Exhibition: Spirited at The Portico

Spirited is a free exhibition at the Portico Library, celebrating the lives and trials of women and girls who fought for the right to vote 100 years ago. The exhibition focuses on Suffragettes from Manchester – the birthplace of the Suffrage movement. Bringing to life their courageous and creative social action, featuring images from the BBC archives, BFI, British Library and more, Spirited aims to empower, inspire and engage young women. Some of the women who fought did not even not qualify to vote when the Representation of the People Act was finally passed in 1918. Too young, not meeting the qualifications, or passing away before they had their opportunity – these women’s stories are told to inspire the youth of today to social action. In addition, a timetable of speaker events will feature Helen Pankhurst, Nimco Ali and other feminist campaigners all discussing their work fighting for women’s equality. The Portico Library is 212-year-old independent subscription library and exhibitions space in the city centre. Housed in its original purpose-built venue on Mosley Street, it is now free to the public six days a week for exhibitions and events – complementing the unique collection of books, archives and illustrations spanning over 450 years.

Fri 9 Oct – Sat 24 Nov, Free, The Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HY, 9.30am – 4.30pm, www.theportico.org.uk