A free community arts festival
This summer, in partnership with Westminster City Council, the National Gallery will host its biggest ever free festival of immersive art, creativity and community on Trafalgar Square. There is no cost, and no tickets are required. It will run from 11-19 August.
The festival is a re-working of the Gallery’s art collection – creating an entirely new participatory set of experiences and activities that play with scale, spectacle and sound. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a purpose-built arts studio; participate in practical and walk-in art and sound installations; as well as sketching, making, moving, and exploring The National Gallery’s collection.
The sessions will be free, drop-in and open to all ages and abilities. During an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the National Gallery hopes the festival will be an opportunity for local and London-wide communities to enjoy art and celebrate their own creativity with friends and family – creating a space for wellbeing and joy in tough times.
Other programmes and activities will include:
• Exploring Nature – explore experimental drawing techniques, taking plants and nature as inspiration.
• What’s through the doorway? – sessions of art, singing and moving to set you up for your own adventure in the Gallery.
• Find the Flow – energise your body and explore movement, meaning and conversation within this year’s Take One Picture focus painting ‘The Finding of Moses’.
• Frame: a circus for drawing by Circus250 – run away and draw the circus! A live drawing experience with real circus performers doing their astounding tricks for you.
• Tell your Story with the Young Westminster Foundation – think about words and how we communicate through them and create a collaborative piece of spoken word poetry.
• Painting in the 3rd dimension – transform paintings into 3D installations collaborative activity.
