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Core Partners

Sunderland Culture Annual Review 2024-25

Sunderland Culture is firmly place-focused in its creative and cultural ambition.

We work across the city with communities and local partners to ensure the power of great art, culture and creativity is harnessed for the benefit of Sunderland, its residents and visitors. Our approach to working in partnership with our core partners, local and national partners is widely recognised as an exemplar model of place-based working.

Our core partners Sunderland City Council, University of Sunderland and the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust are key to us achieving our mission.

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As a founding partner of Sunderland Culture, the University of Sunderland is pleased to see the progress made over the past year in enriching our city’s already vibrant arts and cultural life.

From celebrating diversity and hosting exhibitions, through spotlighting and nurturing local talent, to fostering creative expression in many forms, Sunderland Culture has promoted arts and culture to communities across the north-east and beyond.

The University’s galleries – the National Glass Centre and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art – have continued to present a range of exhibitions by established and emerging artists. Looking ahead, we are excited about the future development of the Glassworks project in the coming months and years and welcome Sunderland Culture’s leadership of this important initiative.

Sunderland Culture has also provided invaluable opportunities for our creative industries’ students to showcase their work in professional settings. In doing so, they highlight the talent of the next generation of artists and makers, ensuring that the cultural economy continues to thrive.

Sunderland Culture continues to play a significant role in helping to make the city of Sunderland a great place to live, study, and work. For that, it deserves our warmest thanks.

Sir David Bell KCB DL
Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive
University of Sunderland

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This past year has been an exciting time for culture and the arts in the city, and the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust has enjoyed working alongside Sunderland Culture during this vibrant period.

The Trust is delighted with the significant progress that the Culture Start programme has made under Michael Barrass’ leadership. This has been made possible by generous funding from Arts Council England’s Place Partnership Fund, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Sir James Knott Trust, the Gillian Dickinson Trust, and the Sir Tom Cowie Fund through the Community Foundation. Delivered through a cross-sector partnership, the project is already having a positive impact on the lives of children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in our communities. Culture Start reinforces the Trust’s belief that art and culture should be a right, not a privilege, and the team and partners are dedicated to ensuring that as many children and young people as possible can benefit from culture and creativity.

During the year, the Trust was also pleased to welcome Nick Malyan as the new Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture. His commitment and enthusiasm are already evident, and we look forward to an exciting future for Sunderland Culture under his strong leadership.

Paul Callaghan CBE, DL, FRSA, HonDBA
Chair of the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust

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It has certainly been another busy year for Sunderland Culture, and I am delighted to have been a part of the varied cultural programmes and projects that have taken place across our wonderful venues over the past twelve months.

Particular highlights for me were Arts Centre Washington’s pivotal role in the Washington 60 Celebrations hosting a visit from TV favourite George Clarke in a Design Challenge for our budding future architects, the absolutely brilliant Ballad of the Crocodile and the Underpass project working alongside Washington Heritage Partnership and a wonderful expansion of the Bright Lights Youth Arts Festival reaching into Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Arts Centre Washington and National Glass Centre; a truly magnificent achievement!

The Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens exhibition programme has also gone from strength to strength this year receiving the poignant Ian Macdonald Fixing Time exhibition, the beautiful and thought-provoking Coal Face exhibition, and the stunning work of Cumbrian artist Sheila Fell which has just recently ended.

Having access to a broad ranging cultural programme is so vitally important to our city and communities so they can continue to grow and thrive, and I look forward to seeing what is in store for us all 2025/2026.

Cllr Beth Jones
Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism
Sunderland City Council

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