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Home to some of Sunderland’s most cherished cultural venues and activities

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Oil Painting
A box of oil paint tubes with white lids.

Adult Workshops and Activities

Oil Painting

Fridays, 9:30am-11:30am
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Arts Centre Washington

Ro Robertson: The Ribs Begin To Rise
Free
An abstract painting featuring violent different sized brush strokes and blue, green, cream, and grey paint with thinner black strokes.

Exhibitions

Ro Robertson: The Ribs Begin To Rise

Showing in Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art Main Gallery

17 Oct – 06 Dec 2025
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Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

WITCH
Free

Exhibitions

WITCH

This exhibition contains artworks that explore themes which some visitors—particularly children—may find upsetting.

17 Oct – 01 Nov 2025
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Arts Centre Washington

Creepy Creatures Trail
Free
A white wolf surrounded by other animals including a deer and an emu

Children and Young People's Activities

Creepy Creatures Trail

17 Oct – 01 Nov 2025

Ages 4+

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Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Jill McKnight: Past and Future Pact
Free
Intricate drawings of 1950s women working at machines making rope. The pencil drawings are coloured blue for the women and shades of brown for the machinery.

Exhibitions

Jill McKnight: Past and Future Pact

Showing in Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art Collection Space

17 Oct – 09 Dec 2025
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Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Earth Requiem 25
Free

Exhibitions

Earth Requiem 25

17 Oct – 15 Nov 2025
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Arts Centre Washington

Washington Writers

Adult Workshops and Activities

Washington Writers

Fridays (Fortnightly), 12pm-2pm
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Arts Centre Washington

Creative Age

Adult Workshops and Activities

Creative Age

Fridays, 1pm-3pm
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Arts Centre Washington

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A view of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as seen from across the lake in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Just the ticket - much loved museum scoops £5m National Lottery win

1st October

 

Sunderland City Council has secured £5.2m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform the city’s much-loved Museum and Winter Gardens.

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Our Venues

Arts Centre Washington

Arts Centre Washington

National Glass Centre
A modern art gallery with white walls and gray floors displays colorful glass sculptures. In the front, tall blue and clear glass tubes stand upright on a white platform. Behind them, two people walk past white shelves holding more glass art pieces in blue, red, and orange colors. The ceiling has track lighting and the space feels bright and open.

National Glass Centre

Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
A large green palm tree and other tall green trees in a glass and metal building.

Sunderland Museum 
& Winter Gardens

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Culture Start

Find out about our exciting programme bringing free creative and cultural activities to children and young people across the city.

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Learn & Create

Children & Families
A person pulls a funny face while holding onto a wooden machine that looks like a large telescope. Two children stand in front of them laughing.

Children and families

Enjoy creative fun with all the family!

Children & Families
Young People
A young person sits at a table in front of a laptop while another young person stands behind them playing an acoustic guitar. Both look at the computer with concentration.

Young people

Explore opportunities to ignite and nurture your creative future.

Young People
Adults
Two people take a selfie pulling faces in front of a painting. The painting is the ‘Screaming Pope’ by Francis Bacon.

Adults

Come together to try new things and connect with others.

Adults
Schools & Education
A group of school children and two adults walk around a small field of grass that is decorated with colourful, pattern origami sculptures on wire that are stuck into the grass.

Schools & Education

Explore how we can work with your school.

Schools & Education
SEND
An adult and child lie on sports mats on the floor of a gym. They are positioned across from each other with their arms outstretched towards one another.

SEND

Inclusive learning opportunities for young people.

SEND

News

Arts Council cash helps Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens tell the city's story
A view of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as seen from across the lake in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Arts Council cash helps Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens tell the city's story

Read more
Just the ticket - much loved museum scoops £5m National Lottery win
A view of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as seen from across the lake in Mowbray Park. A pond with ducks and other birds in a park. On the other side of the pond is a modern building with a large glass dome. Tree branches with leaves hang over the top of the image. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Just the ticket - much loved museum scoops £5m National Lottery win

Read more
Going Back Brockens Exhibition Revisits Former Colliery Sites
A beautifully detailed painting of what appears to be a former railway. The rails have bee cleared to leave gravel. At the sides of the gravel are foliage and grass. There is an old red brick railway bridge with a beautiful arche across the centre of the painting.

Going Back Brockens Exhibition Revisits Former Colliery Sites

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Young people lean over a canvas painted with a yellow and blue gradient, writing on it with pens.

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