Derby-based Déda has appointed a new director to drive forward its development as a cultural organisation that enriches people’s lives through dance and the arts.

Steve Slater is a well-known and respected arts leader with 30 years’ experience working with companies across the UK including the internationally-renowned Tramway arts venue in Glasgow and Citymoves Dance Agency in Aberdeen.

Born and educated in Wirksworth Steve has returned to the county to live and work and said that he is excited to re-engage with the regional cultural arts community.

Matlock Storytelling Café returns on Friday the 3^rd of April with tales from two excellent tellers. Rachel Murray, resident storyteller at the Cafe and well known to our regular audience members, and Lucy Lill a new teller to Matlock who’s making the journey north from London to share her mesmerising story.

Award-winning professional orchestra Sinfonia Viva has developed a ground-breaking performance of two well-known narrated children’s classics that is fully integrated to make it equally enjoyable for audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Sinfonia Viva’s matinee performance of ‘Paddington Bear’s First Concert’ and ‘Peter and the Wolf’ at Derby Theatre on May 3 will take accessibility to a new level thanks to a collaboration with actress and writer Rebecca-Anne Withey who is, herself, profoundly deaf.

Apply to exhibit at one of the UK's leading rural arts festivals with over 4,000 visitors over one weekend in our beautiful and buzzing Derbyshire market town.

This year's Art & Architecture Trail is taking place on Sat 12 - Sun 13 September 2020.

We're looking for artists and designer-makers from all disciplines to show their work during our trailblazing event.

Fabric of the North brings together works by members of the British Tapestry Group, in a range of styles and techniques, large and small, with a single theme: our Northern heritage. The exhibition is in two fabulous locations: Cromford Mills in May; and Kirkleatham Museum in October. 

• Cromford Mills, Derbyshire, 7 - 23 May
• Kirkleatham, Teesside, 3 - 30 October

Find out more about this exhibition over on the Fabric of the North website: https://www.fabricofthenorth.org/ 

As the sun rose over Derby this morning, Bo Peep and her flock of lambs (and a crew of Derby Museums staff!) waited expectantly for their first delivery of ram sculptures to arrive at the intu centre, ready to be painted by artists for the Derby Ram Trail, coming to the city in June.

The Derby Ram Trail is a spectacular free discovery trail coming to Derby in the summer of 2020. From 19th June to 28th August, a flock of fabulously colourful and unique ram sculptures, each decorated by a different artist, will take you on a trail around the beautiful city of Derby.

April 2: Sue Lewis-Blake 'Art Appreciation talk - Materials and Processes' 5:30-6:30pm.

April 9: Wendy Darker 'Chickens'

April 20-22: Lewis Noble ‘Painting & sketching the Derbyshire Landscape’ 

April 28 & 29: John Connolly 'Trees, Woodlands and Forests Workshop'

 

A brochure with all our workshop dates for 2020 is available at the gallery, make sure you collect one next time you visit!

Exhibition: Colin Halliday ‘Movements in Spring’ 3^rd – 28^th March: A selection of Colin’s work from sweeping, cloudy skies to delicate daffodils and bluebells, portraying the robust arrival of spring.
 
Colin is passionate about painting the landscape and prefers to paint outdoors on location. His love for nature is reflected in his painterly style, using a palette knife to apply generous amounts of thick, pure oil paint to create interesting textures with vibrant colours.

Caravan Fragments by Rob Chapman (above)

Our next exhibition 'Off the Press' opens on 15th March from 11-5pm.
After some thought I have decided to change the format of the shows opening and most curated shows will now open, to the general public, on a Sunday from 11-5pm.

We have lots of lovely workshops coming up in March, click on the button to be taken to our website for more information and booking...