Modern Painters, New Decorators

What’s on this Saturday? If you’re fancying a day out in Loughborough, there are four free exhibitions on offer across the town, alongside our own! Atsiaƒu ƒe agbo nu / Gateway to the Sea @lborouniarts During daylight hours See the recently completed restoration of artist Atta Kwami’s much-loved sculpture ‘Atsiaƒu ƒe agbo nu’, otherwise known as ‘Gateway to the Sea’ over on campus.  Flora Fiesta @the_tangent_gallery 12pm-4pm View the colourful and bold responses to this theme by multiple members of Studio at 17, from still life to graphic styles and delicate acrylic painting. Nature, Staged & Unbound @sockgallery 10am-3pm Artist Chloe Jean explores the relationship between the handmade and the natural through paper collages, dioramas, sculpted flowers, butterflies, and painted botanicals. Our Very Fabric @generatorlboro 10am-4pm The Generator’s very first exhibition, brings together work from multiple artists to explore the many forms of textiles production historically connected to the Old Art School. And of course: Flat Earth by Phil Root Modern Painters, New Decorators 10am-3pm ‘Flat Earth’ is a solo exhibition by Bristol-based artist Phil Root, exploring the limits of traditional ceramics through experimental casting, glazing and firing. The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour Modern Painters, New Decorators 10am-3pm Jamie Seymour’s solo exhibition ‘The Sick Rose’ brings together new paintings, drawings and sculptures to reflect experiences of queer anxiety and the pressures of being seen. Feel free to enjoy our exhibitions, relax in our common area, or make use of our fun family resources before making a day of the other exhibitions the town has to offer.

☀️ Summer Fair — Open Call for Stallholders We’re looking for independent makers, artists, designers and small businesses to take part in our Summer Fair at Modern Painters, New Decorators. Following the success of our Winter Market, we’ll once again be filling the building with handmade goods, artist stalls and creative activity across a Friday evening launch and Saturday daytime fair. 🗓 Friday 3 July · 5pm–8pm
🗓 Saturday 4 July · 10am–3pm We’re particularly keen to hear from people working across craft, print, ceramics, textiles, illustration, publishing, design and small-scale independent production. Stalls start from £50 and include a table and chairs. Wall-space options are also available. 📅 Application deadline: Thursday 4 June Apply now:
/summer-fair #MPND #SummerFair #OpenCall #Loughborough #CreativeCommunity

🥗 Artist Social
Tomorrow · 9 May · 1pm–3pm
at Modern Painters, New Decorators Limited tickets are still available. If the event becomes fully booked you will be invited to join a waiting list. You will get notified if someone else cancels their ticket - giving you the opportunity to sign up. Join us for a relaxed afternoon with artists from across Leicestershire and the East Midlands — a chance to meet others, share ideas and spend time together in the space. Your free ticket includes a vegetarian lunch prepared by Corita, with teas and coffees available throughout. You can also join us earlier in the day for our screening of Taste of the Land as part of the Shifting Landscapes film series. You’re also welcome to explore our current exhibitions while you’re here:
🖼 Flat Earth by Phil Root
🖼 The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour Free event — booking required Book now via our website:
/ #MPND #ArtistSocial #EastMidlandsArtists #Loughborough #CreativeCommunity

🎬 Taste of the Land
This Saturday · 9 May · 10:30am
at Modern Painters, New Decorators Join us for the final event in our Shifting Landscapes film series, presented in partnership with Emergence Magazine. Following filmmaker Kalyanee Mam’s return to Cambodia, Taste of the Land explores relationships between land, memory and ecological change — documenting landscapes and ways of life threatened by development. After the screening, we’ll host a relaxed, facilitated discussion reflecting on the film and our own connections to place and community. Make a day of it at MPND:
🥗 Artist Social with free vegetarian lunch by Corita · 1pm–3pm
🖼 Exhibitions: Flat Earth by Phil Root and The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour Free event — booking required Book via our website:
/ #MPND #FilmScreening #Loughborough #EcologyAndArt #WhatsOnLboro @emergencemagazine

🥗 Artist Social 
Saturday 9 May · 1pm–3pm
at Modern Painters, New Decorators A space for artists to meet, share and spend time together. Join us for an informal afternoon with artists from across Leicestershire and the East Midlands — a chance to connect, talk about work (or not), and be part of the wider MPND community. Your free ticket includes a vegetarian lunch prepared by Corita, with teas and coffees available throughout. You’re also welcome to spend time with our current exhibitions:
Flat Earth by Phil Root
The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour Free event — booking required
Book via our website:
/ #MPND #ArtistSocial #EastMidlandsArtists #Loughborough #CreativeCommunity

Summer Fair — Open Call for Stallholders We’re excited to announce our Summer Fair at Modern Painters, New Decorators — and we’re now looking for makers, designers and small businesses to take part. 🗓 Friday 3 July (5–8pm) + Saturday 4 July (10am–3pm) Following the success of our Winter Market, we’ll be filling our gallery, project space and foyer with a vibrant mix of handmade goods across a two-day event, kicking off with a Friday evening launch. We’re looking for a wide range of stallholders working across craft, design and independent production. Key details:
– £50 standard table / £60 with wall space
– Includes table + chairs
– Stallholders must attend both days
– Approx. 12 spaces available 📅 Application deadline: Thursday 4 June Apply now:
/summer-fair For any questions, contact Josie: [email protected] #MPND #OpenCall #MakersMarket #Loughborough #CreativeCommunity

