For further information about any of the events below and to book tickets
please click on the link:
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events?page=1&location=Ferens%20Art%20Gallery%20#events
2026 Events at the Ferens Art Gallery
Exhibitions and Events
Craft and Printmaking Workshops
Fixing for the Future
On now until Monday 4th May 2026
A painting is not merely an image that can be reproduced in a book, magazine or on a screen. Every picture belonging to the Ferens is a physical object that needs care and expertise to ensure its survival for future generations.
Find out how you can support the gallery to conserve, restore and care for the amazing collections the gallery holds for the city of Hull.
Into the Stores
On now until Monday 4th May 2026
Explore the stories and secrets behind dozens of works as we bring the collection stores into the public galleries at the Ferens.
Visitors will become curators for the day as they discover what goes on behind the scenes at a busy art gallery. They’ll find out how fragile art works are stored, packed and safely moved as they encounter paintings on racks, in packing cases and out of their frames. As well as exploring ways of displaying pictures to show them to their best advantage, they’ll also discover new ways to interpret them and learn more about the people and stories depicted.
This is also a chance to contribute your views and ideas for the galleries future and learn how you can support the gallery to throw the party of the century as we celebrate our 100th year in 2027
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.
Future Ferens Unpacked Tour
Saturday 2nd May 2026
Join members of our Future Ferens (18-25’s) Volunteer team to be shown around the Ferens Unpacked exhibitions – learn about Future Ferens’ involvement and ask questions about the shows – no booking required – the tour will last roughly 20 minutes
Takes place: Gallery 7, 1.00pm
Free, drop-in
Slow Sundays: Drawing Group
Slow Sundays: Drawing Group is a new informal meet up at Ferens Art Gallery that provides inspirational opportunities to draw in this unique setting. Making the most of the incredible collection and the dedicated drawing studio ‘Create Gallery’.
All abilities / levels of experience are welcome. (Aged 18 +)
Established artist Esther Cawley, (Royal Drawing School Alumni) will provide expertise and advice as you work on developing your drawing skills at your own pace. High quality drawing materials, paper and easels will be provided. You are very welcome to bring along personal sketchbooks/materials. There will be lots of opportunity draw from life, honing your observational skills as well as taking a deeper dive into the artwork on display at Ferens. The Ferens’ aspiration is for this to be a collaborative group, developing content in response to needs and interests.
£25 per session plus £4 booking fee
Sunday 3rd May • 11.15a.m.
Sunday 7th June • 11.15a.m.
Sunday 5th July • 11.15a.m.
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events/slow-sundays-drawing-group
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.
Paper Lamps Workshop
with Alex Bennett
Saturday 11th July 2026 Ticketed, £69
Join professional paper artist and illustrator Alex Bennett for a hands-on creative workshop making a 3D paper lamp. In this session, participants will construct a beautifully detailed paper lamp, designed in elegant white paper. All components will be provided, with opportunities to personalise your creation through optional backdrops and architectural additions. The workshop also offers the opportunity to complete simple soldering to install the light source.
The Wonders of Moominvalley
Saturday 23rd May – Sunday 6th September 2026
This immersive celebration honours Tove’s enduring creativity, warmth, and imagination.
Moomins Family Fun
Saturday 23rd May 2026
Help the gallery celebrate the launch of ‘The Wonders of Moominvalley’ exhibition at Ferens Art Gallery with a day filled of Moomin family fun. Join artists Jemma Brown from Square Peg and artist Jodie Smith from Happy Doodles to make your own Moomin themed dioramas or to try some whimsical Moomin inspired nature printing, and join Hull Libraries for enchanting Moomin storytelling.
Takes place: 11.00a.m. – 3.00p.m.
Debutots – Moomin storytelling
Friday 5th June 2026 10.15a.m. Ticketed, £6.50
Join Debutots this summer and delve into the world of Moomins at Ferens Art Gallery, as you and your little one is taken on a multi-sensory interactive storytelling adventure!
Debutots is an award-winning service, specialising in running interactive storytelling and dramatic play classes for young children. These engaging and entertaining sessions help to promote children’s confidence, imagination and cognitive development. Suitable for 1-5 years, this storytelling session takes inspiration from Tove Jansson’s iconic Moomin series.
Talk and Book signing Tove Jansson:
The Moomins and More
Saturday 11th July 2026 • 2.00p.m.
Ticketed, £12.00
Discover more about Tove Jansson (1914-2001), writer, artist and illustrator best known for her Moomin stories. She is celebrated not only in her native Finland but worldwide. As well as her Moomin novels, she also authored acclaimed literary works, notably ’The Summer Book’ adapted to the screen, as well as innovative children’s books and a Moomin newspaper strip for the London Evening News. Jansson was multi-talented, also writing plays and an opera, illustrating Lewis Carroll and J.R.R. Tolkien, and pursuing her lifelong passion for painting.
Biographer Paul Gravett will examine her remarkable work and life as a Swedish-speaking lesbian Finn, and how they resonate more than ever today. Paul will be available to sign his book Tove Jansson (Thames & Hudson, 2022) which focuses on Tove’s illustrations.
If you need a BSL interpreter to access this event, we can provide this subject to availability.
