New Season at the Williamson Art Gallery with Six New Exhibitions
The new season has got off to a blockbuster start at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum with the opening of six brand-new exhibitions following its annual shut down for maintenance and decoration.
These include a specially commissioned new immersive installation by one of the country’s most acclaimed current artists, presentations of rarely-seen works from the gallery’s collection, and a celebration of contemporary art from across the Liverpool City Region.
Deputy chair of Wirral Council’s Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee, Councillor Ann Ainsworth, said:
This is an incredible programme of exhibitions for 2025 and shows how the Williamson is a vital and exciting part of our local arts scene. There will be something here for everyone, and I have no doubt that everyone will enjoy what is coming up with so much to look forward to. And such a range of arts, showcasing so many different skills and styles, illustrates perfectly how vibrant the arts are here and how this amazing gallery has so much to offer the people of Wirral and the wider city region and beyond.
Visitors will have the opportunity to delve their hands into the depths and reconnect with Mother Earth on an immersive journey into the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind in Di Mainstone’s Subterranean Elevator. The artwork, commissioned through the Wirral Borough of Culture programme, aims to deepen our understanding of biodiversity loss and engage with the emotional landscape of the climate emergency.
Two new exhibitions focus on artists from the Williamson’s collection: - the 80th anniversary of the death of Wallasey-trained war artist Albert Richards is commemorated with some of the gallery’s 200+ works going on display for the first time in many years.
The work of pioneering Birkenhead-born Impressionist Philip Wilson Steer - long considered to be a highlight of the Williamson’s collection – is celebrated in a new exhibition that aims to bring his work into conversation with his contemporaries, and local artists who followed in his footsteps.
Two further exhibitions celebrate the creativity of contemporary North West artists. Un/Earthed - A Retrospective by Landlines Studio will immerse visitors in the creative process of Angela Stringer and Nicky Perrin, and their alchemical process of turning raw earth into vibrant expressions of story and place.
And following on from 2024’s exhibition of ‘Going to the Match’ by L S Lowry and funded by Arts Council England, the gallery has commissioned award-winning photographer Marge Bradshaw to work with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC in Level Playing Field, visually documenting participants’ stories and experiences of participating in football at the grassroots club.
An extraordinary life will be celebrated in Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer. Smolen was a Polish refugee who settled in Birkenhead and became a champion scooter racer and successful businesswoman. Produced in collaboration with Big Heritage, this exhibition tells her incredible story.
All exhibitions are now open except Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer, which opens on Friday 21 February.
Un-Earthed – A Retrospective by Landlines Studio and Marge Bradshaw’s commission will both close on Saturday 28th June, with all other exhibitions continuing until 20th December.
More information about the exhibitions, artists is available on the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum website.
