Super Saturday: Summer of Expression
04 Jul 2026 - 04 Jul 2026
Our Summer of Expression kicks off with a vibrant day of hands-on workshops, performances and family-friendly activities inspired by our new programme. Come and explore creativity through poetry, science, movement and making! Our full programme of activity is below.
More info
Check our programme - some activities are free and others are bookable in advance.
Spin and Splat Painting with Graham Robinson
Sessions at 10–11.30am, 11.45am–1.15pm and 2–3.30pm | Simmons Learning Room
£5 per participant
Ages 3+ (accompanying adults are free, but not participating)
Get messy and make something extraordinary in this high-energy painting workshop with artist Graham Robinson. Using spinning turntables and splatter techniques, you’ll create bold, colourful artworks in a fun and relaxed setting. Suitable for ages 3+ and all abilities, this joyful, hands-on session celebrates experimentation and creative play.
Vision and Colour Workshop: Become a Colour Detective
10.30am–3pm | Beneath the Ship’s Figureheads
Free, drop-in | Ages 3–11
How do we really see colour? Join the University of Plymouth’s Optometry team to find out. Through a variety of fun, hands-on activities, children can explore how the eye works and discover the science behind colour vision. Inspired by Gillian Ayres’ vibrant artworks, activities include colour experiments, interactive games and eye-health exploration using specialist equipment. Please note: one activity includes flashing coloured lights.
Arm Wrestling: Demonstrations and Have-a-Go
2–4pm | North Hall
Free, drop-in | All ages welcome
Inspired by Jordan Baseman’s film Pro-Grip (How To Be Humans), join local arm-wrestling groups for an energetic afternoon of demonstrations, sparring and friendly competition. There'll be the chance for visitors to have a go, learn the basics and test your strength in this welcoming, inclusive environment.
Creative Poetry Workshop: Feeling in Colour
2–4pm | Foulston Room
£5 adults | £3 children
Ages 8+ (children must be accompanied)
Discover the expressive power of words in this intergenerational poetry workshop led by Plymouth Laureate of Words R.C. Thomas. Using the bold, abstract work of Gillian Ayres as a springboard, you’ll experiment with colour, shape and texture to unlock your creativity. Through playful exercises in improvisation and gesture, you'll free yourself of restrictions, putting feelings into your own original poems responding to art and emotion. Perfect for beginners and anyone who thinks poetry “isn’t for them” — this might just change your mind.
Inter-generational poetry workshop for anyone aged 8+. All children need to be accompanied by an adult. Delivered in partnership with Literature Works
Header image: Detail from Gillian Ayres, Brood (diptych), 1962, oil and ripolin on canvas, 84 x 120 1-8 in., 213.4 x 305 cm, 316360 Private Collection