Exhibitions and displays

An exhibition created by Brain Injury Matters with Curator Ciaran Elizabeth Doran that explores everyone’s relationship, appreciation and importance of nature from early years, at school through to adulthood.

Available during library opening hours.

To mark its third anniversary, PenWyn presents an exhibition in collaboration with Flax Art Studios Belfast.
 

The exhibition showcases the breadth, creativity, and impact of the project’s co-creation activity, 
featuring a curated selection of printed and framed PenWyn works alongside a digital showreel 
highlighting many more from the nearly 600 PenWyn variations created to date.
 

Call in to Belfast Central Library to see the beautiful botanical art of Maurice Shannon.  A professional 3D design consultant for more than 30 years, Maurice takes inspiration from the plants in his garden and surrounding fields. 

The Causeway Museum World of Stories Exhibition will be available to view throughout September in Limavady Library.

An exhibition of paintings, drawings, printmaking, pressed plants and found objects that merge the beauty and science of botany, horticulture and art. 

For almost 200 years Belfast Botanic Gardens has been the heart of horticulture in the city. From exotic plants native to deep Amazonian jungles to ornate Victorian bedding displays, the history is rich. 

This exhibition explores these themes through a variety of media to express how the subject moves the artist. From detailed botanical illustrations and pressed plants to visceral oil paintings showing the motions of time and seasons, plants in their glass landscape or vistas across the gardens. 

September 2026 
Available to view during library opening hours 
t: 028 9266 9345
e: lisburncity.library@librariesni.org.uk 

Lyra is a nearly 14 year old artist who is home educated and a lot of her work is art related. Her exhibition comprises of: dragon puppets and masks, paintings on canvas using acrylics and digital art. Since late 2023 to early 2024 she has been making dragon puppets for her own interest and enjoyment out of cardboard and repurposed materials.
On display you will see the progress of a puppet from concept to completion, including a very early puppet and the most recently completed - Cyberus.

t: 028 4377 8433
e: castlewellan.library@librariesni.org.uk 

An exhibition of original watercolour paintings of plants and flowers by Maurice Shannon is on display in Newtownards Library for the month of September. The paintings can be seen during library opening hours.

t: 028 9181 4732
e: newtownards.library@librariesni.org.uk
 

Black Heritage in NI: Hidden History project is a travelling exhibition designed to explore and celebrate the often-overlooked stories of Black heritage in Northern Ireland. Through carefully researched content and engaging visual displays, the exhibition highlights the vital contributions, lived experiences, and cultural narratives that have helped shape communities across the region.

Local artist and poet Nigel Killops has always admired the work of the French Impressionists and from the Twentieth Century the American artist Norman Rockwell. A fascination with people either singularly or in groups, at work or at play has been a lasting theme. In this exhibition of works in pastel and pencil you may recognise the familiar - a youthful Hillary Clinton, studious stargazer Patrick Moore, tennis star Emma Raducanu and television’s Holly Willoughby amongst others.
 

Wednesday 2 September until Friday 30 October.
 

During branch opening hours.
 

Contact:
 

t: 028 9187 2610
 

e: comber.library@librariesni.org.uk
 

Come along to Killyleagh Library where local artist Sonya McKay will be displaying her latest work created in a fun and quirky style. Inspired by the charm, character and beautiful waterfront of this historic town, the collection celebrates some of Killyleagh’s most iconic sights and special spots. The exhibition will run through September during normal opening hours. Suitable for the whole family. Booking not required. 

t: 028 4482 8407  
e: killyleagh.library@librariesni.org.uk
 

Jonathan Heyhoe is a photographer whose work here explores the human condition. In this exhibition the images challenge and question identity through reflections of self and others. Csilla Toldy, poet and novelist, offers a personal response to the images shot one winter evening in the Tate Modern Gallery in London, and to a series of summer themes taken mainly in Jonathan’s home in County Down. The exhibition is free to view during the library's opening hours.

t: 028 3026 4683
e: newrycity.library@librariesni.org.uk 

This exhibition was put together by Libraries NI and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). It explores the history and impact of the seventeenth century plantation which reshaped Ulster, using documents, maps and historical records. This exhibition will be on display for several weeks during September here in Dungiven library.

t: 028 777 41475
e: dungiven.library@librariesni.org.uk

The Holywood District u3a History Archive Group’s exhibition on shops in Holywood from the 1950s to the 2020s will be on display at Holywood Library. Visitors can view a series of display boards featuring photographs, newspaper coverage and accompanying items of memorabilia.

