The Art Exchange

16/04/2026

✏️ Life Drawing Tonight! 🍷

Drop the screen and pick up a charcoal stick—it’s Thursday, which means Life Drawing is happening from 7pm–9pm!

Whether you’re a pro or haven't picked up a pencil since school, everyone is welcome. There is no booking required, so you can just rock up, grab a board, and get into the creative flow.

On the menu for tea: We’re serving up a big, warming bowl of Mediterranean vegetable pasta. It’s the perfect fuel for a night of sketching! 🍅🫑🌿

See you at the studio!

11/04/2026

🍻 Stout, Sun, and some serious Studio vibes! 🌿

We’ve had a "tough" day outside the studio today... beer tasting with the beautiful Northern Green Gathering crew! 🍺

Wow, what a lineup. From punchy IPAs to a awesome 10% chocolate stout that was basically liquid heaven (seriously, it's a game-changer). The NGG bar is officially looking—and tasting—spectacular. If you like a good brew, you’re in for a massive treat this August.

But it’s not just about the beers! We are blinking excited about our collaboration "Nature vs. Art". We’re bringing together a community of artists to live on-site at Newlands Park and build some dramatic, large-scale eco-installations that will be returning to the festival for years to come.

WANT IN ON THE MAGIC?

🎟️ Grab a Ticket: Come for the art, definitely stay for that chocolate stout. Book here: [https://nggonline.org.uk/wordpress/ticketing/](https://nggonline.org.uk/wordpress/ticketing/)

🎨 Calling All Artists: Want to help us build something epic, join the residency, and bag a FREE ticket for your hard work? We’re looking for creatives to join the crew!

📧 Drop us a line at: theartexchangewakefield@gmail.com

Watch this space... we’ve got so much more to show you. Cheers! 🥂✨

03/04/2026

📐 STOP DRAWING. START BUILDING. | THE PORTFOLIO SERIES 🖊️

Is your teen ready to move beyond the sketchbook? Whether they are prepping for GCSEs, A-Levels, or Art College, or they’re just a serious creator ready for professional space—this is for them.

Starting Thursday, April 16th,

6-week Portfolio Series. We are dropping the standard classroom rules and diving into Structural Form, Industrial Textures, and Experimental Ink Dynamics.

🚀 WHAT’S ON THE DRAWING BOARD?

We’re moving off the flat page and into 3D space:
Structural Relief: Building form using wire, plaster gauze, and greyboard.

Industrial Surfaces: Mastering weathered textures, oxidation effects, and salt washes.
Macro-Atmospherics: Large-scale fluid studies using Indian ink and bleach.
Professional Curation: Learning how to mount, light, and photograph 3D work for a digital portfolio.

📍 THE DETAILS:
When: Thursdays (April 16th – May 21st)
Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Where: The Art Exchange CIC, Westgate Studios (Studio A4)
Ages: 10–16 Years

💰 COST:
£8 per individual session
£43 for the full 6-week term (Includes all materials)

📩 SECURE A STUDIO SPACE:
We keep these groups small to ensure every artist gets "Masterclass" level feedback and 1-on-1 guidance on their personal style.

To book a spot, drop us a WhatsApp on 07751578801 or email theartexchangewakefield@gmail.com

It’s time to build a body of work that stands out. See you in the studio.🏛️✨

03/04/2026

🌿 HOME ED ADVENTURES: SPRING MASTERS SERIES 🎨

Looking to add high-quality Art & Design enrichment to your home education journey? Join us at The Art Exchange CIC for a 6-week immersive term exploring the "Masters of Spring."

We’ve designed these sessions specifically for the Home Ed community (ages 5–12), blending art history with hands-on technical skills in "The Big Room" at Westgate Studios.

