The Bluecoat Display Centre’s outreach and education programme delivers high quality contemporary craft workshops and residencies, facilitated by some of the North West’s leading craft practitioners. The programme has formed lasting partnerships with organisations including the Royal Liverpool University & Broadgreen Hospitals, The Walton Centre, Wirral Autistic Society, Liverpool Wellbeing Centres under the PSS (Person Shaped Support) umbrella, Liverpool Hope University, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Brain Charity and the NHS Merseycare Foundation Trust’s Life Rooms Recovery College in Walton, Clock View inpatient unit at Walton Hospital and Maggie’s Merseyside.
We are an independent charitable organisation, with our makers at the heart of both the gallery and our outreach projects. We aim to promote contemporary applied arts both nationally and internationally: extending audiences for contemporary craft and working with leading North West practitioners, enhancing lives through education, participation and learning, and improving the health and wellbeing of the communities of Liverpool and beyond.
We regularly work with universities based in the North West to provide professional development and exhibition opportunities for students and recent graduates, including Manchester School of Art, Bolton University, Liverpool Hope University and University of Central Lancashire.
The Bdc outreach programme was launched in 2012, delivering ground-breaking workshops in acute wards in local hospitals. Our outreach programme has since extended to include a wide range of settings and in 2020 we developed our first digital workshops.
Registered Charity No. 1136680