Top 3: Museums at Night 2018 ft. dance at John Rylands & Art Gallery alt-drag performance

The UK-wide festival of late events in cultural spaces, Museums at Night, returns. Our guide includes dance at John Rylands, an exhibition launch at The Portico, and discussion and performance at Manchester Art Gallery.

The John Rylands Library – Colour Alive! – Indian dance recital
The dance group Upasana present an evening of colour and movement. Classical Indian dancers will bring the Library’s historic reading room to life with performances inspired by ancient manuscripts from the subcontinent. There will be several performances throughout the night, each lasting 20 minutes. Please see the website, below, for the times. Entry is free, and there’s no need book. The event links in with the Library’s current exhibition, The Alchemy of Colour.
Thu 17 May, The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH, Tel: 0161 306 0555, 6pm – 8.30pm, FREE, museumsatnight.org.uk/events

The Portico Library – Beautiful Monsters exhibition opening & performance
Seven international artists came together for an exhibition inspired by The Portico’s 16th century book ‘Historiae Animalium’ by Conrad Gessne. The writer sought to catalogue all the beasts of the earth, sea, and sky, but back then not all the facts were available, so he used more than a little artistic license. On the night, drag artist Lill will perform a new act, commissioned specially for this event which is inspired by the same book. Times to be confirmed. Booking is required.
Thu 17 May, The Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HY, Tel: 0161 236 6785, 6pm – 8pm, Pay what you want, www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beautiful-monster

Manchester Art Gallery – discussion & gallery performances
The Gallery has a diverse evening planned, starting with an informal group discussion about people’s relationships with the venue’s collections. Next, an expert panel will present their thoughts on the inherited problems that can exist with collections, and discuss who should decide how to change exhibitions. Booking is required for this discussion. Later, performance artists Family Gorgeous take over the Gallery’s Victorian spaces, exploring politics of identity to pinpoint the more uncomfortable tales woven into the artworks on display.
Thu 17 May, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3JL, 5pm – 9pm, FREE, manchesterartgallery.org/exhibitions-and-events