Culture Digest 30.05.25
Our regular round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention over the past seven days
North East architecture shines in 2025 RIBA awards
The heady mix of whisky and Anglo-Saxon history proved a winning combination for judges in an architectural competition.
The Ad Gefrin Anglo Saxon Museum and Distillery in Wooler in Northumberland was named as the winner of RIBA North East Building of the Year Award 2025.
The jury praised the project for “delivering social sustainability through genuine benefits to the community”, noting how it “offers a model for holistic, sustainable rural economic development that should be replicated around the country.”
Other winners in the RIBA North East Awards 2025 were Newcastle University’s Farrell Centre, the Rocket House in Northumberland and Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre in South Tyneside.
JADE heads home to headline BBC Proms in the North East
Brit Award-winning artist JADE – known to millions as one-quarter of Little Mix and now carving her own path as a solo performer – is set to make her North East solo debut this July in a one-night-only collaboration with Royal Northern Sinfonia at Th…
X-Ray Vision: Northumbria unveils cutting-edge art scanner
For more than 40 years a university’s art conservation, design and music programmes operated with an ex-medical X-ray machine.
Now the vintage machine, originally acquired by Northumbria University from Gateshead Hospital in 1978, has been replaced by the latest in art X-ray radiography instruments.
The old machine had served the university’s Conservation of Fine Art Masters programme.
With the new system, conservation specialists can now conduct higher-resolution imaging and examine a broader range of materials, including metals and wood, enabling the study of sculpture and musical instruments alongside easel paintings, textiles and works on paper.
WWT Washington at 50: A legacy in flight
Exactly 50 years ago the first visitors filed into a 103-acre green enclave on the banks of the industrialised River Wear.
The backbone of the arts: why artists must be at the heart of cultural funding
Founder of North East Cultural Freelancers, Leila D'Aronville introduces her open letter to Arts Council England’s Chair, calling for action to support artists in a sector at breaking point.
On May 16, I wrote a response to an article which quoted Sir Nicholas Serota, the chair of Arts Council England. This letter was a reflection on the work I do with Freelance Artists across the North East and beyond, through North East Cultural Freelancers and Northern Roots.
We are at a really critical tipping point regarding the cultural sector. With the outcomes of the spending review being announced on June 11, and discussions around the future functions of Arts Council being led by Baroness Margaret Hodge, it no surprise that the sector is pulling together and championing the importance of itself to society.
Eric’s milestone concert season to end in style
Newcastle Bach Choir’s forthcoming concert in Hexham Abbey will set the seal on Eric Cross’s 40th anniversary season as conductor and music director.
North East dance film shortlisted for national award
A powerful North East-made dance film has earned national recognition, becoming the region’s sole contender at the prestigious National Dance Awards 2025.
Rapunzel Red, directed by actor-director Ben Crompton (Game of Thrones) and Alex Ayre, is one of five films shortlisted in the Best Dance Film category. It faces competition from the likes of the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and celebrated Venezuelan director Javier de Frutos.
Shot at Gala Theatre Durham in 2024, the 77-minute film reimagines balletLORENT’s acclaimed stage production Rapunzel After Dark, which toured nationally the previous year.
Still hope for Lindisfarne and Northern Kin festivals amid cancellations
Discussions are apparently ongoing to ‘preserve’ this year’s Northern Kin and Lindisfarne festivals.
While ticket sales for the popular events, due to take place from August 1-3 and 28-31, respectively have been suspended (punters can currently join a waiting list), organisers - Wannasee Ltd - have said talks are underway to save them.
Last weekend, the company confirmed that Sunderland’s Kubix and Monument festivals as well as County Durham’s Stone Valley North had been cancelled, citing a difficult trading environment and sudden collapse in customer confidence, which had had left the business unable to recover.
Those with tickets for the cancelled events have been advised to contact ticket providers and/or card issuers.
Young singing stars bring opera to The Fire Station
Anything touched by the Samling Institute for Young Artists tends to come up smelling of roses which is why its summer production of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas promises to be blooming marvellous.
Larry Lamb books a night at Tyneside Cinema
National treasure, Larry Lamb will appear at Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle next month as part of a UK tour promoting his debut novel, All Wrapped Up.
Best known for roles in Gavin & Stacey and EastEnders, the 77-year-old will visit the city on June 16 for An Evening with Larry Lamb, a live event blending film nostalgia with personal anecdotes from his career in television and cinema.
Newcastle food and drink festival returns
After a successful debut last year, Newcastle Food and Drink Festival returns this weekend, bringing two days of street food, live music, and chef demos to the city’s Leazes Park.
The festival, which runs from May 31 to June 1, features 22 international food stalls, 65 artisan traders, and a cookery theatre hosted by MasterChef finalist Anthony O’Shaughnessy.
Expect live cook-offs, kids’ entertainment, and three music stages. Around a dozen bars, including the Soldiers Ale House in partnership with Vocation Brewery, will keep the drinks flowing. Tickets are available online.
All Change! New exhibition tracks how the railways transformed everyday life
The profound changes to people’s lives created by the arrival of the railways is the focus of a new North East exhibition.