By Jessica Marshall
Here are some art hubs and creative centres in the Liverpool City Region for you to explore your creative side.
Make Liverpool
Make CIC is a creative-led organisation with spaces across Liverpool City Region (Baltic, North Docks and Hamilton Square). At Make people come together to share skills, make, fix and create. It’s a place to learn new skills, uncover your inner talents and rediscover your passions. Make is the best place for creatives, makers and doers to hang out all under one roof. There’s workshops both the community and Make members, studios for residents and loads of events to attend.
Established in 2012, Make has become one of the popular community hubs for artists and local businesses, integrating various fields, such as drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, embroidery, and woodcraft.
Smithdown Social Arts Hub
Smithdown Social Arts Hub is an enterprise which works tirelessly to support local artists and help people develop their skills whilst providing them with a platform to share their work with the community, through their gallery space. They also support local musicians and writer’s in developing their skills further and sharing it with the world. They host many art exhibitions at Gallery 455, and they offer their own art classes for the community to get stuck into.
Bluecoat
Bluecoat is a contemporary arts centre in which many exhibitions, events, and workshops are held for the community to get involved with and discover art in different forms. They aim to provide people with creative outlets who may not have had the chance to explore their creative side. They offer free family events throughout summer for you and your family to get stuck into.
dot-art
Independent gallery and dot-art run lots of great arts and creative classes for children and adults. Their courses include life drawing, abstract painting, cartooning, photography, an introduction to darkroom, textile arts, Cyanotype workshops and more.
Writing On The Wall
Writing On The Wall is a creative project which inspires writers within the community to share their talent for words and meet others who share the same passion. Their aim is to provide writers with the platform for their voices to be heard and celebrated. They understand the power of words and how important stories are for the progression of society which is why they host various workshops and events for adults, young people, and professionals to develop their skills. They are also a huge advocate for the power writing can have for mental health support and promote working through your emotions by writing it out.
Merseymade
Merseymade is a creative hub in which art studios are set up for local artists to work in, from painters to nail artists and jewellery makers. You can stop by to watch these artists at work and shop their designs, as well as dine at their café. If you would rather get involved creatively, they host many events and workshops ranging from wine tasting to clay making and candle making. Head over to the Merseymade website to browse the events they have to offer.
Zap Graffiti
Zap Graffiti is an art venue in which graffiti art is celebrated and explored. They host graffiti art classes which are available for children aged 6+ and adults to develop basic skills and technique. The classes are taught outside, and all equipment is provided for your little ones to discover their inner artist and learn an amazing skill. They also host art galleries for the community to come and visit some talented wall murals. If you’re already a graffiti artist looking for a canvas, they have a variety of sites to offer where you can let your creative juices flow.
MD Creatives
MD Creatives is a project that was expanded upon from the dance school ‘MD Productions’ in order to provide the community with an opportunity to get involved in performing arts and expand their skills within areas such as cooking, hairdressing, DJ’ing, make-up and more alongside dance. They have lots of courses and services available online to get involved with and enhance your communication and social skills as well as gain employability and life skills. If you have a passion for performing arts or you’re looking to join their academy and meet like-minded people visit their website for more information.
The Art Room Wirral
The Art Room is a studio which offers a range of art classes including one to one classes and workshops both in person and online for adults and children. The classes focus on art and crafts including mixed media, drawing, watercolour and more! If you’re an artist or you’re someone who is just wanting to start out, be sure to check out their website and develop your skills today.
Studio Arts Liverpool
Studio Arts Liverpool is based in the Bridewell Studios on Prescot Street, L7, and has been running classes since 2015 for people of all abilities. There are various classes and courses on offer, including the recent addition of collagraphs and drypoint etching. At the end of each course, students are invited to exhibit their work in the Bridewell Studios gallery to celebrate their achievements. For more information about courses, check here.
China Butterfly Craft Centre Formby
The China Butterfly Craft Centre is a pottery studio, offering pottery painting for all ages. If you want to get more hands on you can take on the pottery wheel and get creative with your own designs. There’s designs already to choose from such as ornaments, trinkets, dishware etc. you can just show up and get straight to it, adding your own character to your chosen item using acrylic or glaze paints. Why not grab a bite whilst you’re there?
Frankie’s Paint It Pottery
Another art hub which offers pottery painting is Frankie’s painting pottery which is open to everyone in the community. With a wide range of objects to choose from at different prices, why not get creative and learn a new skill? Pottery can be a perfect outlet for your emotions and to take time out of your daily routine to relax and create. It’s also a great way to meet new people. They also host events such as Prosecco And Paint for adults and clay imprint workshops. Check out their website for more information.
Sola Arts
Sola Arts is an art organisation which focuses on art psychotherapy, working with adults, families, and children with mental health needs, providing individual and group art therapy for people to express themselves and gain support. They offer social support and help people develop skills and increase their confidence and independence in both life and art and crafts.
You can also discover a whole range of workshops, arts classes and events by checking out our events listings here.
Have we missed anything in this article? Let us know! Get in touch with Clare at clare@culture.org.uk. We strive to make our features as inclusive as possible, so we’re keen to hear your suggestions.