SUNDERLAND is proving that home is where the art is, with a city-wide celebration of creativity this summer.
Three festivals will be held in three locations on three dates as part of Putting Sunderland in the Frame.
And the aims are to spotlight Wearside’s artistic talent, to encourage the public to unleash their creativity and to celebrate the concepts of identity, transformation, location and community.
The first of the three festivals will take place from 11am onwards on Saturday 19 July at Roker Park and Roker Beach and the theme is Tide and Terrain.
Along with an art exhibition and market – offering the chance to buy original works and materials – there will be the chance to take part in an interactive art experience.
Visitors will be encouraged to help create a stunning temporary artwork out of sand in a workshop called Sand to Soul, which will then be on view from the promenade steps and captured through aerial shots and time-lapse footage.
The following month, on Sunday 31 August – Sheepfolds Stables will be the setting for the second festival, titled Steel and Sparks.
Along with an art exhibition and market, there will be a hands-on, imagination-fuelled Little Inventors workshop with renowned artist Dominic Wilcox.
Young creatives will be invited to dream big and design ways to make Sunderland even better—with a special focus on the city’s newest landmark, Keel Crossing: the bridge that now connects Sheepfolds to the city centre.
At the heart of the workshop will be a giant 3D cardboard model of the bridge and surrounding landscape, including the riverbanks, which will act as a blank canvas to which children can add their ideas and let their imaginations run wild.
And the third of the festivals will take place on Saturday 27 September at Sunniside and Sunderland city centre along the theme of Foundations and Futures.
The largest event of the series this will celebrate Sunderland’s creative identity, past and future, through creative activities throughout the city.
There will be an art market, street exhibitions, live art and family zones and organisers are actively inviting submissions from local creatives in the disciplines of painting, photography, drawing, outdoor sculpture and performance art.
Putting Sunderland in the Frame is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and supported by Sunderland Culture, Culture House, Sunderland City Council, Sunderland’s BIDs and Art Café.
Su Devine, of festival partner the Art Café, said: “I firmly believe in Art for All and am passionate about creating experiences where everyone can develop, express, and belong.
“These festivals are about shared experience and collective creativity—art not just observed but lived.”
And Sharon Appleby, Chief Executive of Sunderland BIDs, said the festivals offer the chance “for everyone – whether they are an artist, a first-time creator, or just curious – to be part of something beautiful, bold, and completely unforgettable.”
For more information visit https://sunderlandbid.co.uk/sunderland-art-festival/
