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Events

Ikebana Floral Design – Sun 21 Jun 2026
Ikebana Floral Design

Date: Sunday 21 June 2026, 10:00 am-12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Ikebana Floral Design 
Sunday 21 June 2026  | 10am – 12.30pm
£50 pp | Sold Out
Suitable for ages 16+

Celebrate the summer solstice with this Japanese inspired floral design workshop, equipping you with the practical skills needed to create stunning displays at home.

Learn the main principals of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, with floral design studio Terra Flora. Create a beautiful bowl display whilst learning about how to work seasonally to make naturalistic florals and botanical installation spaces for occasions and events. You’ll take home your creation and a basic kit to get you started on your floral journey which includes a kenzan (flower pin frog) and a simple display bowl.

A modern approach to using fresh cut flowers, this technique emphasises finding inspiration in the natural world, and, in part demonstrates a modern interpretation of this ancient tradition.

Tools and materials are provided. You’ll take home with your creations that will include a basic kit to get you started on your floral journey. The kit includes a kenzan (flower pin frog) and a simple display bowl.
All materials and light refreshments are provided.
Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult

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Gallery Babies – Thu 25 Jun 2026
Gallery Babies

Date: Thursday 25 June 2026, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Gallery Babies
Thursday 25 June 2026, 10am – 12pm
Free | Pre-booking required |Sold Out 
Burton Gallery

Drop-in sensory play sessions every Thursday during term-time, for pre-walking babies and their grown-ups, set in the atmospheric surroundings of York Art Gallery.

Using our beautiful sensory toolkit, a collection of colourful squishy sculptural objects, sessions will be gently facilitated, exploring shape, colour and texture.

Gallery Babies is a welcoming and supportive space to relax, bond with your baby and meet other parents and carers, providing a bit of calm and care to your daily routine.

The session starts at 10am and finishes at 12pm, but you can drop in and out at any time. Even after the session has finished, our sensory toolkit will be out in the Burton Gallery for you to continue to explore with your baby.

These sessions are designed for pre-walking babies; however, we understand that you may have your hands full with more than one child. The session takes place in the Studio, a space with plenty of room to play, read and eat much needed snacks outside of the galleries if needed. Buggy parking and baby changing facilities available.

We are also offering a special offer in Sketch café for anybody attending a session: Hot drink and cake £7.00 and lunch and drink £15.00.

Please note: Participants must have a pre-booked ticket to attend the session. Gallery Babies admission includes free access to the permanent gallery spaces, tickets for temporary exhibitions require a separate admissions ticket. 

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‘Fresh Cuts: Contemporary Woodblock Printing’ with Gillian Ramsay – Wed 1 Jul 2026
‘Fresh Cuts: Contemporary Woodblock Printing’ with Gillian Ramsay

Date: Wednesday 1 July 2026, 12:00 pm-12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

 ‘Fresh Cuts: Contemporary Woodblock Printing’ with Gillian Ramsay

Wednesday 1 July 2026  |  12 noon

Included in General Admission

Join Gillian Ramsay for talk in our Making Waves exhibition. Gillian Ramsay is an Assistant Curator at the Durham University Oriental Museum. Gillian’s work focusses on contemporary art, craft and design from the MENA region, East and Southeast Asia.

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Art for Wellbeing – Sun 5 Jul 2026
Art for Wellbeing

Date: Sunday 5 July 2026, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Art for Wellbeing
Sunday 5 July 2026, 10.30am – 12.30pm
Suitable for ages 16+ |  Included in general admission | Booking not required

Art activities to release your creative energy!
Set in the beautiful surroundings of York Art Gallery’s Studio space, this 2-hour workshop gives opportunity for discovery and time to explore a variety of art materials and inspiring themes designed to promote wellbeing.
Enjoy the company of others, creating art with gentle guidance from artist Griselda Goldsbrough.
Please note: This practical art workshop is for ages 16+ and runs one Sunday each month. There is no need to pre-book for this session and it is suitable for all abilities.

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An Introduction to Mokuhanga  – Sat 11 Jul 2026
An Introduction to Mokuhanga 

Date: Saturday 11 July 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

An Introduction to Mokuhanga
Saturday 11 July 2026  | 10am – 4pm
£60 pp | Tickets coming soon
Suitable for ages 16+ 

Experience the art of Japanese water-based woodblock printing with artist Lucy May Schofield.
This workshop will introduce you to the unique carving technique of mokuhnaga. You’ll practice printing using colour-separation woodblocks on Japanese mulberry paper (kozo washi) and using a hand-held press (baren).
Each stage of the process encourages a mindful approach, carving the woodblocks, applying the watercolour ink and rice starch glue to the blocks with brushes, and using pressure from the arm and hand to make a print.
You’ll be sure to gain an appreciation of the variety of skills required to create prints like the ones on display in Making Waves.
Please note this method of printing requires a degree of arm, wrist and finger dexterity and strength. All materials and light refreshments are provided.
Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

