#exhibition

Open Invitation to The Big Feast 2025 ‘Brew and Review’

Give us your thoughts on The Big Feast 2025 at ‘Brew and Review’.

Did you lose your shoe to a giant slinky?

Did you watch a fight between giant puppets?

Did you help fold a giant origami map of Stokie landmarks?

And do you have giant opinions on how it all went?

We’re sending out an open invitation to our community feedback get together happening at New Vic Theatre on Tuesday 14 October, 1pm-3pm, where we will be listening to what you have to tell us about your experiences, feedback and suggestions from this year’s event.

You can tell us anything you like! For instance:

  • How you found out about The Big Feast, if you saw our bus adverts, and ideas on how else to get the word out
  • If you made use of any of the access provision (BSL, audio description), how that worked for you and what might work better
  • What you thought of the range of performances and what you’d like to see in the future
  • How easy or difficult was the information and signposting – brochure, website, on-street signs etc – was to follow
  • Recommendations for improvements to The Big Feast or new ideas for other events
  • Would you come again or even like to be involved in deciding net year’s programme?
  • Anything else!

How to participate

You don’t need to book a spot to come along to The Big Feast 2025 Brew and Review. Simply follow these simple steps:

  • Put it in your calendar for Tuesday 14 October 2025, 1pm-3pm
  • Email ruby@appetite.org.uk if you’d like to tell us about any dietary or access requirements
  • On the day come to New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 0JG and join the conversation

We really look forward to your input into what’s #OnTheMenu for 2026!

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Take a nature walk along the canal at Kidsgrove

Kidsgrove Canal Nature Recovery walk with the Staffs & Stoke Local Nature Recovery Partnership

If you have previously been on a nature-themed walk with us (Kidsgrove Canal Nature Recovery, What On Earth?!, A Canalside Arcana) then we are happy to tell you that the final planned Kidsgrove Canal Nature Recovery Walk is happening on Saturday 28 June, 11am – 1pm.

This walk will once again be led by artist Anna Francis who will be joined by Nicola Lynes, Chair of the Community Advisory Board for the Staffordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Nicola will share more information about why setting priorities and actions is important for nature recovery in Staffordshire, and the role we can all play in protecting our nearby nature.

Here is everything you need to know if you’d like to come along on what is sure to be a fascinating and fitting finale to the series.

Where & When

When: Saturday 28 June, 11am – 1pm

Meet: 10.50am by the Canal & River Trust Lodge, which is on the towpath at the North Entrance to the Harecastle Tunnel, ST7 1DP. The walk is a circular route, beginning and ending at the same spot.

Getting there: To get there from The Avenue, take the footpath that runs along the side of the Memorial Garden. You’ll find the lodge where the footpath meets the towpath. Alternatively, you can make your way onto the towpath directly from the train station. Head towards Kidsgrove and you will see the lodge just before the tunnel entrance.

Booking your place

You can reserve a space for yourself and up to three others via this Google form.

Spaces on the walk are limited to 25 places due to the narrow canal path, and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Please only reserve places when you’re reasonably sure you can come along.

Once you submit the form, will email you from this address to either confirm your space on the walk, or advise that you’ve been added to the waiting list.

Access & Safety

The towpath is flat but can be uneven, narrow and slippery, especially in wet or frosty weather. There are no benches along the route. The walk is taken at a relaxed pace but do consider whether the path is suitable for you, particularly if you have low vision or limited mobility.

There’s a space on the booking form where you can let us know if of any access requirements you may have, such as BSL interpretation or sighted guidance. While can’t promise to make every event fully accessible, we will always do our best to make sure that you have the best possible experience.

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Grow me a Waterlily and Shekah by Nilupa Yasmin, part of Sensasian 2025

Nilupa Yasmin - a young woman of South Asian heritage - is seen head and shoulders standing in front of a colour artwork that fills the background. The art is of many thin strips of pattern and colour in primarily red and blue colours interwoven. She wears black clothing with a turtle neck sweater, a colourful head wrap and a deep red lipstick. A large silver necklace stand out over her dark clothing.

'Grow me a Waterlily' and 'Shekah' by Nilupa Yasmin

Nilupa Yasmin is an artist and educator who explores the principles of art and craft and the expanded materiality within photography. She is interested in culture, self-identity, and anthropology, and investigates the ideals and traditions that are close to home; drawing upon her own identity through gender, religion and her British Bangladeshi culture and heritage. An element of her practice focuses on socially engaged photography, as she works collaboratively with various communities to produce, and curate works of art.

