Culture - Ards and North Down

Culture - Ards and North Down Ards Arts Centre and North Down Museum - Bringing Arts and Heritage to life in Ards and North Down.
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Keep up to date with news, activities and events provided by Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Arts and Heritage Service. Learn more about the work we do in maintaining our local culture and encouraging others to engage with it. We’re passionate about getting the local community involved with our shared cultural legacy, which continues to grow through the talents of new creative professionals.

To inspire ownership of this, we subsequently manage two fantastic venues, where everyone from young children and teens, to adults and senior citizens can experience our cultural offerings in many different ways. Our cultural venues include:

- Ards Arts Centre
- North Down Museum

To encourage community engagement with our local culture, we provide a wide range of services at both locations, including:

-Arts and heritage events and exhibitions
- Opportunities for cultural learning
- Funding opportunities for individuals and groups
- Outreach activity
- Professional development for artists resident in the borough
- Information and publications on the cultural heritage of our borough

www.andculture.org.uk

The Arts and Heritage Service of Ards and North Down Borough Council

www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk



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Karen Hamilton is a woven textile artist specialising in the Theo Moorman technique. She graduated from the Ulster Unive...
07/09/2026

Karen Hamilton is a woven textile artist specialising in the Theo Moorman technique. She graduated from the Ulster University in 2025 with a first class honours degree in Textile Art Design and Fashion.

After exploring various disciplines, she discovered a passion for weaving, enjoying the meditative practice of spending time at the loom and investigating the endless permutations of woven fabric. Integral to her practice is the desire to work alongside the rhythms of nature and use materials and processes that support its fragile balance. Her work exhibits an artistic aesthetic that explores the boundary between art and craft.

Her current exhibition ‘In Search of Light’ showing in the Georgian Gallery, Ards Arts Centre, translates the intangible phenomenon of light—the force that enables us to see and engage with our environment—into tangible woven textiles.

Exhibition continues until Sat 19 Sept.

📍Ards Arts Centre

🕙 Gallery Opening Hours
Tues - Fri: 10am - 4pm
Sat: 10am - 1pm
Sun & Mon: Closed

For more details visit the link in bio and tap on ‘What’s On’.

Visit Ards and North Down Jacqueline McGonigle Irish Arts Review Visual Artists Ireland

This autumn, learn the wonderful art of flower arranging, and have beautiful blooms for your home (or to gift to family ...
07/09/2026

This autumn, learn the wonderful art of flower arranging, and have beautiful blooms for your home (or to gift to family and friends) each week at the Floral Art Classes at Ards Arts Centre! 🌸

Facilitated by Maureen Mulligan, these classes will cover all aspects of traditional, modern and contemporary floral arrangements.

Suitable for all levels, choose between the morning or afternoon class.

📍Ards Arts Centre
📆 Thursdays - commencing 24 Sept (for 10 weeks)
⏰ Morning: 10am - 12noon
⏰ Afternoon: 1pm - 3pm
🎟 £77

ℹ For more info and to enrol online, visit: https://andculture.org.uk/classes/listing?search_api_fulltext=floral

We at Aspects Festival were saddened to learn of the death of author and journalist Stephen Walker.A friend of the festi...
07/09/2026

We at Aspects Festival were saddened to learn of the death of author and journalist Stephen Walker.

A friend of the festival, Stephen was widely respected for his writing and his deep understanding of Northern Ireland's political history. He appeared at Aspects on several occasions over the years, most recently in 2024 and 2025, when he joined us to discuss his biographies of John Hume and David Trimble.

Through his books and his respected career in journalism, Stephen helped tell the stories of some of the most significant figures and events in Northern Ireland's history.

We extend our sincere condolences to Stephen's family, friends and former colleagues at this difficult time.

Explore drawing as a way of engaging our creative energy for relaxing in the Mindful Drawing class with Jo Hatty.Drawing...
07/09/2026

Explore drawing as a way of engaging our creative energy for relaxing in the Mindful Drawing class with Jo Hatty.

Drawing benefits wellbeing in many ways including reducing stress, improving mood, enhancing memory and focus, and allowing us to be fully in the moment.

Suitable for all levels.

ℹ️ For more information and to book visit: https://andculture.org.uk/classes/mindful-drawing

📍 Ards Arts Centre
📅 Thurs (10 weeks from 24 Sept)
🕙 10am - 12noon
🎟 £79.50


📚 The National Poetry Library is coming to Bangor! 🎉Aspects Festival is proud to be part of A Poet in Every Port, a Sout...
06/09/2026

📚 The National Poetry Library is coming to Bangor! 🎉

Aspects Festival is proud to be part of A Poet in Every Port, a Southbank Centre project bringing a travelling selection from the National Poetry Library, the world's largest public collection of modern poetry, to 11 coastal locations across the UK.

On Saturday 26 September, the mobile National Poetry Library will make its stop in Ward Park, bringing a day of free poetry-inspired activities for all ages. Browse the collection, create your own poems, enjoy live performances, take part in a poetry treasure hunt and explore activities taking place around Ward Park and Seacourt Print Workshop.

