“MANCHESTER's cultural renaissance is undeniable," says Thom Hetherington, CEO of Buy Art Fair, the North's much-awaited art spectacular returning to Old Granada Studios 26-27 September. "It is a momentum that's happening across the North..."
The city is blessed with a vast array of galleries and museums that cover every aspect of our heritage you can imagine.
Hetherington is right of course. It's been a big year with shiny new cultural centres in the city, such as Manchester International Festival, the newly-refurbished Whitworth Art Gallery and HOME, along with smaller spaces such as Castlefield Gallery. All of which have lured more people this year to explore the city's broadening landscape of arts, theatre and culture.
But is it possible to explore it all - and in the space of 24 hours, no less?
Buy Art Fair's organisers have produced a handy guide to 26 key cultural locations around the city, as well as a few gems further afield.
The artful 'doodle map', designed by Manchester artist David Gee, also features Buy Art Fair’s top picks for dining from Spinningfield's Manchester House to Mughli in Rusholme, to reflect Manchester's burgeoning bar and restaurant scene.
Ok Cicchetti certainly isn't bigger than the John Rylands, and yes The Lowry theatre is in Salford Quays (not Castlefield) and ok you'll be very lucky to find any flowers in Piccadilly Gardens, but ever heard of artistic license? Anyway take a look:
Hetherington, adds: “Buy Art Fair provides an unprecedented boost to Manchester’s art scene every autumn, but we want to encourage our visitors to also engage with the galleries and institutions that are open in the city year round.
“As well as Buy Art Fair, we run a number of major restaurant events and regularly judge and review for national hospitality awards and food guides. Everyone I meet who is passionate about art is equally fanatical about food, so this seemed the perfect opportunity to pair our two specialisms into one beautifully illustrated guide to Manchester’s cultural hotspots.”
Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at Marketing Manchester, said: “Walking the streets of Manchester, visitors often find it difficult to escape the city’s preoccupation with culture. The city is blessed with a vast array of galleries and museums.
“With the Whitworth reopening in February, HOME joining the fold in May and the fifth outing of the Manchester International Festival in July, 2015 has so far proved to be an exceptional year for cultural tourism and this excellent map will help visitors discover more in the remaining months of this year and beyond.”
Buy Art Fair’s Manchester Culture Trail - in their words
Cut up through Spinningfields and in only a few minutes you will find yourself at The John Rylands Library (150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH). One of Visit England's 101 things to do before you go abroad, this stunning neo-gothic building houses one of the world's finest collections of rare books and manuscripts. The library also hosts historical and contemporary exhibitions, and the historic reading room is open to the public.
Right by the Library is Australasia (1, The Avenue, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3AP). Hidden beneath a glass pyramid mimicking Paris’ Louvre, diners feast happily on Australasia’s slick and sceney pan-Asian food. Stop for their small plates and a top-notch cocktail bar. Also nearby is Hawksmoor (186, 184 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB), regularly proclaimed as “the best steakhouse in Britain” this grown-up restaurant also offers excellent seafood, outstanding cocktails, great wines and wonderful service. No wonder it has become a regular haunt for the art crowd.
The John Rylands LibraryFrom Deansgate, a short stroll up Market Street will bring you to the Northern Quarter and the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (Market Buildings, 13 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1EU). Formerly the Chinese Arts Centre, this venue is leading the UK in exploring a changing international dynamic with Chinese Century and Chinese contemporary art and visual culture fast gaining momentum. The CFCCA also has a gift and book shop selling work by local designers.
Pop to Almost Famous (100-102 High St, Manchester M4 1HP) while you’re in the area. This Manchester institution serves unfeasibly sauced and stacked burgers and fries with rock and roll music and an attitude to match. If the Scandi-cool and clean lines of Ply (26 Lever St, Manchester M1 1DW) are more your scene, expect excellent sourdough pizzas fresh from an authentic Italian wood-fired oven.
HawksmoorHead south across Piccadilly Gardens to Manchester Art Gallery (Mosley St, Manchester M2 3JL), one of the country’s finest art museums. A blend of historic and contemporary architecture that echoes an innovative artistic programme, the gallery mixes works from wonderful historic collections with the best international contemporary art to bring fresh perspectives to familiar images, create visual dialogues and encourage conversation and debate.
Manchester Art Gallery backs onto Manchester’s historical Chinatown, but the food offer here stretches far beyond Cantonese. Yuzu (39 Faulkner St, City Centre, Manchester M1 4EE) is a small and humble Japanese restaurant serving up some of the most authentic sashimi outside of Japan. If you fancy something closer to home, head to nearby Booth St for a spot of Beef and Pudding (37 Booth St, Manchester M2 4AA), dishing up modern interpretations of hearty British dishes.
Continue across St Peter’s Square and past the Bridgewater Hall to HOME (2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN), formed in May by the merger of two of Manchester’s best-loved arts organisations, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company. HOME's mission is to make a new HOME for curiosity seekers, for lovers of the dramatic, the digital and the deeply engaging; for radicals and reciprocators.
HOME’s café is well worthy of a culinary diversion, or for a longer affair nip back to The French (The Midland, Peter St, Manchester M60 2DS) for Simon Rogan’s signature style of intelligent English fine dining. The restaurant was last year named as the UK’s twelfth best by the Good Food Guide.
Unless you are a keen walker, hop on a bus for the ten minute ride to The Whitworth Art Gallery (The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, Lancashire M15 6ER). 2015's Museum of the Year, The Whitworth Art Gallery was founded in 1889 as the first English gallery in a park. Recently transformed by a £15 million development, this is a gallery whose contemporary exhibitions programmes have given new life to international collections, and whose risk-taking curatorial team has gained global attention.
The Modern Caterer at The Whitworth is the perfect spot to stop for coffee on your trail. Located in the elegant glass and stainless steel extension designed by MUMA and a highlight of the new Whitworth, the café overlooks Whitworth Park and a newly designed art garden. With floor to ceiling windows, you can enjoy the outdoors whatever the weather.
The WhitworthTwo minutes’ walk into the bustle of Rusholme brings you to Mughli Restaurant + Charcoal Pit (30 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester, Lancashire M14 5TQ), a family-run restaurant serving home-style Mughlai cuisine since 1991. The main restaurant is set around an open charcoal pit and tandoori clay oven, and its modish street food menu is catnip to food geeks.
Works from over 500 established and emerging artists will fill the exhibition space of Old Granada Studios from the 24 to the 27 September for the North’s leading art fair, Buy Art Fair. Live works and interactive artist studios will bring the fair to life for seasoned collectors and art-curious individuals looking to dip toes in to the world of art buying.
