
About Us
Facilities
With over 20 years of experience, our programme offers performance, courses and workshops, contemporary art exhibitions, activities for children and families, and more. We are proud to champion emerging talent and disability-led artists, supporting those starting their careers. Our outstanding access and inclusive work has been recognised, through multiple awards and grants from Arts Council England, BBC Children in Need, Leicester Shire Promotions and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Our audience has grown to 86,000 people over the last year.
Our gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary British and international art. Doubling the size of our existing building, the new £1.5 million capital project makes Attenborough Arts Centre the largest contemporary art gallery in Leicester and one of the largest in the East Midlands. The new gallery has been funded by Arts Council England, University of Leicester and over 1,000 public donations.


Attenborough Arts Centre’s work is inspired by Richard Attenborough, a world leading filmmaker, actor and lifelong patron of the arts. Richard Attenborough was an inspirational talent and pioneering thinker, our founding patron and a hands-on man who helped establishing our arts centre, working tirelessly to raise millions of pounds in fundraising and donations. Handing the patronage to his son Michael, we continue to follow Richard’s vision and continue his legacy striving to include everyone in great art, culture and learning.
We are proud to support students as part of the music scholarship programmes through the Alumni Scholarship and the Philharmonia Scholarship. Find out more about how you can gain valuable experience from the Philharmonia Orchestra to develop and showcase your music to a wider audience.
Meet the Team
Our dedicated team are the heart blood of everything we do. Whether they’re our technicians, front of house staff, directors, education team, and volunteers, everyone is important.


Our advisory board
Attenborough Arts Centre is guided by some of the heads of their academic field and most creative minds in the country. Their advice and suggestions help to steer Attenborough Arts Centre forward.
Exhibition archive


Commissioning Archive
Our programme
Our venue loves small children and families who have an opportunity to explore safely in an informal environment. Over the years we have built up connections to some of the very best theatre companies working with small children and try to host special events over Half Terms and Holidays as well as a regular Sunday afternoon theatre slot.We look for companies who foster imagination and recognise that children want to be actively engaged whether it be through puppetry, physical theatre, music or song. Many of our theatre events offer opportunities for the children to join in a workshop or meet the actors and their props after the show.
Our Arts Council funding ensures that we look for the very best companies committed to removing barriers to access so that families with disabled children can enjoy shows together in as relaxed an atmosphere as possible.