There's also an opportunity to take to the mic or enjoy performances from others during the open mic session. 🎤

Whether you're a passionate reader, a poetry fan or just looking for a great free day out, come along and get involved!

📍 Ward Park, Bangor
🗓 Saturday 26 September
⏰ 10am-5pm
🎟 Free

ℹ️ https://aspectsfestival.com/whats-on/visit-mobile-national-poetry-library



Southbank Centre Visit Ards and North Down Seacourt Print Workshop

Do you want to make music and improve your guitar playing in a relaxed, friendly space guided by a professional guitar t...
06/09/2026

Do you want to make music and improve your guitar playing in a relaxed, friendly space guided by a professional guitar teacher?

If so, then why not enrol onto our weekly Ards Guitar Circle with Paddy Anderson!

This multi‑level weekly workshop is all about playing together, building songs as a group, and having a great time doing it. We’ll create and prepare instrumental arrangements of well known songs, with guitar parts tailored to suit every level.

Suitable for most levels except complete beginners (i.e. you should at least be able to hold the instrument, tune it, and play some simple chords).

ℹ For full class details, and to enrol online now, visit: https://andculture.org.uk/classes/new-ards-guitar-circle

📍Ards Arts Centre
📅 Mondays (10 weeks from 21 Sept*)
🕙 7pm - 8.30pm
🎟 £15

*NB: No class on Mon 26 Oct

Have you ever thought about writing your own life story? ✍️Join acclaimed writer and mentor Maureen Boyle for 'Writing Y...
05/09/2026

Have you ever thought about writing your own life story? ✍️

Join acclaimed writer and mentor Maureen Boyle for 'Writing Your One Wild and Precious Life', a memoir writing workshop at North Down Museum on Sunday 4 October.

In this day-long workshop, participants will explore ways to access memory using a range of writing techniques and creative prompts. Through discussion, reading and writing exercises, you'll consider questions that arise in memoir writing, including voice, research, truth, fictionalisation and how we tell stories that connect with the lives of others.

Whether you're completely new to memoir or already working on a project, this workshop offers a welcoming space to develop your ideas in prose or poetry.

Maureen Boyle is a memoir and poetry mentor with the Irish Writers' Centre and author of the poetry collections The Work of a Winter and The Last Spring of the World.

📍 North Down Museum
📅 Sunday 4 October, 10.30am to 3.30pm
🎟 £45

Book here: https://aspectsfestival.com/whats-on/memoir-writing-workshop-maureen-boyle

Aspects Festival has once again teamed up with Waterstones in Bloomfields, Bangor to offer a 10% discount to festival-go...
05/09/2026

Aspects Festival has once again teamed up with Waterstones in Bloomfields, Bangor to offer a 10% discount to festival-goers off any book featured on this year’s programme! 🎉

Just go along to Waterstones and show your festival ticket at the till to be awarded your discount. Offer valid until 4 October!

If you haven't already booked your tickets to this year's festival - there's still time!

Check out the full programme here: 👇

https://aspectsfestival.com/whats-on

Our Creative Classes programme returns this autumn at Ards Arts Centre!'Inspiring Sketchbook Drawing' will help you to u...
05/09/2026

Our Creative Classes programme returns this autumn at Ards Arts Centre!

'Inspiring Sketchbook Drawing' will help you to understand drawing using the simplest of equipment with just a sketchbook, pencil and charcoal, with Pandora Butterfield.

❗But hurry - only 2 spaces remaining

For more information, and to enrol, visit: https://andculture.org.uk/classes/drawing-skills-inspiring-sketchbook-drawings

📍 Ards Arts Centre
📆 10 weeks commencing Mon 21 Sept*
🕙 10am - 12noon
🎟 £79.50
*NB: No class on Mon 26 Oct

📣 EXHIBITION OPEN CALLDo you see your artwork on Ards Arts Centre walls?Ards Arts Centre invites professional practising...
04/09/2026

📣 EXHIBITION OPEN CALL

Do you see your artwork on Ards Arts Centre walls?

Ards Arts Centre invites professional practising artists (solo and small group shows), recent graduates, art organisations, and community groups to apply to exhibit their artwork in 2027.

As part of their exciting exhibitions programme, Ards Arts Centre aims to showcase a wide variety of contemporary visual and applied arts to cover a broad range of mediums and concepts from emerging to established artists from across the North and South of Ireland.

The Arts Centre has two galleries for temporary exhibitions; the Georgian Gallery and the Sunburst Gallery. The two galleries host exhibitions by local, national and international artists, as well as community initiatives and art organisations.

❗️ APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday 6 October 2026, 11:59pm (sharp)

ℹ For full criteria and to propose an exhibition, visit: https://andculture.org.uk/news/open-call-exhibitions-ards-arts-centre-2027

Featured images: past exhibitions by Jonathan Conlon Joanna McNulty Elaine Burke - Artist Ruth Osborne Art Keith Drury Art

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Town Hall, Conway Square
Newtownards
BT234NP

Telephone

+442891810803

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