✨ THE CURRICULUM:

Each week we explore a world-renowned artist and a new medium to celebrate the changing season:

April 17 | Van Gogh: Textured Sunflowers 🌻

April 24 | Monet:

3D Water Lily Ponds 🪷

May 1 | Kusama: Patterned Spring Insects 🐞

May 8 | Matisse: The Giant Garden ✂️

May 15 | O’Keeffe: Macro Blooms 🔎

May 22 | Hockney: Yorkshire’s Arrival of Spring 🌳

📍 THE DETAILS:

When: Fridays (April 17th – May 22nd)

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Where: Studio A4 "The Big Room," Westgate Studios, Wakefield (WF1 1BW)

Who: Home-educated adventurers aged 5–12.

💰 COST: £8 per individual session (Perfect for trying us out!)

£43 for the full 6-week term (Discounted rate)

📩 HOW TO JOIN THE ADVENTURE:

Our Friday daytime sessions are a great way to meet fellow home-ed families and build a professional art portfolio in a supportive studio environment.

To book a spot, please WhatsApp us on 07751578801 or email theartexchangewakefield@gmail.com.

Let's explore, create, and master the art of Spring together!** 🖋️✨

23/03/2026

🎸 THE JAM IS BACK! 🐝

We are so pleased to welcome back Bazza Bee's Open Mic Jamboree to The Art Exchange CIC this Wednesday for Artwalk Wakefield!

🎨✨The gallery trail might wind down, but the mayhem is just beginning.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time performer, the stage is yours.

🎤 YOUR SHOUT: Bring your sound

🎸Join the mayhem

🥁Celebrate the city’s talent

🕒 TIME: 8:00 PM – Late
📍 LOCATION: The Art Exchange CIC, Westgate Studios (A4)

Come for the art, stay for the beat. We’ll see you at the front! 🥂🤘

23/03/2026

🛹 VIDEO NIGHT: DONE RIGHT!

📽️What a night! A massive thank you to everyone who joined us at The Art Exchange CIC on Saturday for the Division 24 Skate Store video night. It was a spectacular event with an absolutely awesome bunch of people.

The energy in "The Big Room" was incredible—from the skate trivia and raffle madness to the nostalgia of those classic D24 clips. Seeing the Wakefield skate community come together like that is exactly why we do what we do.👏

A HUGE WELL DONE TO WAYNE!

A massive shout-out to Wayne Miller for his incredible work organising this. Your dedication to the scene and the 20-year legacy of Division 24 is what keeps the creative heart of this city beating. We were proud to host you!

Missed out? Keep your eyes peeled on our page and for future collabs and events.

Wakefield skateboarding is alive and well. 01924 forever! 🛹✨

20/03/2026

🎨 ART, ENERGY & THE BIG JAM: Artwalk March 25th 🎸

Get ready for an immersive night at The Art Exchange CIC! We are filling "The Big Room" (Studio A4) with a powerhouse of local talent, moving from deep visual narratives to a high-energy musical finale.

🖼️ THE GALLERY (5 PM - 9 PM)

Explore an incredible range of contemporary works in our studio space:

Lucinda Youngs: "Aries" –

A fiery exploration of energy and natural forms using alcohol ink on Yupo paper.

Neil Oates: Emotive acrylic paintings of birds and animals born from a journey of passion and healing (Open until 8 PM).

P.A.G.E.T: An 11-minute Digital Art & Video Showcase featuring original tracks "Blue Purple Sky" and "The Man From Space."

Sitthinon Oliver Phongraktham: "Seeing Red" – A psychological deep-dive into the power, danger, and passion of the color red.

Wendy Anderson: Contemporary mixed-media and textiles exploring the contrast between nature and the man-made.

🎸 BAZZA BEE’S OPEN MIC (8 PM - LATE DOORS CLOSE AT 9:30PM PROMPT)

The Highlight of our night! As the city-wide gallery trail winds down, the volume at Westgate Studios goes up. We are thrilled to host the legendary Bazza Bee’s Open Mic Jamboree. Bazza is a champion of the Wakefield scene, known for his inclusive, high-energy sessions that welcome everyone from seasoned pros to first-time performers.

🎤 YOUR STAGE AWAITS:

Bring your instruments and sign up on the night.

Grab a drink from our pop-up bar.

