In this class you’ll be creating your very own portrait painting of a famous face – in an environment where everyone can express their own artistic flair with confidence, comfort and authenticity and most importantly the freedom to do so unapologetically. Sirena is an established Artist and Drag Performer in East Anglia who believes drag and portraiture together create a whole new creative experience. Come on down and learn to paint with Sirena Hart. Do you want to be part of Sirena’s Hartwork? Ticket price includes all materials and one drink from the bar. This event is for ages 18+.

Artist Justine Moss will offer guidance and advice to help you to learn skills in mark-making, portraying movement and capturing expression. Suitable for all abilities. Basic materials provided. For ages 18+. What is life drawing? During a life drawing session, there will be a nude model surrounded by artists. This is why the classes are limited to ages 18+. The model will be posing for different durations. The poses can vary from 2 minutes to 10 minutes and an hour. You will be drawing the human form in various poses and levels of detail from highly detailed and anatomically proportional drawings to loose and expressive sketches. Come along to each session to experiment with a different theme – or pick and choose the ones you want to focus on.

Join us for an exciting hands-on workshop where creativity meets sustainability at our EcoArt Collage and Craft workshop! In this unique group experience, we’ll explore the art of collage-making using eco-friendly, repurposed materials. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a beginner, this workshop is designed to inspire creativity. Your tutor will guide you through the process of selecting and transforming sustainable materials—such as recycled paper, fabric scraps, natural textures, and more—into a beautiful visual masterpiece. By the end of the session, you’ll have your own textile collage to take away. Don’t miss this chance to unleash your creativity, connect with like-minded individuals, and make a positive impact on the environment. No experience required, just bring your creativity and enjoy an evening of crafting and socialising!

Join our special Festive Origami session! Spend a mindful and relaxing afternoon folding a variety of stunning origami stars. These origami shapes are perfect for decorating your home and decking the halls during the holiday season. Origami is a paper folding art originally from Japan/China. Learning origami not only helps with hand-eye coordination but improves concentration and problem-solving skills. This ancient art form has been used as meditation, stress relievers and a fun social activity with friends. In our Origami Workshop, Lu Yu will guide you step by step through the creation of specific origami shapes, teaching essential techniques such as valley folds, mountain folds, squash folds, and reverse folds. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This event is suitable for ages 16+.

This highly engaging film takes us on a journey through the life of one of the most prevalent female icons: Frida Kahlo. She was a prolific self-portraitist, using the canvas as a mirror through all stages of her turbulent and, at times, tragic life. Guided with interview, commentary and Frida’s own words, Exhibition on Screen uncovers that this, however, was not a life defined by tragedy. "Seek a deeper understanding of the real Frida Kahlo..." Featuring key exhibitions and interviews with world renowned Kahlo curators, this film explores the extraordinary symbolism and themes in these personal canvases to seek a deeper understanding of the real Frida Kahlo. Using cinema to take an up-close and intimate look at her works we examine how great an artist she can be considered. Displaying a treasure trove of colour and a feast of vibrancy on screen, this personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience and her unmatched lust for life, men, women, politics and her cultural heritage. We might think we already know Frida Kahlo – the image of floral crowns, big brows and folk style clothing have made her a muse to generations – but what lies beneath the surface of this intensely passionate woman?

Join Sirena Hart at Firstsite for Boozy Brushes a multi-art, Drag entertainment painting class extravaganza where you can paint in pairs! Join us in the café/bar area for a lively, fun and creative evening. Unlike Boozy Brushes, where the subject is a different celebrity every month, now the subject is your favourite person! So, who’s your muse? Bring a friend, partner, parent or sibling for a guaranteed night of giggles and fabulous Drag Entertainment. Make memories that last a lifetime and take part in an artistic experience you and your loved ones won’t forget! Sirena Hart is an established Artist and Drag Performer in East Anglia who believes drag and portraiture together create a whole new creative experience. Sirena will guide you through a relaxed portrait tutorial and the rest is in your artistic hands! Ticket price includes all materials and one drink from the bar.

