Our exciting programme of tours on Thursday 9 November will give delegates the opportunity to explore some of Newcastle-Gateshead’s incredible museums and galleries, and hear the innovative work happening across the city in relation to our conference themes.
Please note that all tours are in-person only.
Laing Art Gallery – Yevonde, Life and Colour
1015-1100
Yevonde, Life and Colour is an exploration of the life and career of Yevonde, the pioneering London photographer who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1930s. This exhibition tells the story of a woman who gained freedom through photography – as she experimented with her medium and blazed a new trail for portrait photographers.
As an innovator committed to colour photography when it was not considered a serious medium, Yevonde’s work is significant in the history of British portrait photography. Her most renowned body of work is a series of women dressed as goddesses posed in surreal tableaux exhibited in 1935.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 12 places on this tour.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.
Discovery Museum in a dash
1030-1130
Find out about how Discovery Museum is responding to current issues. Hear about recent work to diversify the stories in the permanent galleries, including a community-led decolonisation project that includes stories from women of colour and Indian Indentureship and hear about the forthcoming public programme on climate crisis and technology entitled Steam to Green.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 12 places on this tour.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.
City Highlights – A great introduction to the city
1030-1200 and 1330-1500
Visit and hear about Newcastle’s compact and attractive city, from the Georgian town centre with its beautiful sandstone buildings, through the old medieval streets to the Castle area, once the site of the Roman Fort, to the quayside which has developed from a busy port to a thriving cultural centre.
On the way you shall pass the monument to Charles Earl Grey, the oldest and smallest existing Marks and Spencer in the world, the Theatre Royal, Balmbras Music Hall, St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle Castle, Guildhall, the Bridges of the Tyne and the new and exciting developments on both sides of the river.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 10 places on each of the two tours.
This tour is wheelchair accessible but caution is advised due to steep inclines.
Great North Museum Hancock – Breaking Ground: Unveiling Fresh Narratives in Permanent Displays
1130-1230
Embark on a tour of groundbreaking interventions in the museum’s permanent galleries, designed to introduce captivating new stories and showcase cutting-edge research. Join us as we explore these recently developed additions, 14 years after reopening following a major £26m redevelopment.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 20 places on this tour.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.
Hatton Gallery – Matt Rugg
1130-1230
Matt Rugg: Connecting Form will be the first major retrospective of the work of the British abstract artist and teacher Matt Rugg (1935-2020). Taking place at Newcastle’s Hatton Gallery from September 2023 to January 2024, the exhibition will display previously unshown work alongside well-known pieces and provide a platform for an outreach and learning programme exploring radical shifts in art education.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 10 places on this tour.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
1300-1400
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art creates and produces exhibitions, activities and opportunities that explore our understanding of the world through diverse contemporary art by artists from across the globe. Located on Gateshead quayside, it has 2,600 square metres of exhibition space dedicated to the art and artists of today and tomorrow.
In 2022 it became the first Gallery of Sanctuary in England, in recognition of its work to support forced migration communities in north-east England.
This tour will explore the centre’s specialist collections on contemporary art and visual culture.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 20 places on this tour.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.
Medieval Newcastle walking tour, with entry to Newcastle Castle
1400-1500
This tour will bring the medieval history of Newcastle to life, which lies hidden behind the facade of the modern city. Most known for its industrial past, Newcastle’s foundations lie in its medieval predecessors.
With an emphasis on the civic nature of medieval placemaking and wellbeing and health during this period, a costumed guide will take you from St Andrews, Newcastle’s oldest church, past the formidable town walls, taking in Friaries, before finishing at the imposing Black Gate – the gatehouse of Newcastle’s Castle.
From here you will be free to explore the amazingly preserved remains of the Black Gate and Castle Keep.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 20 places on this tour.
Please be aware the Castle Keep is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument; only the gaol is accessible to wheelchair users, but there is a video showing the Keep, which is up many stairs.
Please also note some of this tour will be on cobbled streets – see this video for a walk-through of the tour.
The Farrell Centre
1400-1500 and 1500-1600
The Farrell Centre opened earlier this year as Newcastle’s new public centre for architecture and cities. Instigated by renowned architect-planner Terry Farrell, and forming part of Newcastle University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, the centre’s mission is to widen the debate around the crucial roles that architecture and planning play in the contemporary world.
The centre combines a public gallery, research hub, and community space, offering a variety of experiences for visitors of all ages. The centre’s programme is wide-ranging and inclusive: temporary exhibitions, public talks and debates, workshops and activities for schools, young people, community groups, events for built environment professionals, as well as publications, podcasts and other digital projects.
Tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 10 places on each of the two tours.
This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.