Taking Stock - public tour

Since late 2023, we have embarked on an extraordinary journey of Taking Stock of the collection.

Step into Gallery 17, transformed into an 'open store,' with over 6600 objects from paintings to ceramics and sculptures, many of which have remained hidden from public view until now.

Meet curatorial and learning staff and hear more about Manchester’s civic collection.

Join in the discussion as we are exploring ideas of what the city’s art collection looks like now and how it can best meet the needs of the future.

Due to this being a storage space, numbers on tours are limited to 12 people. Booking is therefore essential. Please meet your group outside the doors to Gallery 17 (top floor of the gallery) five minutes before your tour start time.

Proudly funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

Access

We want this opportunity to be open to all and will work with the access needs of people booking onto the tour. To make this possible we will need you to fill in the appropriate information on the booking form so we can plan and make sure the space is safe for everyone.

For general information on accessibility at Manchester Art Gallery please see: Accessibility - Manchester Art Gallery

Group bookings: Owing to the limited number of spaces available on these tours, we would urge groups looking to tour the space to contact us separately, rather than book out tour spaces. Please email [email protected] and we will do our best to accommodate you. Due to staff capacity, we will prioritise groups based in the Greater Manchester area.

IMPORTANT: This is a working, open storage space that is only available by booking onto one of our public tours. It is different from other parts of the gallery, and we will ask you to think and behave a bit differently. This is to protect you, staff, volunteers and the objects. Please read the FAQ for the expect behaviour information.

Host or Publisher Manchester Art Gallery