What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 4pm Tuesday 9:30am - 4pm Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm Thursday 9:30am - 4pm Friday 9:30am - 4pm Saturday 9:30am - 12:30pm

Venture Arts

Venture Arts is an award-winning visual arts organisation
working with learning disabled artists.

Venture Arts is a progressive visual arts charity based in Hulme, Manchester. We work alongside learning disabled artists to create and show exciting new contemporary visual art work, using a range of art mediums, including Illustration, Photography, Moving image, Animation, Textile art, Ceramics and Art as Environment. The organisation’s vision is to see learning disabled people play a valued and

valuable role within arts and culture as artists, critics, audiences, advocates and workers. To this effect we deliver over 1000 visual arts workshops per year working with over 200 people and run work schemes which help learning disabled people to work and volunteer in cultural and educational environments. We showcase the work of our artists locally, nationally and internationally. As well as providing for disabled adults Venture Arts also run a number of outreach workshops aimed at engaging children with disabilities.

26/05/2026

🎨 Following Darren’s studio tour, we wanted to share a closer look at some of the artwork created in our studio - including this beautiful A3 print celebrating Hulme Hippodrome by Darren Gallagher, now available in the Venture Arts shop.

🏛️ A much-loved Manchester landmark, the historic theatre has stood at the heart of the Hulme community for more than 120 years and is now the focus of an ongoing campaign to bring the building back into public use.

📰 The campaign was also recently featured in The Guardian, shining a light on the building’s extraordinary history - from theatre and variety performances to bingo halls, social clubs and near-demolition.

💚 Sales from this print do not directly fund the Save Hulme Hippodrome campaign but we hope the artwork helps raise awareness of this important community movement. Every purchase from our shop also supports our artists and helps power more bold, ambitious creativity in the studio. Win-win.

🔗 https://venturearts.org/product/a3-print-darren-gallagher-hulme-hippodrome/

Niamos | Save Hulme Hippodrome | |

19/05/2026

⬆️ Upstairs at Venture Arts: Welcome to Studio 4.

In the long-awaited second edition of Darren’s studio tour, we’re heading up to the first floor via the new lift to explore Studio 4 - home to illustration, animation and digital creativity.

From quieter, focused working areas to new creative setups, the Venture Arts studio is always buzzing with ideas, experimentation and making.

💚 Want to help keep our artists making? You can support Venture Arts by helping fund materials, equipment, studio space and creative opportunities for our artists 👉 https://venturearts.org/join-support/donate/

18/05/2026

🚀 We’re hiring!

Join us as Programme Producer: Creative Approaches to Work Programme and help deliver an exciting year-long project supporting neurodivergent young adults into employment 💚

You’ll plan and deliver a creative programme alongside neurodivergent creatives, young people, employers and partners across Greater Manchester - building confidence, removing barriers and opening up more inclusive pathways into work.

📍 Based in Hulme, Manchester (and partner venues)
⚡ 19 hours / 2.5 days per week
⚡ Salary £30,000 FTE
⚡ 1-year fixed-term role

If you’re organised, collaborative and passionate about the power of creativity to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Apply by 10am Monday 15 June
👉 Interviews on Tue 23 June (afternoon) & Wed 24 June

👉 For a full job pack and application form, head to: https://venturearts.org/vacancies/programme-producer/

Please share or tag someone who might be interested 💚

14/05/2026

🌿 OUT HERE at Castlefield Gallery

We’re really pleased to see Venture Arts studio artist Emelia Hewitt featured in this brilliant group exhibition at Castlefield Gallery.

Out Here brings together six artists to explore our relationship with the natural world. Featuring film, photography, sculpture, painting and more, the work looks closely at how humans and nature coexist - from quiet, material-led practices to larger, expansive ideas around climate, ecology and the future.

The show offers a great snapshot of artists at different stages of their careers – expect to see internationally renowned artist Shezad Dawood alongside artists from across the North of England. It’s genuinely great to see them sharing the space and sparking new conversations.