Enjoy the bonding experience of crafting and snuggling up with a good book in these relaxed, sensory and interactive sessions that explore a new story and art activity each class. Led by artist Lisa Eureka, the storytelling will be inspired by a mixture of original and children’s classic books and will include musical and interactive equipment for the little ones to explore: ribbons, instruments and parachutes. Then we will draw inspiration from the story to create a solo or group art work. We’ll get making with printing, gluing and painting – plenty to keep even the most adventurous toddler busy. Visit the Firstsite Cafe before or after the Mini Movers & Makers Parent and Toddler group!

Join Sirena Hart at Firstsite for Boozy Brushes a multi-art, Drag entertainment painting class extravaganza where you can paint you pet – meow! Join us in the café/bar area for a lively, fun and creative evening. Unlike Boozy Brushes, where the subject is a different celebrity every month, now the subject is your furry friend! Doesn’t your pet deserve a tribute? Bring a photo of your pet and Sirena will guide you through an acrylic paint tutorial while entertaining you during the evening! Dogs? Cats?… Lions, Tigers or Bears? This Dr Draglittle experience awaits you! Sirena Hart is an established Artist and Drag Performer in East Anglia who believes drag and portraiture together create a whole new creative experience. Ticket price includes all materials and one drink from the bar.

Taking inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s iconic ‘Sunflowers’ Monochrome Painting: Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, invites you to reimagine this famous artwork using a limited colour palette. Working in monochrome or duotone, artists explore how tone, contrast and expressive mark making can create powerful visual impact without relying on full colour. Guided by demonstrations and one to one support, you will experiment with layering techniques, brushwork styles and ways to build depth through light and shadow. By limiting your colour options, the session encourages close observation, creative decision making and confidence in working with expressive strokes inspired by Impressionist painting. By the end of the workshop, maker will complete their own monochrome interpretation of “Sunflowers”, gaining a stronger understanding of tonal values and how they shape compositions. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 18+. Monochrome painting is a creative technique where artists use a very limited colour palette, often just one or two tones, to focus on light, shade and structure. By removing the distraction of many colours, painters can explore composition, form and expressive brushwork with greater clarity. Denisa Mansfield is an artist whose work explores expressive colour, movement, and emotion through the language of Impressionism and abstraction. She works primarily in oils, with a focus on how traditional methods can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways. Her practice celebrates curiosity, creative risk-taking, and the joy of discovery through paint.

Learn how to recreate iconic artworks in a supportive and guided environment with our Paint Like… workshop. Each session uses a monthly featured artwork as a reference, providing the chance to explore the original composition, colours, and techniques. You’ll gain a unique insight into how the work was created and practical techniques. Your tutor will demonstrate step-by-step instructions for recreating the artwork, offering tips and practical substitutions to achieve similar effects, such as using acrylics in place of gold leaf. There will also be an opportunity to respond to feedback, make adjustments, and view the work of other participants in the class. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 16+. Accessibility information for your visit Tina Bullen is from Colchester and describes herself as an ‘artist who also teaches’. Art for Tina is a vehicle; a vehicle for expression, connection and joy. Her work is strongly rooted within nature and her environment. She works in many mediums but mainly in oils, pastels, acrylics and pen.

Our four-part Trust the Process: Observational Drawing workshop invites you to explore the foundations of observational art. Designed for beginner artists and creative enthusiasts, the sessions focus on building confidence, developing observational skills, and embracing mark-making and tonal techniques. You will be guided through exercises that encourage experimentation, speed drawing, and creative problem-solving, using both everyday objects and photographic references. Trust the Process: Observational Drawing will lead you to developing a complete tonal sketch, encouraging reflection on progress and the creative process. Each session blends practical instruction with opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and playful exploration. These sessions can be attended as a full course or by or choosing individual sessions. For the course option you will need to add all four dates to your basket. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 14+. Accessibility information for your visit Observational drawing is the practice of sketching from real-life subjects, focusing on what you see rather than drawing from imagination. It encourages a deeper connection to your surroundings, helping you notice details in light, texture, form and composition that often go unnoticed in daily life. Tina Bullen is from Colchester and describes herself as an ‘artist who also teaches’. Art for Tina is a vehicle; a vehicle for expression, connection and joy. Her work is strongly rooted within nature and her environment. She works in many mediums but mainly in oils, pastels, acrylics and pen.

