National Gallery is joining with LeftCoast to bring two week travelling arts studio to Blackpool

Artists Nerissa Cargill Thompson, Joseph Doubtfire, and Lizza Lane, along with artist educators Chloe Cooke and Sadegh Aleahmad from the National Gallery, will host a series of drop-in, hands-on activities inspired by the flower paintings of Dutch painter, Rachel Ruysch (1664 - 1750).

Connecting to LeftCoast’s Right To Grow Manifesto and its ongoing provocation about ‘what it means to live a creative life’, visitors will have the chance to:

Explore a botanical laboratory with handmade specimens

Craft their own faux terrariums

Create your own floral artworks in virtual reality

Learn to create floral arrangements with symbolic meaning that speak a language of their own

LeftCoast’s Artistic Director Laura Jamieson said: “We are excited to be working with the National Gallery to bring the Art Road Trip to the neighbourhoods of Blackpool.

“The activity in Blackpool has been inspired by Rachel Ruysch’s beautiful flower paintings and we will be talking about how growing, plants, and creativity are important in our daily lives with some fantastic artists.

“This is an opportunity to work with paintings from a national collection and explore their relevance to our daily lives.”

The travelling art studio will pop up at various locations across Blackpool, inviting everyone to join in the fun. With sessions running from 10am and 3pm daily, there’s no need to book – simply drop in at any time and get involved! Free to everyone, all ages welcome.

Catch the Art Road Trip at the following locations:

Sept 11: Wash Your Words (FY4 4TR)

Sept 12: @TheGrange (FY3 7RW)

Sept 13: Claremont Community Centre (FY1 2QJ)

Sept 14: St John’s Square with Abingdon Studios (FY1 1BP)

Sept 15: Tower Festival Headland (FY1 1NE)

Sept 18: Revoelution (FY1 4AU)

Sept 19: Louie Horrocks Park (FY4 1RB)

Sept 20: Bostonway Community Centre (FY4 4YQ)

Sept 21: Blackpool Central Library (FY1 1PX)

As part of NG200, the Bicentenary of the National Gallery, a number of programmes and events are taking place all over the UK. Blackpool is one of 18 places selected to host the Art Road Trip, a travelling art studio which will host 200 creative public engagements and work with 40,000 people over 12 months.