Manchester Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More
Today we will all be going on a deep dive into art in Manchester and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
If you are after any specific section you can jump straight to it using the table of contents on the left and we are also including a Manchester art map with all of the various places we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
You can check out more of our posts on the United Kingdom there.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Manchester
When you are ready to visit the best art galleries and museums in Manchester you can head to:
For over 125 years the Whitworth Art Gallery has been a major landmark in the city with a collection that has grown to over 60,000 pieces over the years and the surrounding park is a great place to spend time on a sunny day. They also offer educational programs and workshops for all ages and you can head over to see what they have to offer from 10am to 5pm most days but they are closed on Monday and stay open until 9pm on Thursday evenings.
Castlefield is Manchester’s first public contemporary visual art gallery offering a unique testing ground for experimental and creative project development. Their bOlder Program for adults over 50 is quite popular and they keep regular hours of noon to 5:30pm every day but Monday when they are closed.
There are also workshops and education programs available at the local Manchester Art Gallery along with the 25,000 unique objects in their collection that is viewable from 10am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed.
Expect to find free workshops and projects led by industry professionals at Home.
The Chuck Gallery is generally open from 11am to 6pm but closes an hour early on Saturday and is open from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday. It is the first private art space in North West England dedicated to the promotion of contemporary African art plus they host the popular Art Bazaar event in February.
The Saul Hay Gallery can help with buying and selling art as well as consultation services from 10:30am to 6pm Tuesday through Saturday.
The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art has a variety of workshops and events for everyone from kids to adults 50 and up that are available from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Sunday plus they have their Thursday Late events.
Materials & Supplies Near You
These art stores in your area should have all of the materials and supplies you need:
If you are looking for a wide variety and want to save some money buying cheap art supplies in your area at The Works would be a good place to start.
There are over 25,000 products available at Fred Aldous which has been selling art supplies around the region for 130 years.
Cass Art has in-store workshops and exhibitions plus they hold the Sky Arts Artist of the Year competition which has a 10,000 euro first prize along with 500 euros of materials from their store to the winner.
Stationary N Stationery is a local art supply delivery service.
Shows & Events
Some of the top art shows and events near you would be:
The Manchester International Festival is a major event on any local art lovers schedule that takes place every July.
The Art Fair and Design Festival are both held every October.
We mentioned the Art Bazaar before which is held in February of each year to commemorate the anniversary of the opening of the Chuck Gallery.
Thursday Late is held the last Thursday of each month at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art starting at 8pm.
In Progress is Manchester School of Art’s end of year show that runs throughout July.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you are trying to find a new piece for your collection or to figure out the true value of something visit one of these art dealers and appraisers in your area:
The popular Manchester Art Walk takes place on weekday evenings and will show you many of the top exhibits around town.
The Skyliner Street Art Tour focuses on the alternative Northern Quarter area.
Walk in the Park is held at Whitworth Park where you can also find the Whitworth Gallery and there are some really neat sculptures and works in the region.
Sculptures & Statues
You may also want to take some photos of these statues and sculptures in your area:
Richard Cobden Statue at 2-437 St Anns Sq
Abraham Lincoln Statue at Lincoln Grove
Queen Victoria’s Statue at Piccadilly Gardens
Victory Over Blindness Monument at Piccadilly Station
Statue Of Emmeline Pankhurst at 21 Dickinson St
The Richard Cobden Statue was created by Marshall Wood and can be found in St Ann’s Square right by the church.
In 1986 George Grey Barnard created the Abraham Lincoln Statue which you can find in Lincoln Square.
All the way back in 1901 Edward Onslow Ford created the Queen Victoria Statue.
Right at the main entrance of the Piccadilly Railway Station you will find the Victory Over Blindness Monument.
Head to St Peter’s Square to find the Statue Of Emmeline Pankhurst which was created by Hazel Reeves in 2018.
Manchester Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults the best art schools in Manchester would be:
Creative Art Courses has classes for all ages, private lessons, and workshops plus their classes are available on weekends and evenings as well.
Those who want to improve their pottery or clay work should check out the Community Clay Studio.
Bee Creative Studio has life-drawing classes for all levels from first timers to those with lots of experience.
The second oldest art school in Britain is the Manchester School of Art which has been teaching students for over 180 years. We also mentioned their end of the year In Progress show in a previous section.
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, and Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art also offer various local classes, lessons, and workshops.
Studios For Rent Near You
Some of the best places to rent an art studio in your area are:
For the time being that is all we have to share about the full art scene near you. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out.
If you made it this far you might just know quite a bit about the local art scene yourself. Feel free to share your own tips, or to let us know if we may have gotten anything wrong in the comments.
We hope you enjoy your time at the best Manchester art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.
This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.
