UK have come together to fight for the future of their areas. Drawing on new archival research, oral histories, and a range of visual materials, their touring exhibition, ‘Spaces of Hope’, features an episode in the history of the Old Birkenhead School of Art – one of Birkenhead’s landmark buildings. You can view the exhibition as part of Gathering, at VOR. in Birkenhead.
This talk will delve into the history of this space, the community who occupied it and their vision for a brighter community. The talk is free to attend and will also be accompanied by a collaborative exhibition by Space of Hope and Convenience Gallery exploring the social and cultural history of Birkenhead.
Date: Saturday 9th
Time: 12-12pm
Tickets: Free
Join award-winning journalist and the former Melody Maker & Uncut editor as he reveals stories from the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll, including Lou Reed, Elton John, Sting and The Clash.
Allan Jones brings stories from the golden days of music reporting. Long nights of booze, drugs and unguarded conversations which include anecdotes, experiences and extravagant behaviour… A band’s aftershow party in San Francisco being gatecrashed by cocaine-hungry Hells Angels… Chrissie Hynde on how rock ‘n’ roll killed The Pretenders… What happened when Nick Lowe and 20 of his mates flew off to Texas to join the Confederate Air Force… John Cale on his dark alliance with Lou Reed… plus much more.
Allan Jones remembers a world that once was – one of dark excess and excitement, outrageous deeds and extraordinary talent, featuring legends at both the beginnings and ends of their careers.
Join us for a an evening of more rock ‘n’ roll war stories as Allan Jones is in conversation with Alan O’Hare (Only Child).
Guided tour – Discovering Della Robbia at the Williamson Art Gallery.
Join Curator Niall Hodson for an introduction to the Williamson’s fascinating collection of Della Robbia Pottery. Visitors will learn about the beautiful artworks made at Birkenhead’s Della Robbia Pottery (1894 -1906), see the works up close, and find out about the creative designers and decorators behind them.
Niall will be leading these tours at 12pm and 2pm on Saturday 9th and Saturday 16th September. Booking required – email arts@williamsonartgallery.org with your name, which tour slot you would like to book and how many places you require.
Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1892, our Grade II listed building has been a central part of University life for over a century and the VG&M was opened in May 2008 by HRH The Princess Royal.
Get more from your visit to the Victoria Gallery & Museum with a free guided tour. Our friendly and knowledgeable guides will take you through the building giving you a fascinating insight into the history of the Victoria Building and its collections.
Please arrive at the VG&M Welcome Desk ten minutes before tour start time.
Following a sell-out 2022 tour, the Queen of History, Lucy Worsley, is heading back out on the road to share stories from the fascinating life of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.
In these unique, live illustrated talks, Lucy will present one of the most elusive and enigmatic figures of the twentieth century. Agatha went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness. So why – despite all the evidence to the contrary – did she present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure?
Sharing her research based on the writer’s personal letters and papers, Lucy will uncover the real Agatha Christie – the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.
This promises to be an entertaining and enlightening evening, emphasising not just Agatha’s unique gifts as a storyteller but her revolutionary qualities as a determined, successful and thoroughly modern woman.
Lucy is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and a hugely popular writer, broadcaster and speaker. Her recent TV series include Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley (BBC One) and Lucy Worsley Investigates (BBC Two). Lucy has an OBE for services to history, and her series Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley won a BAFTA.
Swapping the studio for the stage, join Loose Women’s award-winning panel as they prepare to hit the road for the very first time with Loose Women Live!
Coming directly to a theatre near you this autumn, enjoy an evening filled with laughter, games and backstage secrets – as the Loose Women take a look back over the last 24 years of the show. Packed with live entertainment and more fun and surprises to be revealed, no two shows will be the same as the women are truly let loose!
Liverpool audiences can let loose with Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, Denise Welch and Sunetra Sarker – as they share their stories and secrets live and in-person.
Loose Women is ITV1’s longest-running panel show after launching in 1999. The daily weekday show features discussion around the day’s most topical issues, from current affairs to the latest showbiz news, as well as exclusive celebrity guest interviews.
