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 this exhibition presented by the Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester. Featuring a blend of candid and posed photographs which explore China in the […]
The news has the power to make or break elections, to change the course of history or to alter our perspective on the city and country we live in. We expect the news to speak truth to power, but can it ever really be objective? Is your news the same as everyone else’s? How do […]
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 12-bed homeless boys’ refuge in Manchester city centre, to an organisation championing and caring for thousands of people in the region today. The exhibition features […]
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 her Northern upbringing. Free - just drop in - to help keep our activities free in the future please consider making a donation, either online […]
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 her links to Manchester. This fascinating photographic and video exhibition celebrates the Queen’s life. Included are several photographs of visits the Queen has made to […]
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 celebrate Polish culture, heritage of past generations, and Polish contribution to the cultural, economic, and social life of the United Kingdom. Together with the Consulate […]
Join us for this closing event 'North West Mixtape' in which selections of archive audio from the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project are celebrated. We've spent the last three years digitising, cataloguing and clearing the rights for over 4000 recordings from archives across the North West region. This event pairs an audio-visual showreel of key […]
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 magazine of Bank Street Writers, and is a regular contributor to Worktown Words, the writing arm of Live from Worktown, a major community project in […]
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 what it means to be brave. Sabrina is growing up fast, but her parents haven’t noticed yet. Feeling invisible and alone, Sabrina hastily forms a […]
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 and craft family workshops with artists Caroline Coates and Simone Frater-Russell throughout the afternoon. Family film screening starting at 1pm, plus popcorn! Free face painting […]
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 to go in front of local listed buildings. The children learned about the history of Central Library and then visited the venue to create their […]
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 and academics, as well as performances from theatre groups and a talk from Manchester Histories Patron, David Adetayo Olusoga OBE. To view all the events […]
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 as part of the festival. Curated by Eduardo Carvalho and Vanessa Gabriel–Robinson the exhibition presents photographs from three influential photographers that show the different Amazonias […]
What would you put first, the planet or your family? Set in the year 2061, the audience act as jury for the trial of an individual who has broken a climate law created by the new authoritarian green government, Ergon. The jury will hear from witnesses across the globe and Greater Manchester before deciding whether […]
On Sunday 7 June 2020, protestors marching to support the Black Lives Matter movement in Bristol tore down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the city’s harbour. This dramatic action thrust the city onto the global stage and put it at the forefront of an ongoing and bitter culture war. […]
This panel presentation and discussion will look at the history of migration, and how environmental refugees have always been there but have been increasing drastically over recent decades. Manchester’s history of activism on migration will be at the fore-front of this event, looking at how this activism may need to further evolve in the future. […]
A powerful drama performance about a young person piecing together their grandfather’s arrival in the UK from Bangladesh in the ’70s, when due to the colonial legacies of conflict and poverty he left a country with little climate impact to work in a UK industry with high climate impact. This climate impact would be damaging […]
A short, illustrated behind the scenes talk by professional cartoonist Polyp, revealing what goes into creating one of his climate cartoons, followed by a hands on workshop session helping aspiring artists create their very own climate cartoon! Free – booking required
Are you passionate about issues facing the world today? As part of Festival of Libraries week, we invite you to explore Activism past, present and future, as captured in Manchester’s Archives, and to share your own experiences. An artist will be on hand to help you get creative and add your views to our Wall […]
As part of the Festival of Libraries, join poet Lemn Sissay OBE for an exciting talk for young people on how libraries have inspired him in his life. Lemn says: “A library is the loudest place on the high street, because books are bursting with very loud ideas! Yet it is where you can go […]
Foundation Art and Design Students from The Manchester College have brought the Art School’s ethos of research to the iconic circular reading room with a series of stunning works. Each exhibited board is an insight in to personal research and subject matter, produced in traditional messy art school rooms where students become inspired and have […]
This Festival of Libraries event celebrates pioneering women throughout Manchester’s history. Come and join us for family-friendly activities, including badge-making, memorial walks, and an archive-handling workshop. There will be short talks on influential women, including Louise Da-Cocodia and Ellen Wilkinson. Kate Green MP will give the Margaret Ashton Memorial Lecture on ‘Women and Politics', and […]
Join in a range of family-friendly activities celebrating the joy of books and stories celebrating diversity. Relax in the story tent with our storyteller sharing stories with characters and authors/illustrators of colour. Listen to music from a range of cultures and spend some time getting creative with a selection of craft activities for families. Free – […]
A Breast Cancer Awareness Exhibition Tour Patient advocacy group METUPUK, is hosting a pop-up exhibition throughout the venue to highlight the need to improve care and research around secondary (metastatic) breast cancer. The exhibition aims to highlight the seriousness of Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) the biggest killer of women under the age of 50 here […]
Join the Archives+ team as we honour the outstanding contribution of the nation's armed forces at a special celebration for all the family. Pop along to our stall just outside Central Library Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes […]
Joining Rob Parker this month is Lesley Kara, Sunday Times Top Ten author of ‘The Rumour’, Stephanie Sowden, Manchester based debut author of ‘After Everything You Did’ and Russ Thomas, Sunday Times bestselling author of the DS Adam Tyler series. Lesley Kara’s debut ‘The Rumour’ was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been published in 18 […]
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
