Together As One exhibition

We’re really excited to announce the latest exhibition with our long-standing arts partner, British Culture Archive. ‘Together As One – A Celebration Of Manchester’s LGBTQIA+ Community’ launches on Thursday 28 July.

Following The People’s City and A Woman’s Work, ‘Together As One’ features a collection of photographs by Jon Shard and Peter J Walsh. The exhibition captures two iconic moments in Manchester’s vibrant history, displayed for visitors to enjoy on our walls.

Peter J Walsh

Photography by Peter J Walsh documents the anti-Clause 28 protest, which was held in Manchester and saw over 20,000 people take to the streets to protest Clause 28 – an attempt to suppress the gay community at a time when it was already struggling to deal with the HIV and AIDS epidemic, and the backlash towards the community driven by media. Peter J Walsh, who’s better known for documenting the city’s nightlife during the ‘Madchester’ years, is one of the few who documented this important protest that helped change the face of LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK.

Jon Shard

Jon Shard’s imagery captures The Haçienda’s hallowed dancefloor club night, Flesh. Launched in October 1991, Flesh was the flamboyant mid-week night at The Haçienda, which welcomed everyone: black, white, gay and straight, and was also the home of the club’s first female resident DJs, Paulette and Kath McDermott. Flesh arrived during a turbulent time during the club’s and city’s history. The comedown from the Halcyon years of 1988-1990 was in full flow, and regular ‘Hac’ nights were losing their appeal due to a number of heavy gang related incidents and laddish clientele putting off the punters. The Haçienda and nights such as Flesh fit into a tradition of creativity and cultural innovation in Manchester, which can be seen throughout the city today.

Everyone’s welcome along to our launch event, taking place on Thursday 28 July from 7pm with music from DJ James Holroyd – we can’t wait to see you there!

Plus, throughout the summer, we’ll be hosting a series of events in celebration of all things Pride. From Sparkle Weekend celebrations to our iconic Come As You Are Weekender over the August bank holiday, there’s plenty more to come.