Event

Manchester Open: Public Tour with Katherine Long

A hand and machine embroidered artwork by Chloe, a studio artist at Venture Arts. The picture is of a lady wearing black dress with a colourful necklace on. Here mouth is open and you can see her teeth and she has bright blue eyes and lilac coloured hair. The picture is on a blue background and there is an arc of differently coloured neon shapes around her.

An abstract drawing (ink on paper) of a giraffe, entitled Rainbow Giraffe. The giraffe is mainly green with red spots and marks on its skin. It has one green ear and one orange ear and its neck and tongue are blue.

A digital artwork by Liam Ashworth that will be exhibited at Manchester Open 2026 at HOME. Liam is reaching into a cupboard to grab a tin of coffee and we can see his face as it's reflected in a mirror inside the cupboard. There are two speech bubbles. A blue one which reads "With your eyes closed reach out and grab any random thing (hopefully it's a cake mix). And there is a green speech bubble that reads "Yeah that feels like a cake mix to me."

A stencil print artwork created by Rhea Holmes entitled Love Birds. There are two figures with brown skin and black hair on white paper. They are surrounded by different coloured heart and circle shapes.

Join Venture Arts at HOME for a special guided tour of the Manchester Open, led by our Head of Creative Development, Katherine Long.

Katherine will share insights into this year’s exhibition, highlighting the work of the 12 Venture Arts artists whose work has been selected, alongside the stories, themes and ideas that connect the exhibition.

The Manchester Open is one of the city’s biggest celebrations of creativity, bringing together more than 400 artworks by artists from across Greater Manchester. Spanning painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, digital work and more, the exhibition showcases established artists alongside emerging talent and first-time exhibitors.

Whether you’re visiting the Manchester Open for the first time or returning for another look, this tour offers a chance to explore the exhibition through the lens of Venture Arts and discover more about the artists shaping Greater Manchester’s creative landscape.

🎟 Free, book your place in advance. BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE.