Credit: Paul Benson, Robotic Red Fox, 2025
Mini Masterpieces –
A Pirate’s Life for Me
Tuesday 28th October 2025
Join us for fun pirate themed crafts and activities designed for children under 7 and their families. Older siblings are welcome to join in the fun too!
Takes place: 10.00am-12.00pm
Free, drop-in – click link below for details
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events/mini-masterpieces-a-pirates-life-for-me
Artist Talk: Joan Hay
Thursday 13th November 2025
Takes place: 2.00pm – 2:10pm Free, drop-in
Credit: Joan Hay, The Bowery Breadline 1910
Born and raised in Hull, living through the Second World War, Joan, aged 87, is one of the Open 2025’s oldest exhibitors.
Her work is an acrylic of a photograph captured in 1910 of men queuing for food as part of The Bowery Mission, a nonprofit that has provided food, shelter and faith-based programs for New Yorkers since 1879.
Joan is a long-time applicant to the Open Exhibition, so we are delighted to offer her the opportunity of an artist talk.
Joan did an interview with Untold Hull which you can listen to here:
Joan Hay – Untold Hull
Collagraph Printmaking Workshop:
With Dawn Brooks
Saturday 22nd November 2025 • 10.00a.m.
Starting with a brief tour of the art gallery, we’ll explore key artworks and focus on the use of line, pattern and tone. Drawing from these influences we’ll create collagraph prints using the Tetra Pak printing technique. This technique offers a versatile introduction to both intaglio and collagraph processes, making it perfect for both beginners and more experienced printmakers. By repurposing everyday materials like juice, milk, and soup cartons, we’ll explore how to create intricate, textured plates for printmaking. This creative process offers an exciting, sustainable alternative to traditional printmaking, encouraging us to think innovatively while reducing waste. All resources are provided.
Ticketed, £65.00
Fabric Charms: Embroidery and appliqué workshop
with Erin Ledsom
Saturday 6th December 2025 • 10.00a.m.
Work with Erin, an award-winning graduate of the Royal School of Needlework, to design and stitch your own small fabric charms using embroidery, appliqué, and embellishments. These mini textile pieces can be used as brooches, decorations, gifts or keepsakes. All resources provided.
Ticketed, £65.00
For further information and booking details for the workshops
click on the link below:
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events?page=1&location=Ferens%20Art%20Gallery%20#events
Artist Talk: Wayne Wolton
Thursday 11th December – Friday 12th December 2025
Takes place: 2pm – 2:10pm Free, drop-in
Credit: Wayne Wolton, Living with Dementia
Wayne is a full-time carer for his wife who has Alzheimer’s. The focus for Wayne’s biographical photography is that for a carer of someone with dementia, their life is no longer their own.
Artist Talk: Ian Hinley
Thursday 8th January 2026
Takes place: 2.00pm – 2:10pm Free, drop-in
Ian is a well-known local artist who recently took part in Absolutely Cultured’s INTER-CHANGE artist development programme. His practice is grounded in rigorous technique and extensive research.
Instagram handle – @ianhindleyart
Guided Tour of Ferens Art Gallery
Explore the city’s art collection on a free guided tour of Ferens Art Gallery. The informative and friendly guides, will give you an overview of some of the highlights of the Gallery. In the hour-long tour, among others, they will reveal the stories of work by the 14th century Italian artist, Lorenzetti, art from the Dutch Golden Age, paintings of great 19th-century female artists and the more local talent of Atkinson Grimshaw.
Dates and times
Please select a month:
November 2025
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events/guided-tour-of-ferens-art-gallery
Young Artist Open Exhibition 2025
On now until Sunday 11th January 2026
The Young Artist Open exhibition has been held annually at the Ferens Art Gallery since 2003 and celebrates the creative talent of young people in Hull and the surrounding area.