Where will you be this weekend? We’ll be heading over to the opening of The Generator — a new arts venue opening its doors to the public for the first time. Opening a new space ourselves, we know how much work it takes to get to this point. We had a sneak preview and were blown away by the level of detail, care and ambition — it’s a huge moment for the town. Hats off to the team. 🧵 Our Very Fabric
24 April — 29 May 2026
Curated by Pasha Kincaid The inaugural exhibition brings together work across textiles, fashion, print, photography and design — reflecting on the building’s history and its connection to making and creative education. Expect installations, material-led work and opportunities to engage with processes through workshops and activity across the programme. Featuring artists including Purnima Chavda, Maggie Cooper, Beth Lukockyj, Nita Rao and Selene States, alongside work developed with artists, students and community groups. Opening weekend starts Friday evening with a celebration, with the exhibition open to the public from Saturday. ⚡️Meet you at The Generator ⚡️ #Loughborough #EastMidlandsArts #WhatsOnLboro

Spend a day at Modern Painters, New Decorators! 
Saturday 9 May 2026 Join us for a day of film, food and conversation — alongside our current exhibitions. 🎬 Film Screening: Taste of the Land
10:30am–12pm
The final event in our Shifting Landscapes series (with Emergence Magazine), this film follows filmmaker Kalyanee Mam returning to Cambodia, tracing connections between land, memory and ecological change. Followed by a relaxed discussion. 🥗 Artist Social
1pm–3pm
Join us for a free, informal gathering with and for artists. Your ticket includes a vegetarian lunch prepared by @foodbycorita , with teas and coffees available throughout. A chance to connect, share ideas and spend time together in the space. 🖼 Exhibitions
Flat Earth by Phil Root — ceramic works made from foraged and industrial materials, shaped by heat, atmosphere and process.
The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour — a symbolic world of paintings and sculptural forms reflecting on visibility, anxiety and being seen. — Free events — booking required 
Find out more and book via our website:
/ #MPND #Loughborough #WhatsOnLboro #ArtistLed #FreeEvents

🌱 Family Workshop: Sow & Grow
Tomorrow · 18 April · 10am–12pm
at Modern Painters, New Decorators Join us tomorrow for a free, drop-in family workshop celebrating spring and the start of the growing season. Come by to plant seeds, make biodegradable pots, design your own labels and create seed balls — all to take home and watch grow. It’s a relaxed, hands-on session for families to make, play and explore together. Expect a little mess (aprons provided!). Drop in anytime between 10am–12pm. 📍 Aumberry Gap, Loughborough, LE11 1DP
👨‍👩‍👧 Children must be accompanied by an adult
⭐ Most suitable for ages 4+ Funded by Charnwood Borough Council and Arts Council England. #MPND #FamilyWorkshop #Loughborough #FreeActivities #CreativeFamilies

Flat Earth by Phil Root
at Modern Painters, New Decorators Flat Earth brings together new ceramic works shaped by foraged and industrial materials — unprocessed clay, wood ash and brick dust — gathered from sites in and around Bristol. Working with clay as an active material, Root allows surfaces to shift and settle through casting and firing. Glazes pool, crack and transform in the kiln, recording the conditions of their making — shaped by heat, atmosphere and time. References to medieval tilework, street surfaces and construction sites run throughout the exhibition, bringing together local materials, historic processes and contemporary approaches to ceramics. On view now! 
Thu–Sat, 10am–3pm
Aumberry Gap, Loughborough #MPND #PhilRoot #Ceramics #Loughborough #ContemporaryArt

🌱 Family Workshop: Sow & Grow
This Saturday · 18 April · 10am–12pm
at Modern Painters, New Decorators Join us for our April Family Workshop — a free, hands-on session celebrating spring and the start of the growing season. Drop in and get stuck into planting, making and experimenting together. You’ll create biodegradable pots, plant seeds, design your own labels and make seed balls — all to take home and watch grow. It might get a little messy, so come dressed for making (aprons provided!). Our family workshops are relaxed, creative sessions where children and adults can make, play and explore together. Our family resource area will also be open, with sensory toys, books and objects available throughout. 📍 Aumberry Gap, Loughborough, LE11 1DP
👨‍👩‍👧 Children must be accompanied by an adult
⭐ Most suitable for ages 4+ Free, drop-in session (10am–12pm) Funded by Charnwood Borough Council and Arts Council England. #MPND #FamilyWorkshop #CreativeFamilies #Loughborough #FreeActivities

Open today! The Sick Rose by Jamie Seymour
at Modern Painters, New Decorators The Sick Rose brings together paintings, drawings and sculptural assemblages in a symbolic world of roses, swans and watchful eyes. Painted eyes peer out across the space, while small, glittering sculptural forms made from found materials sit awkwardly on shelves. — Also happening today: 🌿 10:30am - An artist-led walk with Sheila Ghelani, exploring ecology and our relationship to the natural world.
🎬 1:30pm - A screening of The Last Ice Age, followed by a relaxed discussion on landscape, memory and ecological change.
☕ 10am-3pm - Corita pop-up serving pesto & burrata focaccia, chocolate cardamom babka, miso white chocolate cookies + hot drinks. #MPND #JamieSeymour #Loughborough #WhatsOnLboro #ContemporaryArt