Children
and Families

Family Gallery Workshops

Come and experience our exhibitions with our friendly learning team and use resources in the Salmon Gallery to explore through a range of creative workshops. Each week brings something new inspired by our gallery exhibitions. Every Saturday during exhibitions, 1pm – 3pm and free for all. Spaces are limited to give participant enough space and are pre-bookable only. Join in our upcoming workshops by clicking here.

Sunday Sessions

Join in fun and engaging creative activities in our café, that are open and available for all. Give yourself permission to get creative in a welcoming and engaging environment with old and new friends alike. Enjoy crafting, board games, chalkboard activities, and more with each week offering up new and exciting activities that everyone can get involved with. Every session is free for all, with no booking required. Drop-in between 12pm and 4pm. Get involved by clicking here.

Salmon Gallery

Our Salmon Gallery is a free and accessible space curated by our Learning Team to allow for creativity and imagination to take charge. Inspired by our exhibitions, the space features free art materials such as crayons, paper, pens, glue sticks and more, as well as interactive sensory objects and a library of available books for a range of ages. The space also includes aircon and a heating system, open 7-days a week and available to all. Learn more about our open spaces by clicking here.

Art Exhibitions

Showcasing the work of leading contemporary visual artists, our art galleries are open 7-days a week and are free for all. Bring the family to experience something new, learn about new artists and play with new creative ideas. Learn more about our current exhibitions by clicking here.

Theatre & Performances

Our hall showcases a range of diverse theatre, music, and family shows all-year round that are perfect for entertaining children. We work with performers who celebrate learning, kindness and accessibility in their shows, to allow everyone to get involved and feel welcomed. Explore the range of shows we have upcoming in our programme by clicking here.

Inclusive Youth Arts Programme (IYAP)

We provide much needed opportunities for children and young people with complex needs and disabilities to be creative outside of school, promoting their wellbeing and enjoyment of being with others. All our workshops and performances are free to people from Leicester and Leicestershire who register on our programme.

Our programme takes place at weekends and during school holidays. Children on our programme experience a range of disabilities that without additional support, make it difficult for them to participate in the arts: including but not limited to PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties), Autism, ADHD (Attention Deficiency Hyperactive Disorder), Auditory, speech and visual impairments, Down’s Syndrome and Global Developmental Delay.

Tailored to the individual needs of our participants, our workshops are limited to small groups and are run by skilled professional artists experienced working with disabled children and young people.

We also host performances designed for SEND children and young people, in particular immersive theatre by companies including Frozen Light, Oily Cart and Bamboozle.

Our building is designed to be welcoming and accessible for a range of needs, and our staff are trained to be understanding and supportive. We have disabled parking bays and a Changing Places facility.

There are two groups for different ages:

• ART explorers for under 18s
• pARTicipate for 18-25s

To register on the IYAP programme and gain access to our events, please contact Hannah our programme coordinator on Hannah.pillai@leicester.ac.uk or call 0116 252 3077