Join us for a thought-provoking and insightful session by Rosalind Whyte in The Arts Society at Firstsite (TASAF) Lecture series! The Arts Society at Firstsite is an organisation about connecting people who have a passion for art. TASAF is part of a global network of local societies, which bring people together through shared curiosity for the arts. You can learn more about it here. We offer a series of 10 talks from accredited lecturers based around the UK. Lectures take place throughout the year from September to June on the third Tuesday of each month. Find out more about TASAF here. This lecture explores Kandinsky’s journey from figurative landscape painter to modernist master, as one of the first artists to develop a radically abstract language. It examines how, from his early landscapes inspired by the Bavarian countryside and folk imagery from Russian fairy tales and legends, Kandinsky’s style evolved after he moved to Germany and co-founded Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group. The lecture looks at how Kandinsky came to see painting as an alternative pathway to spiritual reality, increasingly stripping away descriptive detail by reducing recognisable elements. At the same time, he began to include large areas of vibrant colour to stimulate emotions associated with classical music, pursuing his interest in synaesthesia. Rosalind Whyte has a Masters in Art History from Goldsmiths College, University of London and a Masters in Gender, Society and Culture from Birkbeck College, University of London. She is a guide and lecturer at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, as well as guiding at the Royal Academy. She is an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society and has led Art Appreciation holidays to various locations. She has represented the Tate as a cruise speaker and has lectured independently on cruises, with Swan Hellenic and Saga Holidays. Our cafés offer a wide selection of delicious snacks, cakes and light meals, along with hot and cold drinks which can be purchased to enjoy. Find out more about our menus here This price is the set fee paid by all members irrespective of the date they join the society.

Join us for a thought-provoking and insightful session by Ian Swankie in The Arts Society at Firstsite (TASAF) Lecture series! The Arts Society at Firstsite is an organisation about connecting people who have a passion for art. TASAF is part of a global network of local societies, which bring people together through shared curiosity for the arts. You can learn more about it here. We offer a series of 10 talks from accredited lecturers based around the UK. Lectures take place throughout the year from September to June on the third Tuesday of each month. Find out more about TASAF here. It is over twenty years since the young Icelandic/Danish artist, Olafur Eliasson, stunned the public with his Weather Project in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. His extraordinary gigantic sun created its own climate inside the building and over two million people went to see it. Since then, Olafur Eliasson has created dozens of spectacular installations around the world, playing with light, air and water, bringing some of the drama of Iceland into urban settings. This talk will cover many of his projects and will examine his underlying philosophies. Ian Swankie is a Londoner with a contagious enthusiasm for art and architecture. He is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral. He is also a freelance London tour guide. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his hometown of Richmond in West London. He is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society, and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City Livery Companies. Our cafés offer a wide selection of delicious snacks, cakes and light meals, along with hot and cold drinks which can be purchased to enjoy. Find out more about our menus here This price is the set fee paid by all members irrespective of the date they join the society.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and directed by Marianne Elliott BAFTA Award-winner Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) joins Aidan Turner (Rivals) in a striking new staging of Christopher Hamptons celebrated adaptation of the classic novel, where among the glittering salons of the super-rich, one misstep can mean ruin. Marquise de Merteuil is a master in the art of survival. Alongside the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont, they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire. But when their alliance collapses into rivalry, the battle between them threatens to destroy everyone in their path. Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Marianne Elliott (Angels in America) directs this thrilling game of love, lies, and social warfare.

The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge and directed by Caitrona McLaughlin Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) joins anna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhn McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synges riveting play of youth and self-discovery. Pegeen Flahertys life is turned upside down when a young man walks into her pub claiming that hes killed his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer becomes a local hero and begins to win hearts, that is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Caitrona McLaughlin directs this darkly funny tale full to the brim with secrets.

