Events
20th January 2025 - 12th April 2025
21st Open Art Exhibition at Kirkby Gallery
A perennial favourite, this exhibition showcases a variety of artwork created by people living, working, studying or volunteering in the borough of Knowsley. It features painting, print, photography, collage and 2D sculpture. There is something for everyone and many of the unique individual works are for sale to the public. Visitors are encouraged to vote...
21st January 2025 - 31st March 2025
But Does It Speak?
But Does it Speak? is a new season featuring artists and writers who use poetry, fiction, experimental writing and speech to establish and alter visual worlds. Join us for three film screenings in the gallery, workshops, events and more. Stay tuned as we announce the incredible artists we’re working with this season.
29th January 2025 - 16th April 2025
What’s Your Walton Story?
Libraries are full of stories…and we want yours! What makes Walton special to you, your family and your community? Do you work or live in Walton? Join our 12-week creative writing course in Spellow Community Hub & Library, the beating heart of the community. With regular sessions led by professional writers, see your story in...
5th February 2025 - 27th April 2025
Shiraz Bayjoo: Ile de France
Shiraz Bayjoo’s film Ile de France explores the diverse landscape and history of Shiraz Bayjoo’s home country, Mauritius. The artist uses moving image to examine the impact of colonialism which remains visible across the island today. You’ll see the country’s rugged coastline, French graffiti found in early settlements, sugar plantations overgrown with plants and vines...
6th February 2025 - 11th May 2025
The Plant that Stowed Away
Through art in the Tate Collection, The Plant that Stowed Away traces the connections between the trading history of cities like Liverpool and the global movements of plants and people. This display is inspired by the Weeds of Wallasey series by Wirral-born photographer Chris Shaw which highlights the battle between nature and the post-industrial landscape...
12th February 2025 - 20th December 2025
Albert Richards
March 2025 will mark 80 years since the passing of Albert Richards, the youngest official war artist to be killed in action during WWII. The Williamson holds over two hundred of his works, spanning from his days at the Wallasey School of Art to the frontlines of France in 1944. These works show the incredible...
12th February 2025 - 20th December 2025
Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation
Born in Birkenhead, Philip Wilson Steer was a pioneer of impressionism in Britain during the late nineteenth century. Studying in Paris in the 1880s, he was exposed to this radical way of painting after seeing works by the likes of Degas and Manet. With his loose approach to painting and depictions of scenes that were...
12th February 2025 - 30th June 2025
Going To The Match Creative Commission by Marge Bradshaw
Following the loan of ‘Going to the Match’ by L S Lowry, The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum have commissioned award-winning photographer Marge Bradshaw to work with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC. Funded by Arts Council England, Marge will produce a short social documentary and portrait photography series in response to Going to the Match....
12th February 2025 - 20th December 2025
Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer
Discover the life of local legend Elizabeth Smolen, a Polish refugee who settled in Birkenhead and became a champion scooter racer and successful businesswoman. A keen motorcyclist and engineer, Smolen made a name for herself by repairing, dealing and racing scooters and became part of Wirral’s scooter scene. Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer explores Smolen’s early life...
12th February 2025 - 20th December 2025
Subterranean Elevator
Subterranean Elevator has been conceived by artist Di Mainstone, and developed with a team of inter-disciplinary specialists. The installation invites intrepid visitors to explore the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. On entering a dark, elevator-shaped environment, they will feel a soft earth-like substance beneath their feet, where they can stand, sit, or...