On show are Grow me a Waterlily and Shekah, in which Yasmin explores the fragments of identity through an exploration of craft and the politicised notion of fabric. Weaving as a form of self-expression is brought together with these works, that study her identity and her matrilineage.

Grow me a Waterlily dwells in the space between expectations and traditions; by offering an exploration into the self, the home and the idea of belonging. Intricately woven archival images are combined into self-portraits, incorporating statements made from Yasmin’s headscarf to her mother’s wedding saree. In this, each image tells a story of her journey into self-discovery.

Shekah highlights the process of learning, in which Yasmin explores her lost family history of weaving. Archive images of her mother in her youth, are created into woven prints on digitally printed fabric. She explores the tactile nature of weaving and its relationship to the very texture of the fabric, while restoring the age-old craft in a contemporary setting, challenging the expectations of what we perceive a weaver to be.

This exhibition features photographs and digitally printed fabric.

See Nilupa Yasmin’s exhibition, part of the Sensasian Festival 2025, in the public area at New Vic Theatre from Monday 30 June to Saturday 26 July. It’s free and there’s no need to book, simply in Monday – Saturday, 10am – 3pm.

Visit the Sensasian 2025 event page to see what else is on on Friday 26 & Saturday 26 July.

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GRAIN BLACK

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We Are Here

We Are Here – A Residency by Ian Mood

Over two months Ian Mood observed and sketched in independent pubs and cafes across Newcastle-under-Lyme. Those sketches have now been turned into We Are Here – paintings capturing, not only the people who worked and socialised there, but also the spirit, the feel, and the hustle and bustle. Or what Ian calls: “the vibrant new spaces and faces of our town.”

Ian’s previous residency for Appetite at Newcastle Common called Open Up was in 2021 at a time when the world look very different.

The paintings that emerged from that residency were paintings of scared figures – with an unsure future – as seen on Newcastle High Street. Ian says:

“Now to me the town feels very different; I’m hopeful for our future and I see people around me who feel the same. So I’m spending time painting in a few of my favourite venues including Mellards, Anasma (Greek Bakery), and Piccoloco.”

You can see the paintings on display at each location throughout March. Go in, say hi, enjoy the artwork, and support local independent businesses. It’s a win all round.

See We Are Here until 31 March. Admission is free. Venues are:

Anasma Greek Bakery 7 Queens Parade

Mellards Bar Mellards Warehouse, Market Lane

Piccoloco 2a Hassell Street

Appetite works in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre in partnership with Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

*What is an artist’s residency?

A residency is when an artist spends time in a different place for an amount of time. The place, people and organisations they come into contact with usually feed into the work that they create.  This allows them to develop new ideas and talk to different kinds of people to get inspiration for new work. Sometimes they use a residency to try something really different that they haven’t done before. 

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Restricted and Repetitive

A computer monitor shows some audio software with horizontal lines in bright colours. Behind the monitor is a tall bookcase, and through the door you can make out some stair bannisters. The monitor is at an angle from the left-hand side, and on the right-hand side it meets a large back square that has coloured writing on in the same colours as are on the monitor. The writing says "Restricted and repetitive"

Restricted and Repetitive – A Residency by Cat McGill

In her first artist’s residency* for Appetite, Autistic musician Cat McGill confronts the concept of ‘restricted and repetitive’ behaviours – one of the criteria for gaining a diagnosis of autism – and asks what it would mean to reframe these behaviours as ’regulating and relaxing’.

Cat invites you to view the world through her eyes – and ears – as she explores how her brain experiences the sounds of the world around us, and shares how her ‘restricted and repetitive’ behaviours are a source of great comfort and joy. 

To showcase the project, Cat is creating an interactive and immersive sound installation that will allow other people to experience the sensory-seeking, pattern loving, musical, autistic world inside her head.

The installation will make use of different objects and textures, as well as a combination of music technologies to trigger sounds and replicate the multi-sensory aspect of hearing and feeling music. Each person interacting with the installation will experience it in a different way, meaning that – as a piece of music – it’s different every time it is played.

In this video you can see Cat’s process as she explains making the ”ominous thud’ and how she reacts to it. You can read posts and see more videos following Cat’s creative journey, including what she describes as ‘the boring bits’ (which are still incredibly fascinating) over on her blog page.

See Restricted and Repetitive at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Friday 28 February – Sunday 2 March. Admission is free.

Why this residency?