2025 Open Exhibition
On now until Sunday 11th January 2026
Workshops for 2026
at the Ferens
Contemporary Gilding Workshop
with Amelia Bedson
Sunday 1st February 2026 Ticketed, £79
In this day workshop, you will learn about the techniques and equipment that will help you become proficient in the art of contemporary gilding. It is suitable for those with little or no experience of gilding. This workshop is an enjoyable introduction to the technique of contemporary gilding using Dutch Gold leaf and acrylic size (adhesive). This method is the modern variant of traditional oil gilding. What this workshop will demonstrate: An understanding of the difference between pure leaf gold and Dutch gold, and the differences between loose leaf and transfer leaf. A knowledge of the tools and equipment used in Contemporary Gilding and how to use them correctly. The correct procedure for preparing a surface to be gilded How to apply the size (adhesive) in the correct manner How to handle Dutch Gold. Develop the artistic technique of applying the Dutch Gold. Amelia will share her gilding experience relating to the use of the various types of metals, coppers and gold leaf mediums and the properties they each offer. Participants will have the opportunity to gild a 6” x 4” picture frame, a decoration, and a fresh flower. All materials and tools are provided. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 11am – 3pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
Contemporary Kintsugi Workshop
with Amelia Bedson
Saturday 28th February 2026 Ticketed, £89
Discover the Art of Kintsugi—Where Broken Becomes Beautiful Not everything broken is lost—sometimes, it can become even more beautiful. Join us for a one-of-a-kind workshop that celebrates the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, where cracks are filled with gold, turning once-broken ceramics into stunning masterpieces. Led by Amelia Bedson, a professional restorer with a Masters in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, this workshop will take you on a journey through history, craftsmanship, and the philosophy of wabi-sabi—embracing imperfections as part of an object’s unique story. Contemporary Kintsugi fuses the techniques used in traditional Kintsugi with modern methods to produce stunning results. In the workshop, Amelia will supply you with a ceramic bowl and your own toolbox for use during the workshop which will contain all the materials and items you need. She will then show you how to break it safely, and teach you step by step, how to repair the broken pieces to create a wonderful new masterpiece, using 22 carat gold leaf to gild the repair. You will leave the workshop with the confidence to repair other pieces of broken ceramics to make them even more beautiful. Contemporary Kintsugi transforms your broken ceramics as they become beautifully flawed! Why this workshop is so special: • Kintsugi is a mindful, meditative art form that celebrates the beauty in imperfection. • It is a relaxing creative experience that you can share with others. • Your Kintsugi ceramics are unique personalised pieces of art that embrace the power of transformation. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 10:15am – 3:30pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
Lacemaking Workshop
with Catherine Lillie
Saturday 25th April 2026 Ticketed, £69
Take your first steps with bobbin lacemaking, now officially classed as an Endangered Craft. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 10:15am – 3:45pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
Letter Press Printmaking Workshop
with Adrian Riley
Saturday 23rd May 2026 Ticketed, £69
Create your own art prints responding to artworks in the Ferens Gallery. Using decommissioned wooden letterpress blocks, you’ll be guided in traditional hand-printing techniques to create your own unique word-based art. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 10:15am – 3:45pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
Illustration Workshop:
Using Ink & Watercolour
with Hollie Fuller
Saturday 13th June 2026 Ticketed, £69
Step into whimsical worlds with an established professional illustrator. In this playful workshop you’ll develop ink and watercolour techniques to explore scene, character and storytelling. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 10:15am – 3:45pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
Botanical Painting Workshop
with Kayliegh Smith
Saturday 27th June 2026 Ticketed, £69
This hands on workshop will introduce you to the key skills and techniques required to make a beautiful botanic painting. From covering ideas development to building style and confidence with paint; each participant will have a plant of choice to study from to produce your own unique nature inspired artwork. Kayliegh Smith is a Hull born artist and illustrator. Her work comprises acrylic painting, ink illustrations. She is inspired by nature’s plant life while taking influence from historical folklore and their shared connection. All resources are provided.
This event takes place from 10:15am – 3:45pm.
There will be a break for lunch.
