Summer on the Square

Issued July 2023

1–28 August 2023
The National Gallery, North Terrace, Trafalgar Square

Supported by and part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Programme

Summer on the Square returns to the National Gallery for 2023, working with a variety of artists and creative practitioners who have a shared focus of creating child-led art, design and play activities. With eight workshops running across four weeks of August, Summer on the Square hopes to inspire the Gallery’s local community in Westminster and visitors to the iconic Trafalgar Square to engage with themes surrounding the National Gallery and its collection.   

The sessions will be free, drop-in and open to all ages and abilities. The National Gallery is working closely with Westminster City Council on Summer on the Square, working, through outreach sessions, with the Westminster community, to develop and shape activities. Last year, a quarter of those who attended Summer on the Square had never before visited the Gallery, and over 90% of families who took part reported feeling creatively inspired afterwards. 

Current preparations for NG200, the National Gallery’s Bicentenary celebration, provide the basis for number of family activities. Imagineer will be working in partnership with Imagine Bamboo to explore the creative and structural possibilities of designing with bamboo – one of the most sustainable building materials on the planet, prompting informed discussions about how the Gallery’s Welcome project includes sustainable construction practices through every aspect. The artist Matt Shaw will also be running an activity building a collaborative art gallery. Children can build, make and play in their own gallery space, or take a seat at an easel to create an artwork to go on display in their gallery. 

Building on ideas from the Gallery’s current critically acclaimed exhibition After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art are workshops focussing on designing costume pieces for a colourful carnival parade; and artist and performer Mab George Sanders leads a London Drawing celebration of sketching and colour, creating a living 3D collage. The immersive qualities of 20th-century art, engaging all the senses, is reflected in workshops from Leap Then Look, an exploration through tactile sculptures and touchable artworks, and artist Marc Woodhead and musician Luke Crookes’s 'Tuning In', where the energy from the atmosphere becomes transformed into movement, sound, collage, and drawing. 

Karen Eslea, Head of Learning and National Programmes, said 'Summer on the Square becomes a more exciting opportunity for us every year. To have almost the whole of August be given over to this wonderful festival makes this our most ambitious programme yet. I am really looking forward to seeing how our partners, facilitators and all the families who take part take inspiration and ideas from the art and stories in our collection. I hope that many people who discover us through Summer on the Square continue to visit us through our Bicentenary celebrations and beyond.'

Cllr Jessica Toale, Deputy Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and the Arts at Westminster City Council said,“We’re delighted to welcome back the Inside Out Festival for 2023 and fund so many organisations to host events this year. It's an opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy the best of Westminster's world-class cultural offering, for free, in the height of the summer. This year we hope to welcome even more visitors to the fantastic events on offer, including the National Gallery’s Summer on the Square.'

Supported by and part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Programme

Notes to editors

Press images are available https://press.nationalgallery.org.uk/ 

Summer on the Square – for listings

Summer on the Square from the National Gallery

Supported by and part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Programme

1‒28 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm

North Terrace, Trafalgar Square

Free, drop-in, no tickets required

For all ages – most suitable for over 5’s

Mandinga Arts: Creative costume-making inspired by the Collection
1‒3 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Interactive Art Gallery: Build, make and play in your own collaborative art gallery
4‒6 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Tuning In: Sense – sound – space – energy – move – draw – collage
7‒9 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

London Drawing: Become part of a drawing adventure
10‒13 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Imagineer and Imagine Bamboo: Discover what you can do with incredible bamboo
14‒16 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Moving colours, moving selves: Discover movement and shapes in National Gallery paintings
17-20 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Originary Arts: Wild waves and stormy sketches
21‒24 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Leap then Look: Play, interact, explore
25‒28 August 2023, 11am‒1pm & 2‒4pm
Free, drop-in, no tickets required

Notes to Editors

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to enhance the collection, care for the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. More at nationalgallery.org.uk

Press enquiries

National Gallery Press Office on 020 7747 2865 or email press@ng-london.org.uk

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