Please let us know at least two weeks before the event date.
museum.access@hcandl.co.uk / 01482 614290
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events/talk-and-book-signing-tove-jansson-the-moomins-and-more
Indigo Moon- Shadow Puppet Theatre
Wednesday 29th July 2026 11.00a.m. Ticketed, £15
Image credit: Bradford Museums
Join the Ferens for a shadow-puppet making workshop with shadow puppeteer Anna from the acclaimed Indigo Moon Theatre as we celebrate the world of Moomins at Ferens Art Gallery this summer! Anna will guide you through the process of making your own Moomin-inspired shadow puppets out of card in this interactive session.
All materials will be provided. The workshop is recommended for ages 6+. All children must be accompanied by their grown-ups, who are encouraged to have some creative fun too!
At the end of the session, puppets can meet each other and have a play before going home with you for further adventures!
Based in Hull, Indigo Moon Theatre are an award-winning children’s shadow-puppet theatre company that have toured nationally and internationally since 2001.
My Pockets- Moomins animation workshop with Peter Snelling
Tuesday 11th August 2026 1.00p.m. Ticketed, £15
Join the Ferens Art Gallery this summer as award-winning animators My Pockets help you make your own mini stop-motion animation capturing the magic of Moomins! The team will guide you through the process from start to finish in this interactive workshop, as you create your own animation inspired by Tove Jansson’s iconic stories.
All materials will be provided. This workshop is recommended for children aged 6+, all children must be accompanied by a grown-up. Everyone is welcome and no prior skills or knowledge are required, just fun and creativity needed!
Based in East Yorkshire, My Pockets is an award-winning film production company and arts organisation working across animation, film, music, print and more.
Shadow Box workshop with Alex Bennett
Wednesday 19 August 2026 1.00p.m. Ticketed, £15
Join professional paper artist and illustrator Alex Bennett at Ferens Art Gallery for this hands-on workshop inspired by the wonderful world of Moomins!
Alex will guide you through the process of making your own shadow-box, cutting out intricate paper designs inspired by Tove Jansson’s iconic stories.
All materials will be provided and you will be able to take your shadow-box home at the end of the session. We would recommend this workshop for ages 6 and above, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Mischief and Mystery in Moominvalley
Saturday 22nd August 2026 11.00a.m. Ticketed, £10
The gallery is delighted to welcome theatre company “Get Lost and Found” to the Ferens Art Gallery this summer, presenting: Mischief and Mystery in Moominvalley. Based on the much-loved Moominland novels by Tove Jansson, this gentle heart-warming show tells the story of a year in Moominvalley. Moomintroll wakes up in the middle of winter with a “something- wrong -feeling”. There’s no sign of his good friend Snufkin, or the note Snufkin left him. As winter turns to Spring Snufkin returns, the days lengthen into a lazy summer and “the sea brings them all the adventures they could wish for”. Autumn barges in and Snufkin leaves once more for the Lonely Mountains.
Each section of the story has an interactive element; audience members have a snowball fight, toast marshmallows around a fire and go sea-swimming. The characters of Moomintroll, Snufkin, Little My and Thingummy & Bob are brought to life with 2D rod puppets and life size 3D puppets. The show uses beautiful original music and songs, and pre-recorded narration. The iconic Tove Jansson illustrations are recreated in a magical pop up book.
The show was created in consultation with Sophia Jansson, Tove’s niece, and echoes the books’ themes: the love of nature, the value of friendship, the pain of separation and the acceptance of difference.
The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour
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
Friday 19th June – Sunday 13th September 2026
Free, drop-in
Monet’s masterpiece, The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), will go on display at the gallery as part of The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2025 – 27. The artwork will form part of an exhibition 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.
Click on the link below for further details:
What’s on – Hull Museums and Galleries
The Railways and Hull –
Hull History Hour Talk
Saturday 2nd May 2026 1.00p.m. Ticketed, £5.00
Join local historian and YouTuber Jamie Topliss-Yates (aka Hull History Nerd) to discover the Lost Railways of Holderness. The talk will explore the impact of the railways on Britain, its industry, communication and social life. There will also be an opportunity at the end of the talk for a Q&A.
Booking essential.
Wyke-upon-Hull –
Hull History Hour Talk
Saturday 6th June 2026 1.00p.m. Ticketed, £5.00
Join local historian and YouTuber Jamie Topliss-Yates (aka Hull History Nerd) to discover the story of Wyke-upon-Hull. The talk will explore the birth and growth of Hull and its growing importance through its early years and the industrial revolution. There will also be an opportunity at the end of the talk for a Q&A.
Booking essential.
The History of Hull’s Docks –
Hull History Hour Talk
Saturday 4th July 2026 1.00p.m. Ticketed, £5.00
Join local historian and YouTuber Jamie Topliss-Yates (aka Hull History Nerd) to discover the history of Hull’s Docks.
The talk will take you on a whistlestop tour of the Hull Dock Company, the fishing industry and Hull’s role as one of the UK’s major ports through much of its history.
There will also be an opportunity at the end of the talk for a Q&A.
Booking essential
Artlink Hull
Maria Donnai – Deep Unknowns
On now until 11th April 2026
Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays – 10.00am – 4.30pm
87 Princes Avenue, Hull, HU5 3QP
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
