Coventry opens its doors as City of Culture

As venues up and down the country begin to reopen, Coventry is also emerging as UK City of Culture 2021. The year started officially on Saturday 15 May 2021 and has a range of spectacular events planned set to excite and inspire audiences in the city.

Take a look at some of the organisations funded by Arts Council which are set to open their doors and welcome people back this month:

The Herbert Art Gallery (Monday 17 May) Opens with two exhibitions, UnNatural History and 2 Tone: Lives and Legacies. Invisible Dust’s UnNatural History explores how artists have helped people learn about nature, and featuring over 20 international artists. The 2 Tone exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK which celebrates this musical movement. It looks at 2 Tone’s continuing influence on music, fashion, politics and culture.

Coventry Transport Museum – (Monday 17 May) opens its doors with access to 14 galleries full of some of the most memorable vehicles of the last 200 years! This includes two exhibitions, Gearing Up: From Saddle to Spoke’ and ‘Behind the Frame’ which celebrate the history, unique designs, and benefits of cycling.

Coventry Cathedral – (Monday 17 May) welcomes visitors with two exhibitions The Self-Portrait Prize 2021 and Concrete Collar. The Self-Portrait prize is the only prize dedicated to self-portraiture, where the winner will receive £10,000 Ruth Borchard prize. While Tom Illesley’s Concrete Collar is a photography collection exploring the beauty and complexity of Coventry’s ring road.

Warwick Arts Centre – (Thursday 20 May) returns with The Language of Kindness, a celebration of nurses and frontline healthcare workers. The show based on the novel by Christie Watson, forms part of City of Culture.

Find out more about plans for Coventry City of Culture 2021