Dates: Thursday 24 April 2025–Friday 20 June 2025, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Venue: DIG

24 April – 20 June 2025 | 10am – 4pm | DIG | Included in admission price | Book now

Step into the world of ancient gladiators and uncover a truly unique encounter at DIG! While gladiators battling lions and bears have long captured the imagination, evidence of these fierce encounters has been limited to historical texts and artistic depictions—until now.

This spring, DIG is proud to present an extraordinary display: skeletal remains believed to bear genuine lion bite marks. Alongside this discovery, witness a stunning facial reconstruction that brings history vividly to life.

Join our Dig Deeper tours—an exclusive, adult-focused experience held at the end of each day. These tours spotlight the gladiator remains and other fascinating artifacts from our collection. Learn from real archaeologists, ask your burning questions about life on a dig, and handle replica artifacts. You’ll also gain hands-on experience in our interactive dig pits, discovering what it’s like to uncover the past.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to come face-to-face with history. Book your visit today!

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Dates: Monday 16 June 2025–Sunday 22 June 2025, All Day
Venue: York Castle Museum

Uganda50: York’s Ugandan Asian Refugees 
16 – 22 June 2025
Included in general admission | Book tickets 

As part of our Creative Communities programme, we are delighted to host Uganda50’s pop-up exhibition.

This exhibition tells personal stories of York residents who were expelled from Uganda in 1972 by the dictator, Idi Amin. Over 60,000 people of Asian descent had to flee their homes and 27,000 were welcomed to Britain to find new lives. You will discover stories of those who escaped Amin’s regime over 50 years ago and settled in York through this emotive, engaging and award-nominated exhibition, which was commissioned by Shamim Eimaan, Director of Eimaan CCS CIC and produced by Navrang Arts.

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Date: Saturday 21 June 2025, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

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Date: Sunday 22 June 2025, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

10.30am – 12.30pm, free

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Date: Friday 4 July 2025, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

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Dates: Saturday 5 July 2025–Sunday 6 July 2025, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

This event is organised by Futuresound. If you have any questions about the event please visit Futuresound’s FAQ page.

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Date: Sunday 6 July 2025, 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

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Date: Saturday 12 July 2025, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Join us at York Art Gallery for life drawing workshops; whether you are a regular participant, would like to hone your skills, or try life drawing for the first time, these regular two-hour immersive Saturday sessions, led by Rob Oldfield, are a wonderful way to experience life drawing in a supportive and friendly environment.

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Date: Sunday 13 July 2025, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Platespeak
Sunday 13 July 2025
10.30am – 1.30pm | £40
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A letterpress workshop delivered by Thin Ice Press.

In recent works, especially Hz So Good and R U OK (both 2022), Harland Miller has played with the snappy, abbreviated forms of txt speak or ‘platespeak’ (the language of personalised number plates). In this workshop, we will embrace the personalised number plate as an art form. Participants will play with sense and meaning to create a bespoke ‘number plate’ using wood type. You will print your type and a bespoke border to create your own personalised number plate on paper. Participants will go home with a set of unique prints, showcasing their work.

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Date: Wednesday 16 July 2025, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

 1:30pm-3:30pm, £5 per person (capacity: 20)

Tickets coming soon

Tickets will become available approximately a month in advance.

Pick up a pencil – draw and discover!

Give yourself time to sharpen and share your drawing skills in this two-hour sketching workshop with artist Griselda Goldsbrough.

Enjoy working in sketchbooks in a relaxed and friendly group, taking inspiration from the collections at York Art Gallery. Materials provided.

These informal practical art sessions are for adults only (16+) and are suitable for absolute beginners or those who create regularly.

Sessions will run on one Wednesday each month.(Please book separately for each session).

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