Coming soon: The Horsfall Gallery hosts The Future is Ours festival with a vibrant exhibition of art by young people

The Horsfall gallery is a creative space and gallery that forms part of 42^nd Street: an innovative Greater Manchester young people’s mental health charity with 40 years’ experience of providing free and confidential services to young people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and emotional wellbeing. It’s Manchester’s only young people’s art gallery The building opened in its current form in 2016, and is one of the oldest in Ancoats, named after Thomas Horsfall, a 19^th century philanthropist who opened the Ancoats Art Museum and was a pioneer of arts for wellbeing. His story provides a truly fascinating piece, and little-known slice of Manchester’s history and you can read much more about him via the link below.

Today, The Horsfall gallery provides a space for young people to explore creativity with regular open arts, music and poetry sessions. For The Future Is Ours festival the gallery will open for an exhibition of original artworks by young people. Over the last few months ten young people aged 12-25 from over Greater Manchester have been collaborating with professional artists to create an artwork representing their interests and messages for the world. The exhibition will feature works in different mediums including watercolour, resin, photography, textiles and sculpture. The artworks explore themes of identity, mental health, the climate crisis and play. One of the artists will wrap their bright patterned work around the Horsfall windows. As well as the exhibition, there will be live painting of the courtyard space by artist Tasha Whittle who has worked with Horsfall poet-in-residence Shannon Westacott to create a new mural design. There are also live events during the week including open mic music night with Brighter Sound on Monday 25 October 6-7.30, spoken word on Tuesday 26 October 6-7.30 and guided tour of the exhibition on Wednesday 27 October at 6pm.
Shannon Westacott, who has been working with Tasha and will perform during the spoken word event, says: “The Future Is Ours Festival is an opportunity to celebrate voices that aren’t always given the platform they deserve and to explore the issues that shape what it’s like to be a young person today from lots of diverse perspectives. The festival takes up space in the city and makes it feel like it’s our city to shape.”
The gallery will be open 1-6pm during the festival with events and art around Ancoats and Greater Manchester as well as online.