• The Door Opened: 1980s China

    Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space

    One can argue that nostalgia is the strongest emotion, a pure mixture of wistfulness and melancholy. Adrian Bradshaw, an English photographer, brings that sense of yearning into full focus in […]

  • 150 years of the Together Trust

    Wolfson Reading Room

    The exhibition tells the story of the Together Trust’s 150-year history in Manchester and the north west. It charts the development of this disability charity from its origins as a […]

  • A Northern Life – it’s not all about Margaret

    First Floor Display Cases

    Welcome to the wonderful world of local artist Lorraine Rudyard. Lorraine creates three-dimensional sculptures using recycled materials and vintage finds. Her work is colourful, humorous, warm and engaging, and reflects […]

  • Queen Elizabeth II and Manchester Exhibition

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    This June marks the 70th year anniversary that Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne. To celebrate this, we host an exhibition to celebrate her life so far, and […]

  • Polish Heritage Days Exhibition

    First Floor Exhibition Hall

    The Polish Heritage Days is an annual festival organised and run under the patronage of the Polish Embassy in London. The idea behind Polish Heritage Days is to promote and […]

  • Word Central

    Performance Space

    WORD CENTRAL RETURNS TUESDAY 31 MAY 2022 James Hartnell is a poet, newspaper columnist and writer who has been published globally. He is presently editor of Current Accounts, the international […]

  • Shadow Girl

    Shadow Girl is a new adventure story about a girl called Sabrina, who has a vivid imagination. It is a playful and adventurous show about friendship, growing up and discovering […]

  • Sunday Funday: A Royal Celebration

    Performance Space

    Enjoy a free, fun packed afternoon with lots to do for all the family as we come together to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. There wil be Jubilee themed art […]

  • Every Picture Tells a Story

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Heritage Schools (part of Heritage England), Archives+ and artist Lorraine Rudyard, have created an exhibition working with 12 year-5 classes from Manchester schools. The schools have created figures for scenes […]

  • Manchester Histories Festival 2022

    Performance Space

    Manchester Histories Festival are delighted to be returning to Manchester Central Library. Throughout the festival, the library will play host to a series of events featuring talks from environmental activists […]

  • For those who are to come

    Wolfson Reading Room

    For those who are to come presents the diverse faces and colours of Amazonia. The exhibition was first shown at COP26 and is now in Manchester for the first time […]