National Gallery Partnership To Bring Monet To Ferens
Image: Claude Monet The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil 1872 Oil on canvas, 52.6 x 71.8 cm
© The National Gallery, London
The National Gallery has announced it will partner with the Ferens Art Gallery as part of its Masterpiece Tour 2025-27.
The work selected for the first year is Monet’sThe Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), a work which has left the Gallery only once in the last 20 years. Monet depicts a tranquil scene of a winter day on the outskirts of the small suburban town of Argenteuil, not far from Paris. Although the town was already partly industrialised and a popular location for sailing and leisure boating, Monet only hints at this developing bustle with a few scattered buildings behind a screen of trees. Instead, he focuses on an intimate moment by the river. The orderly composition, variety of brushstrokes and reflection in the water are all regular features of Monet’s work.
The Ferens Art Gallery exhibition will be co-curated with Flourish, Ferens Art Gallery’s creative group for children and young people, organised with and for disabled and neurodivergent visitors. Together, they will create a multi-sensory immersive space that is an olfactory, acoustic and tactile experience. The exhibition will showcase select works from the Ferens’s vast collection alongside contemporary responses from Flourish to enable visitors to see and experience art from a new and inclusive perspective.
At the Heart of Drypool: One Year On
On now until Sunday 9th November 2025
Over the Autumn of 2024 volunteers from across Hull, and the wider region, came together with Humber Field Archaeology to dig into the archaeology and history of the Drypool area of the city. The dig, within the former open yard space of Clarence Flour Mill, revealed the hidden story at the heart of the village of Drypool, a story that stretches back 700 years. One year on from the dig come along to a new temporary exhibition to find out more about what was found on the site, and delve deeper into the fascinating story of Drypool and its inhabitants.
Free, drop-in
University of Hull first to host international drawing exhibition with Royal connections
The University of Hull’s Art Gallery is proud to announce it has been chosen as the first UK venue to host an international drawing prize with a distinguished Royal heritage.
“This is a huge coup for the University. To be selected for the launch of the RP Drawing Prize reflects the growing reputation of our gallery as a national and international destination for the arts.”
John Bernasconi, Director of the University Art Collection
Revealing the Human is at the University of Hull Art Gallery, Brynmor Jones Library, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX.
It is open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm
On now until to 30th November 2025.
Main image: Jamie Routley, Self Portrait at 42, Graphite, charcoal and gouache on panel.
David Alcock, Rob Hall, Anthony Housman, Geoff Keen,
Coco Morris, Tim Needham, Julian Scott, Gwennan Thomas
Abstract Encounters
Image: ‘Fortune Teller’, 2025, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30cm © Rob Hall
Abstract Encounters is a group exhibition curated by David Alcock and Anthony Housman. The exhibition features the work of eight UK based abstract painters, from the Humber region, as well as Bristol, Hastings, Holmfirth and London. Each painter within the show explores colour, scale, mark-making and the materiality of paint, as a way in which to convey their emotions, memories, thoughts and visceral feelings through their own personal abstract language.
Unsettled Grounds
On now until 2nd November • Thursday- Sunday
11.00am – 4.00pm Admission FREE
Work by artists who draw inspiration from their northern surroundings.
Patti Lean-Painter • Debbie Loane-Painter • Joe Cornish -Photographer
Kane Cunningham – Landscape Painter • Richard Wincer – Installation/ sculpture
Mandy Payne – Urban Landscape • Rachel Wood – Ceramics
And 6 emerging artists
Alice Boot • Hannah Guy • Lucy Crouch • Molly Newham
Graham Williamson • Rebecca O’Hooley
• • • •
I’m Sorry
14th – 30th November
Thursday- Sunday (Closed on Saturday 22nd Nov)
1.00pm – 5.00pm
Inspired by the artist’s own deeply personal experience of loss, this exhibition is centred on the powerful, restorative, and healing experience of saying “I’m Sorry”
THE FRIENDS OF THE FERENS ART GALLERY
Please click the link below to view a detailed explanation of the Friends and the role of the Friends Trustees
FoFAG structure 3-fold contacts