Cat’s residency forms part of FRONLTINEdance‘s FRONTLINE Arts Festival 2025. Showcasing the talent of UK d/DEAF, disabled and neurodivergent artists, #FAF2025 event will include a range of performances, arts and sound installations, including spoken word, dance, music, poetry, film, sculptures, photographs, drawings and paintings. It will premiere two FRONTLINEdance commissions alongside Cat McGill’s.

The will be an arts symposium day at on Friday 28 February at Potteries Museum & Art Gallery to celebrate and advocate for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. It’s set to be an exciting day of performances, panel discussions, and connecting. You can book your tickets on Eventbrite.

*What is an artist’s residency?

A residency is when an artist spends time in a different place for an amount of time. The place, people and organisations they come into contact with usually feed into the work that they create.  This allows them to develop new ideas and talk to different kinds of people to get inspiration for new work. Sometimes they use a residency to try something really different that they haven’t done before. 

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Arthur Berry On The Streets Exhibition

Arthur Berry On The Streets Exhibition

Our outdoor exhibition, Arthur Berry On The Streets is now in Stoke-on-Trent city centre (Hanley)📣
 
We’re joining the celebrations to mark the cultural icon Arthur Berry, who was born and lived in Stoke-on-Trent.  2025 would have been his centenary year and thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund a range of partners have come together to produce work and projects honouring his extraordinary life and contribution to art, literature and culture. Check out all of the events in the #ArthurBerry100 series – at arthurberry100.co.uk
 
Arthur Berry On The Streets explores Berry and his many talents as artist, poet, playwright, teacher and broadcaster. The exhibition also feature some of the Three Counties Open Art Exhibition Arthur Berry Prize-winners, shining a light on his lasting legacy.

The exhibition runs from August to October, beginning in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley), 4 August – 14 September, before moving to Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre (16 September – 2 November).
 
This event also forms part of the celebrations for Stoke-on-Trent’s 100th anniversary year. Find out more at sot100.org.uk
 
The image shows a street on a sunny day. The focus of the picture are three large cubes that contain writing and images on about Arthur Berry, creating an outdoor exhibition.

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Punjab to the Potteries: An Exhibition at Keele University

Did you know that the Punjab to the Potteries exhibition is on at Keele University? First shown at New Vic Theatre in the run up to the play reading event of two newly commissioned short plays, the exhibition is currently on show in Chapters Cafe.

Punjab to the Potteries is a joint project between Appetite and New Vic. Two playwrights with strong ties to the South Asian community – Shahid Iqbal Khan and Sarah Bedi – were each commissioned to create a new 30-minute plays. The plays were researched and influenced by the memories and stories of people who were either born in the Punjab and migrated to The Potteries, or whose family made the journey and were born here. The plays were read by a cast during a celebration event at the theatre on 12 August 2023, which was a sell-out success.

As part of the project, photographic artist Sam Ivin created 23 portraits of the people who contributed their experiences as part of the research. During the process of taking the portraits, Sam took a keen interest in the sitter’s individual stories and used his conversations with them as the basis for the decorations that he hand painted onto each print. Tailored to each individual, they include colourful patterns and symbols inspired by Sikh images and Punjabi fashion.

If you’re interested in Sam’s artform, you can join him in a free workshop at Keele University as part of a series of events showcasing the practical processes and personal experiences of bringing a project like Punjab to the Potteries to life.

Monday 13 November: Sarah Bedi talk and introduction to writing. Sarah will discuss her connection with the stories she was told and how she found the experience of creating something new from them. She will then give audience members som exercises and techniques to help them begin their own writing journey

Friday 17 November: Members of the Punjab to the Potteries team, Gemma Thomas (Appetite director), Rasandeep Devgon (community engagement), Val Bansal (project originator), and Filiz Ozcan (play director) discuss the project, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Monday 20 November: Sam Ivin will give a brief introduction to his career as a photographic artist before taking audience members through practical exercises to capture portraits and work with the prints as art.

Booking by Eventbrite will be open soon so do please check back.

You can see the Punjab to the Potteries exhibition in Chapters Cafe until 25 November:
Monday – Friday: 7:30am – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am – 4pm

Parking is free on campus after 5pm every day during the week and all day on weekends. If you wish to visit on a week day during the day there is a small pay and display car park on Union Square but please note this does become very busy.

Access Chapters Cafe is fully accessible. There are a number of disabled parking bays in close proximity on Union Square car park. There is ramped and flat access from the car park to Chapters Cafe. Chapters Cafe is a public cafe so it can become busy with customers during a weekday; if you prefer a quieter time to visit we suggest after 5pm on a weekday or going along on the weekend.

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Appetite
New Vic Theatre
Etruria Rd,
Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Staffordshire ST5 0JG

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