Join the jam and celebrate the most vibrant creative community in the city!

📍 LOCATION: Studio A4 "The Big Room," Westgate Studios, Wakefield.

🗓️ WHEN: Wednesday, March 25th.

Come for the art, stay for the beat. See you at the front! 🥂✨

19/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EFCKdHcZv/

.
VIDEO NIGHT... DONE RIGHT! - PART DEUX 👇 PLEASE READ 👇
SAT 21st MARCH (7pm - Late)
At , Westgate Studios (First Floor) 55 Westgate, Wakefield, WF1 1BW
SHOWING SOME OLD CLASSIC PERSONAL FAVE VIDOES FROM THE D24 ARCHIVE // SKATE TRIVIA PUB QUIZ // MUSIC // RAFFLE PRIZE DRAWS
NO TICKETS NEEDED THIS TIME !
£5.00 ENTRY ON THE DOOR - COVERS VENUE HIRE AND ENTRY INTO A RAFFLE WITH A CHANCE TO WIN PRIZES INCLUDING A £110 SANTA CRUZ DECK
ONLY 60 PLACES AVAILABLE - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS ( DOORS OPEN AT 7.00pm AND WILL BE CLOSED AT 7.45pm )
18+ / FULLY LICENSED BAR

#01924

16/02/2026

🎨 PORTFOLIO SERIES: THE ART OF THE PRINT 🖼️

10-16 year olds

Are you looking to elevate your creative portfolio or master a new professional skill?

Join us at The Art Exchange CIC for a 5-week intensive exploration of contemporary printmaking.

From traditional drypoint to the experimental world of Gelli (jelly) printing, this term is all about texture, layering, and professional results.

✨ WHAT YOU’LL MASTER:

Monotype & Relief: Understanding ink, ghost prints, and textures.Intaglio Skills: Drypoint etching on acetate for fine, detailed line work.

Gelli Plate Mastery: Advanced layering, masking, and magazine transfers.

Editioning & Curation: Learn how to tear, sign, and mount your work for professional exhibition.📍 THE DETAILS:Dates: Thursdays ( Feb 26, March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26)

Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Location: The Art Exchange CIC, Westgate Studios

Focus: Portfolio building for students and serious creators.

💰 COST: £8 per individual session £36 for the full 5-week term (Special term discount!)

📩 HOW TO BOOK: Spaces are strictly limited to ensure a professional studio environment and individual tuition. To secure your spot, please DM us or email theartexchangewakefield@gmail.com

Take your work from a sketch to a professional edition. 🖋️✨

16/02/2026

♻️ CURIOUS CREATIONS: THE FUTURE OF JUNK 🤖

Calling all young inventors and eco-artists! We are launching a brand new 4-week term at The Art Exchange CIC where we turn "trash" into treasure.

Forget ordinary recycling—we’re talking character design, gravity-defying architecture, and kinetic engineering!

🔬 THE CURIOUS LINEUP:

Week 1 (Feb 27th): Micro-Monster Menagerie – Build tiny bottled specimens from lids and wire.
(Note: No session Friday, March 6th)

Week 2 (March 13th): Cardboard City – A collaborative engineering challenge to build a future Wakefield.

Week 3 (March 20th): Wearable Wonders – Upcycling magazines and plastics into high-fashion jewelry.

Week 4 (March 27th): Kinetic Junk-Bots – Creating art that moves using the power of physics.

📍 THE DETAILS:

Dates: Fridays (Feb 20, Feb 27, March 13, March 20)

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Age Group: 5–12 Years

Location: The Art Exchange CIC, Westgate Studios

💰 COST:

£8 per individual session

£30 for the full 4-week term (Save £2!)

🌱 Eco-Friendly Note: All materials are provided, but we encourage students to bring one "curious object" from their own recycling bin each week to add to their creations!

📩 HOW TO BOOK:

Spaces in the studio are limited to ensure everyone gets hands-on help. To book your spot, DM us today or email theartexchangewakefield@gmail.com

Let’s see what the future looks like when we build it ourselves! 💚✨