An annual festival celebrating the exciting artistic talents of young people will open across Wearside later this month.
Now in its fifth year, Bright Lights: Youth Arts Festival is a celebration of local youth talent and creative energy featuring events, exhibitions and workshops taking place at Arts Centre Washington (ACW) and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens (SM&WG).
The festival is supported by Sunderland Culture and Culture Start, which was launched in 2024 to provide greater access to creative activities for children growing up in low-income households across Wearside.
Central to the festival will be the Bright Lights Youth Arts Exhibition (Saturday, February 7 to Saturday, March 14), curated by the Celebrate Different Collective, a group of young people aged 13-25 from across Sunderland who co-produce their own cultural events, work with artists and learn new skills.
For this year’s exhibition, the collective challenged young artists to respond to the theme of ‘Connections,’ exploring the ties that bind us, to each other, to place, to identity and to the wider world. More than 200 pieces of art were submitted and about 50 artworks form the exhibition.
Lois Watson, of the Celebrate Different Collective, said: “There were some really strong pieces of artwork submitted and we all enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of the ‘connections’ theme.”
Lois, an A-level student at Sunderland College, added: “As well as shortlisting, the Collective has been involved in curating the pieces and deciding how the artwork will be displayed.”
Yassin Yousif, another member of the Collective, added: “You can see the talent and hard work that has gone into the creating the exhibition, which we hope everyone will enjoy.”
As well as the exhibition, ACW will be hosting several other Bright Lights events and activities including:
· Film Shorts Showcase: Wednesday, February 25 (6pm-8pm). Young filmmakers from across the region screen their films.
· Butterfly: Thursday, February 26 (7pm, tickets £3 – £7) This is an exciting new piece of theatre created especially for this year’s Bright Lights Youth Festival. Brought to life by performers from Sunderland College and Arts North Studios, this original production takes a bold and imaginative look at relationships.
· Washington Emerging: Friday, February 27 (6pm) An evening of live music by the North East’s best up-and coming young musicians.
Meanwhile, a series of Bright Lights Fringe Festival events will be held at SM&WG.
These will include Secrets and Shadows – Sunderland’s Dark Past. Hosted on Monday, February 23, participants will join local heritage partners and students from Sunderland College’s Travel and Tourism course for a student-led takeover event. Through displays, crafts, tours and trails students will explore how the museum interprets people and places connected to Sunderland’s dark past.
The event engages with sensitive historical themes including tragedy and loss, which some visitors may find distressing. It is recommended for adults and older children who feel comfortable engaging with challenging subject matter. This event is supported by the Sunderland Heritage Partnership.
The following day, a Creative Takeover Event will be hosted at SM&WG. Visitors can join students from the games design, art and music courses at Sunderland College for a creative arts takeover event in the Pottery Gallery and enjoy live acoustic music, screenings and displays of student artwork.
On the same day (February 24) artist Kerry Cook will lead free artistic sessions to create personalised scrap sketchbooks from old packaging and recycled materials (10am and 11.30am).
The Festival activity at the museum will finish with a free willow weaving session on Thursday, February 26 (1.30pm to 3pm).
The Festival will also feature a free series of workshops for young people, hosted at ACW. Workshops for 11 to 19-year-olds include: clay mark making and photographic embroidery (Tuesday, February 24); creative writing and studio photography (Wednesday, February 25); block printing, movie prop making and using film for feminism (Thursday, February 26) and aluminium jewellery and special effects make-up (Friday, February 27).
Workshops for those aged eight to ten include: an introduction to songwriting (Wednesday, February 25), ways into singing (Thursday, February 26) and join the band (Friday, February 27).
Matt Blyth, Culture and Heritage Officer at ACW, said: “We’re thrilled Bright Lights Festival continues to grow year on year and to give young people the perfect platform to celebrate their creativity
“This year we have so many opportunities to recognise young people’s talent and imagination – and for young people to get involved in something creative, be it performances or workshops.”