Join artist Debra Marsh to experiment with different art styles, techniques and materials in a fun and accessible way. A great way to encourage your child’s creativity without making a mess at home.

Take time out for yourself, switch off your phone and slow down at this creative group for grown-ups. Each month, the group will work with a different point of inspiration and explore different media with a focus on experimentation and exploration. All materials are provided.

Join Southampton based artist Alex Sutherland to experiment with different art materials and ideas and have some fun! Each monthly session we will take our inspiration from the artwork on display an our collection. Adults are welcome to drop their child off or to stay. Dates for spring 2026 are as follows: 10 January 14 February 14 March 11 April You can book for each session individually or receive a discounted price when booking all four. If you would like to book for a different date to that on this page, please go back to our main events page to browse.

Join us to explore Emma Richardson’s exhibition, then get painty as we work with acrylics to create our own expressive artwork. Great for young people looking to try out or develop different ways of working. Please bring a packed lunch and a drink. Please note you will be emailed a registration form which it would be brilliant if you could complete ahead of the session.

Make your own Marvellous superhero in clay. Will you choose to sculpt Spider Man, Superman, Batman or your own superhero?! TOP TIP: bring a cardboard box to carry your creation home in. Please note: Our Art for All sessions are for adults too! If you want to join in, please do purchase a ticket. If you are there to accompany your young people please just book a free accompanying adult ticket. Under 16s must be accompanied.

Forget the Easter Bunny! Have you heard of the Spring Axolotl?! Have fun, be creative and learn some new techniques building a sculpture from clay, guided by our learning team, before decorating it with colour and jewel like embellishments. TOP TIP: please bring a box to take you clay home in. Please note: Our Art for All sessions are for adults too! If you want to join in, please do purchase a ticket. If you are there to accompany your young people please just book a free accompanying adult ticket. Under 16s must be accompanied.

Forget colouring inside the lines at this relaxed and experimental painting workshop! Inspired by Emma Richardson’s exhibition _Levitate Me_ we will experiment with different mark making techniques and tools, exploring different colours, shapes and patterns exploring the effects they create. This workshop is definitely one that grown ups will also enjoy. Dress for mess as we will be working with acrylic paints that don’t wash out! Please note: Our Art for All sessions are for adults too! If you want to join in, please do purchase a ticket. If you are there to accompany your young people please just book a free accompanying adult ticket. Under 16s must be accompanied.

To coincide with the Gallery reopening, we are excited to present a major solo exhibition of new work by artist Emma Richardson. Spanning the gallery’s entire east wing, this show features a striking series of oil paintings that delve into the themes of desire, transcendence, and the sublime through a distinctly female lens. Known for her visceral use of paint and layered surfaces, Richardson creates large-scale, seductive works that blur the boundaries between the bodily and the celestial. Her immersive visual world draws on baroque drama, sci-fi atmosphere, influences ranging from writer Annie Ernaux to female surrealist artists, and her own lived experience as a touring musician. This exhibition holds particular significance in Southampton, where Richardson was born and lived for much of her life. A regular visitor to the Gallery, Richardson has selected works from the city’s collection, to be shown alongside her own, highlighting both the influence and relevance of specific artists, and creating a dialogue between contemporary and historic voices.

This display will showcase a selection of the most exciting artworks that have been acquired into the city’s collection since the Gallery closed for refurbishment at the beginning of 2025. Among the works on display will be a sketch by 19th-century French artist Édouard Vuillard, a screenprint by Elisabeth Frink and a series of works by Julian Grater that were acquired after Arctic Mirage, his recent exhibition at the Gallery. From 7 March to 30 May, Ian Giles’ immersive installation Everyone Involved will be on display as part of this celebration of new acquisitions. Originally commissioned by ‘a space arts’, it was shown at God’s House Tower, Southampton, in 2024 and has been acquired by Southampton City Art Gallery with Art Fund support. Everyone Involved centres around a 4-channel film featuring ‘A Gay Song’, which is heralded as the first LGBTQIA+ protest song recorded onto vinyl in 1972. In 2024, Giles reformed the original band to re-record the song 52 years after its inception. The resulting film is shown alongside monumental wall hangings made by the artist from vintage fabrics and found textiles, which he then embellished with hand-painted archival cartoons, highlighting the joyful creativity of the gay rights movement.

This exhibition will bring together a selection of works on paper that have been digitised and made available online during the Gallery’s temporary closure, as part of the Arts Council England supported Unlocking Collections project. The display will feature a range of media, with paper as the main support, including watercolour, drawing, prints and photography. ​Due to their light-sensitive nature, many of these works cannot be frequently displayed, and some have not been exhibited for many years. Preparatory sketches will also be shown alongside final paintings, including several drawings and plans for In the Park (St James’s) by Malcolm Drummond, offering a fascinating insight into an artist’s creative process. ​

Join artist Kate Watkins to explore drypoint printmaking. It’s a printing process that’s fun and easy to learn. Using a combination of tracing and mark making with etching needles and tools you will scratch a design onto acrylic sheets. Our theme will be flora and fauna and all images are provided. No drawing skills necessary. The finished design is inked and printed on an etching press allowing several copies to be printed. We’ll create different versions adding colour and collaged papers. All levels of experience are welcome and all materials are provided. We will be using our printing press, so there will be a maximum of eight participants at this session. CANCELLATIONS In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason. If you have any questions about the event please contact us at [email protected] or give us a ring at 023 8083 4536.