A monthly meet up for watercolour painters and enthusiasts – open for all levels. Explore the materials, techniques and colour theory to develop your work. Each week a different subject will be provided, or bring a painting you are already working on or a subject you have always wanted to paint. Basic materials provided.

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller’s classic play, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge). One family, the heart of the American dream. When wartime delivers profits for Joe, it comes at a price when his partner is charged with criminal manufacturing deals, and his eldest son goes missing in action. Will peacetime bring peace of mind, or will he be confronted by the consequence of his actions? Filmed live from the West End, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon), and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) also feature in this disturbingly prescient play.

Based on a different theme each session, Art Jam with Art Harbour is a free opportunity to explore, experiment and develop your own art ideas. With a focus on creative process rather than technical ability or finished results, Art Jam sessions centre on open-ended creative activity guided by a changing theme. Each session introduces a broad range of materials and processes, allowing space for experimentation, exploration and individual interpretation. Your session leaders would provide different art activities designed to encourage you to test ideas, respond intuitively and develop personal approaches without fixed outcomes or formal rules. Making, thinking and responding through materials is treated as the core of the activity, emphasising self expression and discovery. This workshop is suitable for all ages! These are informal art sessions, that involve group artwork activities to help people relax, get creative, build confidence and talking. Art Jam sessions are about making new connections through creativity in a safe space. A non-profit making organisation Art Harbour is a small team including full-time professional artists and volunteers. We are passionate about combining creative visual art experiences that enhance good mental health, accessible to all.

In celebration of Colchester Art Society’s 80th anniversary, be inspired by a rich collection of British and local landscapes, everyday objects, and nature seen through the eyes of current members.

Under the step-by-step guidance of our instructor Lu Yu, you will learn to integrate movement and stillness, leaving the class feeling both strengthened and serene – whether you join us once or make it a regular practice. This workshop is suitable for ages 16+. Accessibility information for your visit Tai-Chi, an ancient Chinese practice, is a graceful “mind-body exercise” that harmonises strength, flexibility, and balance through slow, intentional movements. Suitable for all ages and abilities, it cultivates both physical wellness and mental strength. Lu Yu brings over 20 years of dedicated Tai-Chi practice and teaching experience, with training rooted in China. Lu currently teaches across Essex, including classes with the Colchester Chinese Association, and is passionate about sharing authentic Tai-Chi with different communities.

You will work from a surprise still life set-up revealed at the start of the session, encouraging you to step away from traditional realism and focus on structure, multiple viewpoints, and expressive composition. Through guided exercises, you will learn to break objects into shapes and planes, experiment with flattened space, and use colour and line expressively, creating a modernist yet personal still life painting. The workshop encourages playful experimentation, simplification, and creative disruption of perspective, helping you develop confidence in both observation and abstraction. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 18+. Cubism is an art movement that breaks objects into geometric shapes and planes, showing multiple perspectives at once rather than a single realistic view. Still life is a genre of painting that focuses on everyday objects – like fruit, bottles, or flowers – arranged to study composition, form, and colour. Denisa Mansfield is an artist whose work explores expressive colour, movement, and emotion through the language of Impressionism and abstraction. She works primarily in oils, with a focus on how traditional methods can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways. Her practice celebrates curiosity, creative risk-taking, and the joy of discovery through paint.

You will explore how to reinterpret this classic still life in a monochrome palette, using a limited range of colours to study form, tone, and composition. By stripping colour back to its essentials, you will learn to see shapes, planes, and relationships within the still life more clearly, while building confidence in brushwork and oil painting techniques. Through guided demonstrations and hands-on experimentation, you will be encouraged to observe closely, explore creatively, and experiment freely, deepening your understanding of Cézanne’s approach while producing a contemporary, expressive study of the still life. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 18+. Monochrome painting is a creative technique where artists use a very limited colour palette, often just one or two tones, to focus on light, shade and structure. By removing the distraction of many colours, painters can explore composition, form and expressive brushwork with greater clarity. Denisa Mansfield is an artist whose work explores expressive colour, movement, and emotion through the language of Impressionism and abstraction. She works primarily in oils, with a focus on how traditional methods can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways. Her practice celebrates curiosity, creative risk-taking, and the joy of discovery through paint.

