City of Suffragettes: Part of Manchester Jewellery Week

City of Suffragettes is a major contemporary jewellery exhibition celebrating Manchester’s pioneering role in the fight for women’s rights.

Opening as part of the inaugural Manchester Jewellery Week, the exhibition brings together jewellers from across the UK to explore the city’s remarkable feminist legacy through original, thought-provoking jewellery.

Manchester is known around the world as the birthplace of the suffragette movement. Inspired by this extraordinary heritage, members of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery (ACJ) were invited to create new work responding to the women, movements and ideas that have shaped the city – from Emmeline Pankhurst and her family to today’s activists, artists and community leaders.

The resulting exhibition presents a diverse collection of contemporary jewellery exploring themes of equality, protest, resilience, courage and transformation. Each piece offers a personal interpretation of Manchester’s feminist story, demonstrating how jewellery can communicate powerful social and political ideas as well as exceptional craftsmanship.

City of Suffragettes has been curated by Eve Redmond (Co-Director of Manchester Jewellery Week and Divinity Studio), Jessica Bennett (Manager, Manchester Craft & Design Centre), Rebecca Skeels (Chair of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery), and guest curator and Manchester jeweller Sabira Silcock of Sken Studios.

The exhibition is one of the highlights of the first Manchester Jewellery Week – I Wanna Be Adorned, a new city-wide festival celebrating contemporary jewellery, art jewellery and adornment.

Inspired by the internationally renowned Munich Jewellery Week, the festival features exhibitions, talks, workshops, studio trails and events across Manchester, Sale, Chorlton and Altrincham. Manchester Craft & Design Centre is the festival hub, hosting exhibitions, talks and special events throughout the week.

EXHIBITION DETAILS
Saturday 12th September – Thursday 24th December
Free entrance
Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5.30pm
2nd Sunday of the Month, excluding January, 11am – 5pm

EXHIBITION PREVIEW
Saturday 12th September, 2pm – 5pm
Join us for a drink and meet the artists.

 Access
We welcome guide and support dogs and kindly ask that all dogs are kept on leads. The exhibition space is currently raised and not directly accessible for wheelchair or mobility aid users. However, the open layout allows the exhibition to be viewed comfortably from a distance.

 

EXHIBITIONS & POP UPS AROUND THE BUILDING

I Wanna be Adorned | Divinity Studio, First Floor
Eve Redmond invites a selection of UK-based jewellers to make a piece of jewellery responding to the theme of Manchester Jewellery Week.

Astrid Davis 2025 MMU Divinity Graduate Exhibition | Divinity Studio, First Floor

Nathan Gallimore 2026 MMU Divinity Graduate Exhibition | Divinity Studio, First Floor

Verdant Wanderings II: Toni Maynor | &Made Studio, First Floor

Invited Makers Showcase | Studio 1, Ground Floor

Rebecca Lawley, Jo Bull, Tara Kirkpatrick Showcase | Studio 6, Ground Floor

Sadie Blythin & Grit Showcase | Fronte, First Floor

TRAILS & WALKING TOURS

City of Suffragettes Tenants Trail
Jeweller tenants respond to the exhibition theme in various studios across the building

Suffragette & Contemporary Change Makers Walk with Emma Fox
Starts at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, 3pm – 5pm on Friday 11th September

Tour of Manchester Jewellery Week Exhibitions with Emma Fox
Starts at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, 11am – 1pm on Saturday 12th September

TALKS

Sunday 13^th September in Space2, Ground Floor

11am – 12pm Norman Cherry & Dauvit Alexander PP on their project Swords into Ploughshares

12pm -12.45pm Artist talk with Felieke van der Leest

12.45pm – 1.30pm Lunch

1.30pm – 2.30pm Crafts Council Handling session

2.30pm – 3.30pm Panel discussion on contemporary jewellery chaired by Norman Cherry (Jewellery artist), with Stephen Bottomley (Head of School of Design Glasgow School of Art), Sally Collins (Course Director BA Hons Jewellery Central St Martins, London), Lynne Speake (Founder of Precious Collective) and Jo Bloxham (Mancunian Jewellery Collector).

3.30pm – 4.15pm Networking

Monday 14^th September in Space2

12.15pm – 1pm Artist talk with Toni Maynor

2pm – 2.45pm Artist talk with Mark McLeish

2.45pm – 3pm Barry Clarke, local Craft historian

WORKSHOPS

Manchester School of Jewellery Workshops
Thursday 10th September: Space2
Friday 11th September: Space2
Saturday 12th September: Space2
Sunday 13th September: Studio 10