Friends of the Whitworth Annual Pilkington Lecture: Stephen Snoddy

Schedule

Thu Nov 20 2025 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Whitworth | Manchester, EN

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Join us on a journey through art with renowned artist and museum director Stephen Snoddy who grew up in 1970’s Belfast.
About this Event

Stephen grew up in 1970s Belfast and attended Belfast College of Art, he’ll explore his life and successful career in the Art & Museum world

Doors open 6pm with a glass of wine 🍷 (included in your ticket)

Talk begins 6:30pm 🕕

There will be time for questions after the talk.

£15.00 for non-members (£12 for members)

Free for Students

Members of the Friends of the Whitworth should book tickets via the Friends of the Whitworth webpage.

This event is organised by the Friends of the Whitworth , the registered charity that supports the vital work of the Whitworth

If you're interested in joining the Friends, click for more information - and chat to the committee at the event!

About the speaker

We are excited to welcome Stephen to speak at this year’s Pilkington lecture. Stephen will be leading us through his life from growing up in Belfast in the 1970s and becoming an art student, to building a career in the Gallery and Museum world.

Stephen was born in Belfast. He trained at Belfast College of Art where he graduated in 1983 with an MA in Fine Art. He later graduated with a postgraduate diploma in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Manchester.

Stephen worked at prestigious galleries organising and opening exhibitions of new and leading artists at the Arnolfini Gallery and the Cornerhouse in Manchester where he brought the British Art Show 4 to the city as well as the John Baldessari Retrospective and a Bruce McLean film.

In 1996 Stephen became Director of Southampton City Art Gallery, where he organised the Chris Ofili solo exhibition which won him the 1998 Turner Prize. Two years later, he moved to Milton Keynes to direct the construction of a brand, new gallery, MKG, which opened in October 1999.

Following his appointment as Director of BALTIC Gateshead in 2003, he went on to become Director of The NAG, Walsall in 2005. In 2013 he started painting again and has had both national and international solo shows and his work is also held in private collections in UK and Europe, Singapore and USA.

About the venue

The Whitworth is an accessible venue with facilities to support you during your visit, and alongside this our visitor team will be on hand to assist you in the gallery. Find out more about planning your visit to the Whitworth and accessibility information for you. If you’d like to speak to a team member about any access or additional needs, please get in touch with the gallery and we will be happy to assist you. Contact: [email protected] or telephone: 0161 275 7450.

If you would benefit from BSL interpretation for this talk, please notify [email protected] by 20th October to arrange.

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Where is it happening?

The Whitworth, Oxford Road, Manchester, United Kingdom

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

GBP 15.00

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