Through playful experimentation, you will reinterpret Derain’s iconic landscape using exaggerated colours, expressive mark-making, and abstracted shapes, discovering how emotion and energy can lead your creative decisions. With guided demonstrations and plenty of hands-on painting time, you will experiment with abstraction and learn how Fauvist techniques can inspire contemporary painting. You will be encouraged to take creative risks, trust your instincts, and push beyond traditional representation, all in a supportive and relaxed environment. By the end of the workshop, you will have completed your own abstract oil painting inspired by L’Estaque and gained confidence in your own creative decisions. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 18+. Fauvism was the first of the avant-garde movements that flourished in France in the early years of the twentieth century. The Fauvist style is characterised by its bold colours, textured brushwork and non-naturalistic depictions. Unlike representational art, abstract oil paintings focus on form, colour, and texture rather than depicting recognisable subjects. The rich, buttery consistency of oil paints allows artists to create stunning textured effects that add depth and dimension to each piece. Denisa Mansfield is an artist whose work explores expressive colour, movement, and emotion through the language of Impressionism and abstraction. She works primarily in oils, with a focus on how traditional methods can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways. Her practice celebrates curiosity, creative risk-taking, and the joy of discovery through paint.

Marking her first major solo show after a celebrated collaborative career, this landmark exhibition centres on ‘The Crime Scene’, an installation developed since 2019, charting her life from teenager to now. It will be the first time this seminal work has left the studio. ‘Seeing my life laid bare before me was like unravelling my brain, only then was I able to see more clearly what needed to happen next as one idea led to another and another in a continuation of the web…’ – Sue Webster What to expect At the heart of the show is ‘The Crime Scene’, an imposing wall-based installation of teenage memorabilia and personal items pinned together with neon orange string connecting each object to resemble a crime scene. This installation also features a new audio piece with the artist guiding listeners through how each element connects, creating an immersive audio collage. From this intricate web of ideas emerges a series of artistic journeys, each sparked by the artist’s exploration of her influences. One of these threads looks back to her youth, shaped by the music of Siouxsie and the Banshees, which helped guide Sue through a difficult adolescence. This influence has inspired a dynamic body of work, including a memoir, a collection of altered leather jackets, and a striking set of oil self-portraits. Also, see eighteen unique leather jackets, hand-painted by Sue, accompanied by a bespoke soundtrack and video footage from a fashion show the artist staged in her studio. Sue’s relationship with her son, Spider-Ray, is explored in a new series of self-portraits, ‘Portrait of the Artist as a New Mother’, and in ‘Birth of an Icon’, a shrine including a painting and personal objects relating to his birth. About the artist Sue Webster is an artist who established her reputation in the mid-1990s, working with her then-partner Tim Noble. Together they rose to prominence, making abstract shadow sculptures assembled from seemingly random objects. Sue published the visual biography I Was a Teenage Banshee in 2019. A Künstlerroman (artist’s coming of age novel), the book combines personal memoir with a visual narrative of her evolution as an artist and describes how listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees helped guide her through a troubled adolescence. In recent years, Sue has been painting in oils, turning her focus inward to create a striking series of large-scale self-portraits. This exhibition is kindly supported by The Coode-Adams Firstsite Trust Photo courtesy: Photography by Jill Mead

A small goat named Will gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball, a high-intensity, full-contact sport that's dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Ridiculed by his teammates, Will becomes determined to revolutionise the sport and prove that "small can ball!"

Colchester Pride features a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities including the Main Stage, featuring local and national acts and our wonderful Market area, with a variety of food, drink, information and sellers, our market area will have something for everyone!

