How you can still view exhibitions and performances while Sunderland venues are closed

It is now two months since National Glass Centre, NGCA, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Arts Centre Washington and The Fire Station closed their doors in response to the spread of COVID-19.

Since then Sunderland Culture, University of Sunderland and Sunderland City Council have been working to deliver arts, culture and heritage online and in innovative new ways.

“As soon as the venues closed we started working on a plan for our combined digital channels to take interesting and inspiring content – old and new – into Sunderland homes,” said Keith Merrin, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture.

“Our programmes include activities for families, valuable resources for home schooling, and projects to help socially-isolated older people. “We’ve also offered direct support to local artists and creatives while our websites offer a showcase for the city’s venues and artists to

a global audience.”

A programme of family activities planned for the Easter holidays had to be cancelled, but a new digital creative challenge for children and families was developed and launched at great speed.

“The Creative Challenges went out on Sunderland Museum, National Glass Centre and Sunderland Culture channels and had more than 2,000 engagements. The challenges are still available on the Sunderland Culture website,” explained Keith.

The museum also acted swiftly to transform a University of Sunderland Fine Art and Design students’ takeover event, which had been due at the end of April. This event became an online takeover of the museum’s Received Wisdom exhibition in partnership with the prestigious Arts Council Collection. The online takeover featured work by nine university students and two staff, and attracted almost 4,000 direct engagements through Instagram and Twitter.

Arts Centre Washington’s performance programme has also been suspended until further notice, but the venue responded by arranging the broadcast premiere of The Secret Earl of Biddick, a play developed by the venue’s Youth Theatre for the visit of The Tall Ships in 2018.

Just before it closed National Glass Centre was preparing No Strings, an exhibition featuring artwork from seven international artists working with glass beads in unconventional ways. However, audiences can still see No Strings after a new film and online video tour of the

exhibition was put on Sunderland Culture’s website.

“Our curator Julia Stephenson recorded the tour allowing people to enjoy this extraordinary exhibition from the comfort of their own home,” said Keith. “The online videos we’re producing are part of our proactive plan to take arts and culture into our communities in new ways. Of course, not everyone has access to the internet, so some of our work is being done over the telephone, ” he added.

This plan includes specific work with identified communities, and includes a project with Sunderland Culture’s Creative Age groups affected by dementia, but which will incorporate social-distancing measures. Another project will work with older people through the Age of

Creativity Festival, a national, month-long celebration of older people as creative audiences, participants, volunteers and artists.

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