Heritage Open Day at Abbot Hall

Celebrate National Heritage Open Day with free entry into Abbot Hall! On Saturday 19 September, you can access the entire gallery for free, and even join one of our Curator Tours around the gallery at 10am or 12pm. Upstairs we have Familial Traces which brings together two emerging portrait artists, Joshua Donkor and Lela Harris. Their work explores identity, heritage, migration and the stories that shape who we are. Alongside this is Bellwethers by Zwiebelfish, a powerful multi-media exhibition exploring stories of fragility and survival, told through the voices of people in Barrow and Kendal. Connecting these two exhibitions is The Paper Quilt Project , a living, growing exhibition in which a community art piece exploring the theme “What is home?” is created whilst on display in the gallery. As well as these exhibitions, we have our Collection Galleries, such as the Portrait Gallery, the Art Herbarium and the Ecology Gallery, and our hallway currently houses 16 pieces of a David Hockney artwork series. The Coffee bar and Creative space will also be open for a refreshing drink or a light bite to eat. Don’t forget that we will also have our Summer Holiday drop in activities available, where you can have a go at Concrete Poetry in the Creative space and follow Sully the Cat’s updated Art Trail around the gallery!