Inspired by our Into Abstraction: Modern British Art and the Landscape explore the art of abstraction in our Colchester Abstract Collage Art workshop. This hands-on workshop invites you to delve into abstraction through the lens of Colchester’s streets, textures and everyday environment. Working both outdoors and in the studio, the session encourages a deeper connection with place. The session will begin by exploring examples of abstract art before heading outside to capture your own photographs on your phones. These images will be printed, torn and collaged to examine colour, rhythm and structure. The collages will then be assembled into sculptural forms using cardboard, string and paint. Guided by artist-led techniques, the workshop will collaboratively build a final communal artwork that blends two and three-dimensional elements. Each contribution remains unique while becoming part of a larger, collective interpretation of Colchester. Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafes. This workshop is suitable for ages 16+. Accessibility information for your visit Angenita Teekens is an award winning, established artist with 30 years of experience in facilitating community art projects. She has worked with Essex galleries, schools, local community groups and charities. She studied at the Art academy in Tilburg, Netherlands gaining a teaching qualification in Art, Design and Dutch. Later she gained a Master’s degree in Sculptural Practice from the University in Essex, England. Her experience covers disciplines like photography, drawing and painting, mixed media, ceramics and textiles.

Shakespeare’s Othello rages to life like never before in a compelling new production starring David Harewood OBE (Homeland, Best of Enemies), Toby Jones OBE (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Detectorists), Caitlin FitzGerald (Succession, Masters of Sex), Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point) and Luke Treadaway (A Street Cat Named Bob). Directed by Tony Award-winner Tom Morris OBE (War Horse, Dr Semmelweis, The Grinning Man) with music by PJ Harvey, this epic story of manipulation, jealousy and toxic masculinity explores the darker side of power, rage and desire. Filmed live at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London especially for the big screen.

Info Colchester Pride takes place on Saturday 15th August 2026. Colchester Pride started in 2017, founded by a small team of dedicated volunteers. Since then, we have grown in size and scale, and are thrilled to have received support and funding from a number of organisations including, but not limited to, The OutHouse, the Lottery Community Fund, UNISON, East of England Co-op, Colchester Borough Homes, Colchester Council, Our Colchester and the Mercury Theatre. Join us for a fantastic day full of celebration, education and entertainment, with a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities. Theme To follow Parade There will be a march from the Mercury Theatre (CO1 1PT) down Colchester High Street. This will set off at 10:40, so please arrive in good time. Main Stage Featuring local, national and international acts. Auditorium Stage Featuring poetry and comedy from a range of local and regional performers. Market area Featuring a variety of food, drink, information and sellers, our market area will have something for everyone. After party To follow

Perfect for creative minds who love crafting, fashion and making unique accessories, this session invites you to design and produce your own wearable artwork. You will learn the fundamentals of screen printing using hand cut paper stencils. You will design your own surface pattern or illustration, carefully cut your stencils and print your artwork onto pre cut wooden jewellery pieces. Experiment with layering multiple colours to build depth and detail, then varnish your finished design and assemble it into a pair of distinctive wooden earrings to take home. This creative workshop offers a rewarding introduction to printmaking and accessory design, giving you the skills to create personalised, screen printed earrings that reflect your individual style. Basic materials provided. This workshop is suitable for ages 16+. Screen printing is a versatile printmaking technique used to transfer ink onto a surface through a fine mesh screen. Areas of the screen are blocked using stencils, allowing ink to pass through only where the design has been cut or exposed. Known for its bold colours, crisp shapes and ability to layer multiple tones, screen printing is widely used in art, textiles and fashion. From limited edition art prints to graphic clothing and accessories, it remains a popular method for creating striking, repeatable designs by hand. Heidi Sharp is Colchester based illustrator, print maker and art facilitator. She has worked with local groups and communities and is an Associate Artist at Colchester Makerspace.

