Turning tourist for the school holidays
Playing at being tourists | Dawn to Dusk: Birds by Jim Moir at the Lady Lever - and more NW arts news
I spent Friday pretending to be a tourist in my own city after realising that I’m more likely to explore other places across the North West with my kids than their home. So we had a ride on the Mersey Ferry, and sat on the top of the hop-on, hop-off bus - a pretty slick operation until the tour guide’s microphone kept malfunctioning and it felt like we were in a sitcom.
We also popped into the Museum of Liverpool for about half an hour, where my son stood next to a replica Liver Bird to answer his question about how tall they are, and my daughter fan-girled at the Liverpool FC displays. Meanwhile, my husband reminisced about the International Garden Festival in front of John Clinch’s sculpture Wish You Were Here, which he remembers from being a kid in the 80s. And I caught a glimpse of my Dad pretending to be a pipe-smoking Victorian gentlemen in the video about Merseyside’s footballing history, from when he did some work as an extra.
Of course we barely scratched the surface, of the museum or the city, so we’re planning more tourist-style trips for the next school holiday. Any suggestions? Let me know.
Latest arts news
🐦 The Lady Lever Art Gallery will present artwork by Jim Moir (perhaps best-known under his stage name Vic Reeves) in a new exhibition, Dawn to Dusk: Birds by Jim Moir opening on Saturday, June 14. Around 45 of his bird paintings will be on display, some of which have been specially created.
🔍 Curious Investigators, an adventure for 3–7-year-olds and their grown-ups created in collaboration with engineering experts from Lancaster University, is at Storyhouse in Chester on Friday, April 18.
✏️ Manchester-born author Jeanette Winterson will present the annual LS Lowry Lecture on Saturday, April 26 as part of Lowry’s 25th anniversary celebrations. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of her first novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.
🌳 The Society of Wood Engravers 87th Annual Exhibition is being held in the North West for the first time in 25 years. More than 120 prints will be on display at Kirkby Gallery from Tuesday, May 6 to Friday, August 15, alongside book art curated by Liverpool Book Art, Printmaking Today and SWE.
In case you missed it
Now booking
A new comedy-drama set in a family-run Caribbean takeaway will open at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool later this month.
Written by creative director Nathan Powell, Takeaway follows matriarch Carol Hylton (Phina Oruche) and her two daughters (Adi Alfa and Bene Sebuyange) as they navigate generational clashes, community struggles, and their place in modern Liverpool. It runs from Saturday, April 26 to Saturday, May 17.
Opening this week
An exhibition of work by celebrated Roma-Polish artist Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, who represented Poland at the 2022 Venice Biennale, has opened at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester this week.
Mirga-Tas creates narrative-rich works using textiles and fabric, producing vibrant large-scale panels that transform perceptions of Romany culture and history. The exhibition offers an opportunity to consider the Whitworth’s textile collection in a new and nomadic-centric light, while honouring the lives of stateless communities. Ends Sunday, September 7.
One for all the family
Three free family-friendly summer Garden Parties will be taking place in The Reader’s ‘secret’ walled garden and restored 1940s Art Deco Garden Theatre at Calderstones park in Liverpool this summer.
They are a Mersey Forest Takeover on Sunday, May 11, marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day with live music from the Liverpool Show Choir, a free bookable Mansion House Heritage tour , two Shared Reading taster sessions and a poetry walk with seed planting.
The Liverpool Philharmonic Takeover on Sunday 18 May will see the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, In Harmony Liverpool Chamber Stars and The Philharmonic Youth Company Ensemble will perform, and there will be taster sessions and free workshops. And there will be a third summer Garden Party will take place on Sunday, July 20.
Thank you for reading the 128th edition of Stored Honey. If you enjoyed what you read then please hit the ❤️ button as it helps to get it shown more widely.
I’m off now to make a big stack of the books I’ve bought but not read yet in an effort to drag myself out of a reading rut. If you have any recommendations, You can get in touch on Instagram, on Bluesky, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura
P.S. ‘Remarkable creative journey’ to end with outdoor exhibition revealing how people feel about Preston