Nottingham / Places / Lakeside Arts
Lakeside Arts
University Park, Nottingham
WHERE
Nottingham
WHAT IT’S LIKE
University of Nottingham's public arts centre with theatre, galleries and museum, set beside Highfields Park lake.
Lakeside Arts is the University of Nottingham's public arts centre, set right by the lake in Highfields Park, a theatre, four galleries, a museum and a recital hall spread across three linked buildings. It bills itself as the region's leading venue for theatre and dance for children and families, with a year-round programme of kids' theatre, comedy, dance, music, exhibitions, outdoor events and workshops, plus free family drawing workshops in the school holidays. For a family day out, exhibitions in the Djanogly Gallery, Weston Gallery, Wallner Gallery and the University of Nottingham Museum are free to visit, so you can dip in for half an hour or make a whole day of it combined with a walk round Highfields Park and lake. There are two cafés on site, the Pavilion Café and the Gallery Café, for lunch or coffee and cake between galleries, and both car parks at Lakeside remain free and unrestricted even though parking charges now apply elsewhere on University of Nottingham campuses, which is handy if you're driving over. Opening times vary quite a bit by building, so it's worth checking before you go: the Museum is only open Thursday–Sunday, the Weston Gallery Tuesday–Sunday, and the Djanogly Gallery and Gallery Café/Angear Visitor Centre Tuesday–Saturday plus Sunday afternoons, all closed Mondays. The Pavilion (with the Box Office, Wallner and Weston Galleries, café and toilets) keeps longer daily hours. Good wet-weather option given most of it's indoors, with the park outside for when the sun's out.
GOOD TO KNOW
Areas to explore
Angear Visitor Centre
indoorsSpace in the Djanogly Gallery building housing exhibitions, the gallery shop and café.
Djanogly Gallery
indoorsMain gallery hosting a range of visual art exhibitions.
Highfields Park
outdoorsPark and lake surrounding Lakeside Arts, used for outdoor events and family days out.
University of Nottingham Museum
indoorsMuseum of archaeological artefacts from Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands.
Wallner Gallery
indoorsAn informal white-box gallery space with creative installations, between the Box Office and Pavilion Café.
Weston Gallery
indoorsHome to Manuscripts and Special Collections exhibitions from the University's collection.
Facilities
Djanogly Recital Hall
indoorsAward-winning recital hall known for its acoustics, used for public concerts and BBC recordings.
Djanogly Theatre
indoors213-seat professional theatre space within the DH Lawrence Pavilion.
Gallery Shop
Shop selling handcrafted gifts and art, in the Djanogly Gallery building.
What's on
Free Family Drawing Workshops
Free artist-led drawing workshops for families, held at the Angear Visitor Centre.
Gallery Art Group
A weekly art group for creative kids to build skills in a relaxed, social environment, for ages 11-16.
LagosPhoto: Stories of Movement and Belonging
A free exhibition featuring photographic work from artists across the African continent, at the Djanogly Gallery.
Prehistoric Lives in the Trent Valley
Exhibition exploring the prehistoric occupation of the Trent Valley and material traces left by ancient communities, at the University of Nottingham Museum.
Reflections
First-ever Drawing Open exhibiting selected work from UK-based artists working with drawing, at the Djanogly Gallery.
Thick & Tight: Natural Behaviour
An evening of dance, satire, poetry and impersonation re-examining what it means to be 'natural' or 'unnatural' through a queer lens, at the Djanogly Theatre.