How do we cope with the noise of the modern world? Rebecca Riess invites you to explore this question through a bold and immersive series of otherworldly large-scale sculptures and installations. Rebecca’s work reflects our emotional responses to the world around us – from the overload of digital life and technological waste, the growing ecological crisis, abuse of power, and the physical and emotional ways we experience these pressures internally. What to expect Discover a series of paintings, installations, and abstract sculptures that hang, lean, and stretch across the gallery, inviting moments of curiosity and unease. Explore sculptures made from fabrics, used plastics, chains, ropes, threads, safety pins, and cable ties. Some sculptures hint at human or animal forms, often twisted or stretched in strange, contorted ways, while others evoke damaged and discarded objects, encouraging you to pay attention to how the art makes you feel, as much as what it makes you think. Rebecca describes her paintings as “fictional spaces overlapping with reality and transient timelines”. A highlight in the exhibition is the large-scale sculpture ‘The Cloud’ from Rebecca’s ‘Shapeshifter’ series. The artwork responds to the online world, commenting on unseen waste generated by cloud data, transmission signals, and the ever-present electrical systems supporting our digital lives. About the artist Rebecca Riess was born in London in 1972. She received her BFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore MD 1994 and MFA from Columbia University, School of The Arts, NYC 1996. She has exhibited widely, both across the US (including LA, Chicago, NYC) and in Europe. In 2010 she moved to Suffolk, UK. Her practice involves drawing, painting, sculpture and stitching. The work usually contains fictional spaces which overlap with reality, non-linear timelines, feminist and sociopolitical concerns and critiques. Rebecca is also a winner of the Firstsite Collectors’ Group Bursary Award 2025.

In this lecture, artist-printmaker Anne Desmet RA explores the art and craft of wood engraving, drawing on over four decades of experience working in the medium. Based on insights from her recent book Wood Engraving: A Personal Approach, the talk introduces both traditional engraving techniques and contemporary creative approaches. The session examines how artists prepare wood blocks, handle and sharpen engraving tools, and translate imagery into engraved compositions. Alongside historical context and examples from influential engravers such as Thomas Bewick and Eric Ravilious, the lecture also presents Desmet’s own innovative methods. These include combining wood engraving with linocut, stencil and mixed media techniques, experimenting with unusual printing surfaces, and incorporating digital processes to transform engraved imagery into new abstract compositions. Through illustrated examples and practical insights, the lecture offers an accessible introduction to this historic printmaking practice while demonstrating its continued relevance for contemporary artists. The session is suitable for beginners, art enthusiasts and anyone interested in printmaking, offering a deeper understanding of the creative possibilities of wood engraving. Accessibility information for your visit Wood engraving is a traditional printmaking technique in which an image is carved into the end grain of a block of hardwood using specialist tools. Known for its ability to produce fine detail, contrast and precision, the method has been used by artists for centuries to create detailed prints and illustrations. Anne Desmet RA is an artist-printmaker specialising in wood engraving, linocut and collaged print, often focusing on architectural and metamorphosing subjects. She has received more than forty awards for her work and is represented in museum collections around the world, with over fifty solo exhibitions including numerous shows at national and international museums. Desmet is the author of eight books on printmaking and drawing and served as editor of Printmaking Today magazine from 1998 to 2013. Her commissions include engravings for the British Museum, National Gallery, British Library, V&A, Sotheby’s and the Royal Mint. In 2018 she became only the third wood engraver ever elected to membership of the Royal Academy of Arts. She was also elected an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford University, for distinction in the world of art. Her work continues to be exhibited internationally, including a major solo exhibition at the Escher in the Palace museum in The Hague. Our café’s offers a wide selection of delicious snacks, cakes and light meals, along with hot and cold drinks which can also be purchased to enjoy. See our menu

Get making, moving and munching with Holiday Fun in Colchester over the school holidays! Our drop-in creative activities for families change daily and are available from 10am-2:30pm. Outdoor sports activities for children are a great way to keep active and have fun. Families can also book into the canteen for a hot, nutritious lunch every day. There is a relaxed dining area available in the canteen – do let us know in advance if you would prefer to be seated here. Our Holiday Fun activities are for families facing economic challenges or who require additional support during the school holidays, including those that qualify for benefits-based free school meals.

