Summer is in full swing at Lowry with their new family-friendly exhibition stampeding across the venue. Wild Things is their latest free gallery exploring children’s book and animals, following the successes of their previous showcases Julia & Axl and Quentin Blake & Me.
The exhibition features works from numerous writers and artists, including Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Margery Williams, Diane Ewen, Rod Campbell, and Lydia Monks, to name a few.
The launch event was filled with family fun, children excitedly darting between face-painters, live artists, and a food station brimming with hundreds of cupcakes, fruit kebabs, and juice cartons. A cute animal-themed play area entertained younger guests, while older kids filled in a variety of colouring and puzzle sheets before the event was launched by a short speech by Director of Visual Arts, Michael Simpson.
Designed by Phil Shelley, the exhibition is imaginative, interactive, and informative, with a gorgeous range of giant illustrations, interesting facts, tactile puzzles, drawing and reading spaces, suggestion plaques, original artworks, and photo opportunities. Centre stage is The Furry Wardrobe, complete with mirrors and a red-carpet cat-walk. The kids were beaming as they tried on a variety of hooded costumes with everything from tigers to orcas. Another bustling area was Vera’s Veggie Delights Stall, where kids could play with baskets of felt plushie fruit and vegetables. At the entrance, children are also given free notebooks to jot down stories and sketch animals across the exhibit.
The gallery is organised in an A-Z structure, naming animals and their correlating books with facts about the animals and descriptions about the books to drum-up children’s interest in reading in celebration of The 2026 National Year of Reading.
While it’s aimed at young families, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. As an art enthusiast, I was enamoured by all of the different drawing styles and artistic techniques, from the magical warmth radiance of Litchfield’s illustrations in the reimagined The Velveteen Rabbit, to the vibrant and blocky linoleum prints in The Steves. As a reader, I was amused at seeing some of my childhood favourites making an appearance, picture books like We’re Going on A Bear Hunt that have inspired children for generations splashed across the Andrew Law Gallery walls.
Alongside the exhibition, families can enjoy a range of free animal themed activities, with the newly themed Book Nook, Lookout, and Little Lowry Kitchen spaces, an animal plushie safari trail, storytelling sessions, a Queen Bee themed drama, a Dear Zoo theatre show, and surprise visits from Elmer the Elephant across July and October.
Families are sure to have fun at this unique, activity-packed exhibition.
Wild Things runs at Andrew Law Galleries until November 1.
JADAR 