Join artist Jacqui Mair to develop your own creative response to Emma Richardson’s exhibition _‘Levitate Me’_. Taking inspiration from the artwork on display, we will explore colour, shape, line and more to create a response to the exhibition which is entirely your own. Using Jacqui’s personal papers as a starting point you are encouraged to experiment with mixed media over the simplified collaged papers. Using pens and pencils and paints you can animate the surface of the work to create a unique piece for you. Whether you’re looking for a fresh perspective, a different creative starting point or to engage with the exhibition, this is a wonderful opportunity to develop your own visual language and style. All levels of experience are very welcome. CANCELLATIONS In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason. If you have any questions about the event please contact us at [email protected] or give us a ring at 023 8083 4536.

A rare chance to see a selection of works on paper, seldom displayed because of their fragility. This event will begin at 11am in the Art Gallery’s Lecture Theatre (accessed via the ground floor), we’ll then split into smaller groups to view a selection of artworks not on display. We anticipate that this event will last approximately 1 hour. You are very welcome to explore the exhibitions upstairs in the Art Gallery before or after the event, admission to the Art Gallery is free of charge. Pay what you can: Our prices are based on helping as many people to access our talks, tours and workshops as possible. The more you choose to pay, the more people will be able to come and enjoy the same excellent programme of informative and entertaining events. We thank you for any additional support you are able to offer us.

Work at your own pace with individual feedback and tuition on hand from Peter at these relaxed and friendly sessions. You are welcome to bring your own materials, although we will supply the basics. Suitable for all levels of experience except absolute beginners to drawing. These sessions run from 11am – 4pm with a short break for lunch. Dates for summer 2026 are as follows: 2 May 6 June 4 July 1 August If you would like to book for a different date to that on this page, please click on a date in the list above or go back to our main events page to browse.

Are you interested in linocutting but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you have bought a kit and are not getting the results you want. This one day course with award winning linocut artist Katherine Anteney will help you get the most out of this brilliant printmaking technique. Learn the whole process from initial idea to finished print with lots of tips and tricks along the way. This day course will run from 10am through to 4.30pm with a break for lunch. You’re welcome to bring food and drink with you, or pop out to pick up some lunch. All materials will be provided and all are welcome. CANCELLATIONS In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason.

Join Southampton based artist Alex Sutherland to experiment with different art materials and ideas and have some fun! Each monthly session we will take our inspiration from the artwork on display an our collection. Adults are welcome to drop their child off or to stay for these sessions. You can book for each session individually or receive a discounted price when booking all four. If you would like to book for a different date to that on this page, please click on a date in the list below or go back to our main events page to browse. Dates for summer 2026 are as follows: 9 May 13 June 11 July 8 August

Join experienced artist & tutor Emma Morrissey for this new workshop, learning the basics of simple shapes to map out form to create beautiful birds. Learn the process of layering colour using watercolour & pen outline to add finishing touches. An enjoyable an accessible workshop for the season! All levels of experience welcome and all materials provided.

Join Gallery conservator Benedict Hall to visit our conservation studio, find out more about recent projects and discover what goes on behind the scenes to preserve and restore the City’s fine art collection. We will meet in the welcome area of the Gallery. Please let a member of the team know you have arrived and they will direct you. Please note, tickets for this event are limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment. CANCELLATIONS In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason. If you have any questions about the event please contact us at [email protected] or give us a ring at 023 8083 4536 (emails and phones are staffed weekdays 9am-5pm).

Want to know what a Gelli plate can do? Get inspired and create your own series of papers and masterpieces in a day. Without the need for a printing press, the techniques are accessible and user friendly, the Gelli plate creates an opportunity to produce spontaneous monotypes and our very own collage papers. Have the freedom to play and discover the unique properties the Gelli plate has to offer. Gelli plate printing is adventurous and fun and there are no mistakes as we can simply carry on printing, it is a fast, exciting and spontaneous way of working, the more you print the more you will discover. Led by artist Jaqui Mair, this is an opportunity to explore the beauty of colour ways with acrylics; push the uniqueness of mark making from nature to manmade objects. This session will run 11am – 4pm with a short break for lunch. You are welcome to bring something with you or to pop out. A great introduction or refresher, all levels of experience welcome and all materials provided. CANCELLATIONS In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason. If you have any questions about the event please contact us at [email protected] or give us a ring at 023 8083 4536.