Thoughtful and visually rich. Go take a look 💚

📍 FREE, just drop in
📅 Runs until 19 July
🔗 Read more about Out Here 👉https://venturearts.org/events/out-here/

13/05/2026

🎧 “It’s a lovely record”

Horace has been back out across Manchester with Supernature Disco - digging for records, spending time in shops (Fountain Records, Kingbee Records, Clampdown Records) and continuing to build his growing collection of reggae 7s, carried in his now well-travelled snakeskin record box.

With each session, he’s refining his listening, following instinct and shaping a practice rooted in music, memory and collecting. The act of searching, selecting and returning to sounds is becoming a key part of the work itself.

His collection is growing, his approach is evolving, and the project is beginning to find its own rhythm - moving between the studio, the city and the record shops in between.

More to come 💚

🔗 Find out more about our work at: https://venturearts.org

12/05/2026

▶️ A snapshot of what happens in our studio 💚

Venture Arts is a place where artists have the space and time to experiment and create - where their ideas take shape, confidence grows and connections are made.

None of this happens by chance. It starts with the artists - their ideas, their ambition, their way of working - supported by the right space, accessible facilities, our facilitators and volunteers, and a whole community who believe in what they do.

If you’ve been part of that, thank you 🙏.

🔗 And if you’d like to support what happens at Venture Arts, you can find out more here: https://venturearts.org/join-support/donate/

08/05/2026

▶️ We’re delighted that 11 Venture Arts artists have been selected for this year’s Manchester Open at HOME Mcr.

In this post, we’re sharing work by artists showing in the Open for the first time - Maddi Lingard, Chloe and Justin Lees, and Manha and Niamh, who are both part of our young people’s group.

Also exhibiting: Dom Bennett, Barry Anthony Finan, Leslie Thompson, Helena Bradley, Rhea Holmes and Amy Ellison.

Staff members Laura and James, and our volunteer Alison, are also part of this year’s exhibition - a brilliant reflection of the creativity across the full Venture Arts community.

📍 20 June – 6 September
🎉 Preview: 19 June
👉https://venturearts.org/events/

Get it in your diary - this is one to see.

07/05/2026

💥 Things are moving in Studio 4 👀

This is where Venture Arts artists experiment with animation, illustration and moving image - testing ideas, building sequences and watching drawings slowly come to life frame by frame.

Part studio snapshot, part work-in-progress, this reel captures some of the brilliant abstract animation currently taking shape in the new studio. 💚

Like what you see? Support the artists behind the work 👉https://venturearts.org/join-support/donate/

05/05/2026

🦹 If you’re out and about round Chorlton this May… go and meet the villains 👀

Venture Arts artist Dom Bennett presents 'Legion of Villainy' as part of Chorlton Arts Festival.

Alongside his art exhibition, Dom will be selling mugs (£8) and coasters (£2.50) featuring his characters, raising money for Venture Arts and Down's Syndrome Manchester.

With thanks to Standoutsocks and HH Designs for supporting the project.

📍 Chorlton Methodist Church
📅 9, 13 & 16 May

29/04/2026

🙌 The celebrations continue 💚

Last week we were delighted to welcome partners, supporters and friends to the new studio for a celebratory evening together - including a visit from The Lord Mayor of Manchester.

Artists shared their work, conversations filled the space - plus it's been lovely to keep stretching out the studio celebrations. We're so proud of the space and it's been brilliant to share it with so many people already.

🎉 Thank you to everyone who has been part of the celebrations so far.

Stay connected with what's happening in the studio by signing up to our newsletter 👉 https://mailchi.mp/venturearts/venture-arts-newsletter-signup

📷 Image credit: Rachel Bywater Photography.

Address

43 Old Birley Street
Manchester
M155RF

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 4pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 4pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 6pm
Thursday	9:30am - 4pm
Friday	9:30am - 4pm
Saturday	9:30am - 12:30pm

Telephone

+441612321223

Website

http://www.venturearts.org/

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