“We want to encourage everyone to come and see the amazing female artists Manchester has”

Cotton On MCR runs art events, bringing a huge variety of new, engaging and interesting events to Greater Manchester.

They do everything from art workshops, exhibitions, art fairs and more.

Ahead of International Women’s day, they will be curating an exhibition of female artists from Manchester.

We spoke to Domino Panton-Oakley, who runs Cotton On MCR.

She said:  “We set up this event as women artists are still under-represented in the art world, and we wanted to do something for International Women’s Day,  so thought that an exhibition celebrating our local, female artists would be a perfect event to do so.

“The exhibition itself will show a huge mix of artists and art forms, all from female-identifying artists of Greater Manchester.

“We’ll have paintings, sculptures, textiles and more, with original work and art prints for sale.”

The ‘International Mother’s Day Exhibition: Open Call’, which runs from Friday 10 – Sunday 12 March will be located at The Village Hall on Deansgate Mews at Great Northern Warehouse.

Domino said that the more platforms for female artists in the city, the better for everyone.

She continued: “Events like this are hugely important as it gives artists a platform to show their work. It brings new art into the city centre, it gives people the opportunity to connect directly with the artist and their work.

“It gives the chance for female artists to be celebrated and for us to show off the amazing talent Manchester artists have.

“There are hardly any exhibitions that focus solely on Manchester, let alone exhibitions that focus on female artists too.”

Currently, the roster of artists set to be featured is being curated.

The artists that will be featured will be hosting a talk on Saturday 11th of March at 6.30 pm to discuss the works on display.

When asked if she thought there should be more spaces for female artists in the city, Domino said:

“Only if the event calls for it.

“I feel that women artists are being more widely represented however some galleries/institutions can do more. However, knowing Manchester’s art scene, the female artists here are thriving and are well showcased.

“We simply want to encourage people to come and see some brand new artwork and to see what amazing female artists Manchester has.”

Date: Friday 10th March – Sunday 12th 2023

Location: The Village Hall, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, 253 Deansgate, M3 4EN

Opening times:

Friday 10th March (Private launch): 18:30 – 21:00
Saturday 11th March: 12:30 – 17:00
Saturday 11th March (Artist Talks): 18:30 – 20:30
Sunday 12th March: 11:00 – 16:00