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An Introduction to Japanese Bookbinding (Ori-hon & Toji-hon) – Sun 12 Jul 2026
An Introduction to Japanese Bookbinding (Ori-hon & Toji-hon)

Date: Sunday 12 July 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

An Introduction to Japanese Bookbinding (Ori-hon & Toji-hon) 
Sunday 12 July 2026  | 10am – 4pm
£60 pp | Tickets available soon 
Suitable for ages 16+

Learn the techniques of the Japanese style accordion book (Ori-hon) and a simple stab sewn book (Toji-hon) with artist Lucy May Schofield.
You’ll be guided through the process, learning how to score, fold, glue and sew two of the most elegant traditional Japanese book forms, made from Japanese kozo washi (mulberry paper).
The four hole Toji-hon has a decorative stitched spine and a soft cover and the folded Ori-hon has multiple pages attached together seamlessly with a hard back cover. Both books will be made with blank pages allowing them to be used as note or sketch books in the future.
All materials and light refreshments are provided.
Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

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Life Drawing – Model as Muse – Sat 25 Jul 2026
Life Drawing - Model as Muse

Date: Saturday 25 July 2026, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Life Drawing – Model as Muse
Saturday 25 July  2026, 2pm – 4pm
Adult only (18+) | £15 per person* | Tickets available soon
*General admission to York Art Gallery is included.
Join us at York Art Gallery for Life Drawing Workshops; whether you are a regular participant, would like to hone your skills, or try life drawing for the first time. These 2-hour immersive Saturday sessions, led by York based artist and tutor Rob Oldfield, are a wonderful way to experience life drawing in a supportive and friendly environment.

Rob himself has modelled for life classes for many years, as well as teaching life drawing to his students. As workshop leader, Rob encourages, advises and listens, so come along and take advantage of his skills and experience.

Each month alongside our live model muse, there will be an appropriate reproduction of a work specially selected from the Art Gallery collection which we will reference to potentially inspire our activity.

Life Drawing Workshops take place on the second Saturday of each month, tickets will become available approximately a month in advance.

Important information:

Our Life Drawing sessions are suitable for adults only. By booking, you are confirming that you are over 18. Proof of age may be required.

Basic drawing materials will be supplied, but please feel free to bring your own too.

If you’re more than 15 minutes late for your workshop, unfortunately we may not be able to guarantee entry. This is to ensure that participants have the best experience.

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‘Making Waves: The Magic of Materials’ with Professor Helen Smith – Wed 5 Aug 2026
‘Making Waves: The Magic of Materials’ with Professor Helen Smith

Date: Wednesday 5 August 2026, 12:00 pm-12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

‘Making Waves: The Magic of Materials’ with Professor Helen Smith
Wednesday 5 August 2026 |  12 noon – 12.30pm
Included in general admission

Join Professor Helen Smith, founding co-director of Thin Ice Press and Head of the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, for an insightful talk exploring the materials of Japanese printmaking.
Learn how traditional inks, woods for carving and washi, a Japanese paper contribute to the textures and effects seen in the historic works on display in the exhibition. Helen will investigate the ‘water magic’ of washi and explain how skilled makers make waves in the sugeta (papermaking mold) to produce an exceptional finish.

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Making Waves: A Closing Celebration – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Making Waves: A Closing Celebration

Date: Saturday 29 August 2026, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Making Waves: A Closing Celebration
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026 | 10am – 5pm
Included in general admission
Suitable for all ages
Join us to celebrate the closing of the Making Waves exhibition with a weekend of music, workshops, creative activities, food, drink and festivities for all the family in the gallery and Museum Gardens. More details about the programme coming soon.

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The Art of Kokedama – Sat 29 Aug 2026
The Art of Kokedama

Date: Saturday 29 August 2026, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

The Art of Kokedama
Saturday 29 August 2026 | 11am- 12 noon 
£25 pp |  Tickets available soon 
Suitable for ages 10+
In this creative session, Alice from The Outside In will take you step-by-step through the traditional style of creating Kokedama: using leafy plants and moss. Kokedama, roughly translates into English as ‘moss ball.’
You’ll learn the method of binding the root ball of a plant in a clay soil mix and moss, so that it no longer needs a pot to grow in. It’s a great opportunity to learn about handling plants, roots and soil, making the most of time well spent connecting to nature.
When you finish, you’ll have a Kokedama plant ball to take home and love. Your mossy plant ball can then be hung up or displayed sitting on a decorative plate or piece of wood.
All of the materials and guidance will be provided, along with aftercare instructions on how to help your Kokedama to thrive, and a bag to safely transport your plant home.
All materials are provided.
Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

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