A fascinating display of reproduced artworks on canvas by David Z. Crookes exploring alternative realities. Featuring striking pieces such as Giant’s Causeway, Facial Portrait, Ballerina, and Ezekiel’s Vision (Wheels and Cubes). The exhibition invites viewers to see familiar forms in unexpected ways.

An audio-visual exhibition from the British Library on Tour programme is coming to Belfast Central Library this October and November. This unique, custom-built interactive display features digitised archives of Jonathan Swift’s classic masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels, directly from the British Library collections.
‘Gullivers Travels’ celebrates 300 years since its publication in 1726 and was written by Irish writer Jonathan Swift. A book that is read by children and adults alike, this exhibition can be enjoyed by everybody.

The exhibition features:
First edition
Chapbook edition
Letters between Swift and admirer
Letter criticising the novel

Call in to Belfast Central Library during opening hours to see the archives of this iconic masterpiece.

No booking required. 
 

FGB is a self-taught street artist currently based in Belfast, where he's been redecorating the city—legally and otherwise—for over two decades. His work transforms walls into bold, thought-provoking canvases, offering up social commentary with a side of wit. Starting out in the early days of the street art movement, FGB cut his teeth on group shows and city walls, helping shape a scene that now spans continents. In 2020, he took the plunge, leaving the 9-to-5 world behind to fully commit to a life of spray paint, scaffolding, and questionable ladder choices. FGB’s style is a visual mash-up of urban life, political edge, and whatever weird ideas kept him awake the night before. Drawing from pop art and city life, his work invites viewers to pause and reflect on the world around them. Whether on a wall or in a gallery, FGB continues to blur the line between public space and personal expression.

Drop in to see the exhibition in Belfast Central Library throughout October and the first two weeks of November.
 

Celebrate the creativity and talent of local artists at the Antrim Art Club Autumn Exhibition.

Featuring a diverse collection of original artwork in a variety of styles and mediums, this annual showcase offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy and purchase unique pieces while supporting the vibrant local arts community. 

Suitable for all ages; Children under 8 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Come along. Booking not required.
t: 028 9446 1942
e: antrim.library@librariesni.org.uk 

A collection of works by the artist Francois Got Buffed (FGB).
FGB is a self-taught street artist currently based in Belfast, where he's been redecorating the city for over two decades. His work transforms walls into bold, thought-provoking canvases, offering up social commentary with a side of wit. Starting out in the early days of the street art movement, FGB cut his teeth on group shows and city walls, helping shape a scene that now spans continents. In 2020, he took the plunge, leaving the 9-to-5 world behind to fully commit to a life of spray paint, scaffolding, and questionable ladder choices. FGB’s style is a visual mash-up of urban life, political edge, and whatever weird ideas kept him awake the night before. Drawing from pop art and city life, his work invites viewers to pause and reflect on the world around them. Whether on a wall or in a gallery, FGB continues to blur the line between public space and personal expression.

The artist will be at the exhibition from 5:30pm - 6:20pm

Drop in. Tea and coffee available 5:30pm - 7:30pm

t: 028 9050 9150
e: belfast_central_library@librariesni.org.uk

Explore vibrant artworks celebrating local landscapes, seascapes, memories and special moments. Both artists work primarily in acrylics, incorporating inks, pastels and palette-knife techniques to create expressive and semi-abstract pieces. Gail’s vibrant landscapes and seascapes feature rich colour and layered textures, while Paula’s self-taught style focuses on expressive marks, colour and texture.

'Our Freedom: Then and Now' is a national photography exhibition that features 60 communities across the UK - including Strand Arts Centre, East Belfast - marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War. This exhibition brings together images from 60 locally led projects spanning towns, cities and rural communities across the UK, offering a nationwide portrait of people, place and belonging. Developed by Future Arts Centres and Open Eye Gallery, the exhibition forms part of the national 'Our Freedom: Then and Now' programme. Communities of all ages and backgrounds were invited to reflect on their own histories,experiences and identities, considering what freedom meant in their place in1945, and how those ideas resonate today.

This exhibition charts the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland using materials and artefacts from the Linen Hall's Northern Ireland Political Collection. It will be on display in Dungiven Library from Monday 12 October until Friday 23 October.

t: 028 777 41475
e:dungiven.library@librariesni.org.uk

Celebrate 50 years of creativity with the Class of ’76, a group of artists who graduated from Belfast School of Art in 1976. Explore an exciting exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics and conceptual art, organised by John Rubery.  Showcasing the diverse and unexpected journeys of a generation of artists.