Martin Harris Centre, The John Rylands Library

Communities in Communication

17 July - 21 December 2014
The Middle Ages are commonly seen as a time of widespread ignorance and prejudice, but diversity and multiculturalism are not modern inventions. Perhaps surprisingly, examples can be…

Echo & Narcissus: Curator's talk

14:00 - 15:00 4 October 2014
Join artist Carol Sommer to explore the stories behind her exhibition and discover who the women were who inspired her to inscribe the mirrors in the exhibition.

Echo and Narcissus

11 August 2014 - 9 January 2015
Each of the mirrors in this body of work is dedicated to a literary heroine, provoking reflections of the feminine on several, potentially fragmented, levels. The statements etched…

Enchanting Tales

11:00 - 12:00 4 October 2014
Join the Library’s storyteller in one of our beautiful book-lined rooms, for tales of magic, mystery, mayhem and more!

Free For Arts Festival: Gel Printing

11:00 - 16:00 4 October 2014
Come along and create your own unique piece of printed art to take away. Suitable for ages.

Free For Arts Festival: The Big Draw

13:00 - 15:00 4 October 2014
Join the Art Anon team in the atrium for a huge drawing activity! No need to book, just turn up.

Giving it Wigan: Norman Nicholson at 100

25 July - 14 December 2014
In celebration of writer Norman Nicholson’s centenary, this display draws on the Library’s extensive archive to tell stories of his life and work. Born in Cumbria, Nicholson drew inspiration…

Harmonious society

27 September - 23 November 2014
A major exhibition of new commissions and UK premieres shown across Manchester city centre. The John Rylands Library, in partnership with Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA),…

Here be Dragons! A tour of the Library for children

12:00 - 13:00 4 October 2014
The walls and the ceilings of the Library are full of strange and mysterious creatures – join our tour to seek them out. Most suitable for families with children aged 5-10.

Imprinting the Imagination: Northern Renaissance Prints from the Holtorp Collection

8 May - 26 October 2014
Imprinting the Imagination delves into the world of the sixteenth-century printed image. This small but captivating show, including works by artists such as Hans Burgkmair, Albrecht…

John Hegley - English performance poet, comedian, musician and songwriter

20:00 - 22:00 4 October 2014
To celebrate his French roots and the early music tradition of the University’s music undergraduates, poet and performer John Hegley will perform pieces inspired by the grumpy, but…

Men Who Like Women Who Smell Of Their Jobs

1 October 2014 - 31 January 2015
The dark humour and weird logic of David Gaffney’s critically acclaimed Sawn-off Tales series meets the warped gothic fables of internationally exhibited contemporary visual artist…

‘Latin Fever’ Dance Classes

13:05 24 September - 14:00 19 November 2014
Learn to Dance “Strictly Style” Wed. 24 September – Wed. 19 November 2014 Due to popular demand we’re bringing Ballroom back to the Martin Harris Centre! Would you like to learn the…

Sebastian Barry and Colm Tóibín: two of Ireland’s finest writers “In Conversation”

18:30 - 20:30 6 October 2014
Three times shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Colm Tóibín is one of the leading English-language writers at work today. Tóibín succeeded Martin Amis as professor at the Centre for…

Introductory Tour

15:00 - 15:30 8 October 2014
Your chance to learn about this fascinating building and some of its history. Just turn up! Please note that we cannot accept large groups on this tour. If your group would like a…

Walter Carroll Lunchtime Concert Series - Shakespeare à la Russe: Voice and Piano

13:10 - 14:00 9 October 2014
Frédéric Albou (bass-baritone) Michelle Assay (piano) programme to include: Sonnet Settings by Shostakovich, Weinberg, Kabalevsky and Sviridov Russian composers have a long and…

Introductory tour

15:00 - 15:30 10 October 2014
Your chance to learn about this fascinating building and some of its history. Just turn up! Please note that we cannot accept large groups on this tour. If your group would like a…

Creative workshop with Alison Erika Fforde and David Gaffney

13:00 - 15:00 11 October 2014
Join the creators of the Men Who Like Women Who Smell Of Their Jobs exhibition for a workshop about collaborations. There will be creative writing / drawing/ collage, swapping and…

Peter Blake - Under Milk Wood

15:00 - 17:00 11 October 2014
MLF and the Dylan Thomas 100 are delighted to present a rare in-conversation with the Godfather of Pop Art. A prolific artist known for his beautiful collages, paintings and record…

Martin Amis In Conversation with Nick Laird

18:30 - 20:30 12 October 2014
Martin Amis returns to Manchester, where he was the University’s inaugural professor of creative writing 2007-11, to read from his new novel The Zone of Interest, the follow-up to Lionel…

Tai Chi Workshop

13:00 - 14:00 12 October 2014
Experience this relaxing martial art in our Historic Reading room. Master Ang will demonstrate this Chinese art; you are welcome to participate or just observe.

Suzannah Dunn & Maria McCann The History Girls

18:30 - 20:30 13 October 2014
The past may be a foreign country, but it’s one we can visit through the transformative journey of the historical novel. Here two masters of the form address the intricacies of recreating…

Ian McGuire “In Conversation” with Adam Begley

18:00 - 20:30 14 October 2014
In 60 books and 27 novels, John Updike earned a reputation as one of modern America’s greatest men of letters. In this authoritative new biography, the first following the writer’s…

Introductory Tour

15:00 - 15:30 15 October 2014
Your chance to learn about this fascinating building and some of its history. Just turn up! Please note that we cannot accept large groups on this tour. If your group would like a…

Walter Carroll Lunchtime Concert Series - Quatuor Danel

13:10 - 14:00 16 October 2014
Haydn Quartet in D, Op. 1 No. 3 Shostakovich Quartet No. 10 in A flat, Op. 118 The Quatuor Danel’s tenth year at the University opens with a reminder of the infancy of…

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