When a family moves to the countryside, the children are reluctant to embrace their new lives until they discover an enchanted wood full of eccentric characters in this fantasy adventure film. Based on the book by Enid Blyton.

Join us for a thought-provoking and insightful session by Georgina Bexon in The Arts Society at Firstsite (TASAF) Lecture series! The Arts Society at Firstsite is an organisation about connecting people who have a passion for art. TASAF is part of a global network of local societies, which bring people together through shared curiosity for the arts. You can learn more about it here. We offer a series of 10 talks from accredited lecturers based around the UK. Lectures take place throughout the year from September to June on the third Tuesday of each month. Find out more about TASAF here. How do you tell a fake from the real thing? With great difficulty! Hear the fascinating stories from behind the scenes of the great art museums of the world and examine both real and fake art works. This talk delves into the complex histories and consummate skills of some of the infamous forgers of the art world who have cleverly and successfully fooled the experts. Despite cutting-edge technology and the expertise of illustrious art historians and connoisseurs, fake art works continue to circulate on the market and even, occasionally, to make their way into museum collections. The recent troubling case of the $450 million Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece ‘Salvator Mundi’ is a case in point – dividing the experts on critical issues of authentication and restoration, revealing an art world that is ever in fear of the ‘perfect’ forgery. Accessibility information for your visit Georgina Bexon is an art historian and consultant specialising in international art and architecture. She has lived and worked in Europe, the USA and Singapore and has three degrees in art history from Southampton and London Universities. Georgina travels widely for research and speaking engagements at European universities, international art institutions (including the Museum of Modern Art Moscow and Christie’s Education New York) and art conferences, most recently in New York, Paris and Lisbon. She is also in demand as a guest speaker on luxury cruise ships. Georgina is an official guide at the Tate, an accredited speaker for the Arts Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Society and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars. Our cafés offer a wide selection of delicious snacks, cakes and light meals, along with hot and cold drinks which can be purchased to enjoy. Find out more about our menus here This price is the set fee paid by all members irrespective of the date they join the society.

Guided by Daniel & Clara, each session unfolds around a new theme, inviting attendees into participatory exercises, immersive experiences, and collective discussion. Sitting at the intersection of workshop, performance, and experimental space, the Lab encourages experimentation, challenges habitual thinking, and opens space for the unpredictable, playful, and untamed aspects of creativity. It is a radical environment that celebrates the strange, messy, and complex dreaming creatures we are – inviting us to think differently, create more freely, and cultivate a wilder, more embodied connection with both the inner and outer worlds. The second half of each session offers an open platform for participants to share work, test ideas, or try something new for the first time, fostering collaboration, curiosity, and collective discovery. The Rewilding Imagination Lab sparks creative freedom, playful risk-taking, and new ways of thinking, feeling, and being. Since meeting in 2010, artist Daniel & Clara have dedicated themselves to a shared life of creative experimentation, working across moving image, photography, performance and mail art to explore the nature of human experience, perception and reality. Their current projects focus on the complex relationship between humans and the natural world, particularly exploring the climate crisis as a psychological crisis. Their work has been exhibited and screened at Norwich Castle Museum (2025), Art Exchange, Colchester (2024), Focal Point Gallery, Southend (2021), By Art Matters, Hangzhou (2021), Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, Grand Palais Paris & HKW Berlin (2020), Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge (2019), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2019), Museu de Arte Moderna Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2019). In 2025 they were a recipient of the Henry Moore Foundation Artists Award. This project has been made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England.

Each session introduces a different theme and combines learning about artists and artistic techniques with practical activities where participants create their own artwork to take home. The sessions follow a clear and supportive structure. Children begin with an introduction to the theme, exploring examples of artworks and discussing the materials and techniques used by artists. This is followed by a hands-on making activity where participants experiment with drawing or other creative materials. Each workshop ends with a show, tell and celebrate moment where everyone can share their work, reflect on what they have learned and receive a short handout summarising the session. Please Note: Children must be supervised at all times.