Featured Events in Kendal in November 2024 (August Updated)

Welcome to the wonderful world of manga! These workshops are perfect for young people curious about manga as well as the avid fan. It’s a great and fun opportunity to know more about Japanese Manga culture and try drawing manga characters with a professional manga artist. Don’t know anything about Manga? No problem at all, you will be a little Manga master at the end of the workshop. Aged 11 - 16 yrs old Workkshops are 2½ hours with 30 mins break. All materials and equipment will be provided. Refreshments provided. During the workshop: This workshop will be led by Manga artist Sonia Leong. An introduction to the styles and techniques used for creating Manga, showcasing the varied artwork of Sonia Leong! Go over the basics of Manga character fıgure drawing before putting yourself in the shoes of a professional artist, drafting and storyboarding comic pages to your choice of script. How many panels will you draw in a page and where will you put the speech bubbles? Is it time for a close-up, or maybe a birds-eye view? It’s a great and fun opportunity to know more about Japanese Manga culture and try drawing manga characters with a professional manga artist. Don’t know anything about Manga? No problem at all, you will be a little Manga master at the end of the workshop. Manga MashUp is brought to you by The Lakes International Comic Art Festival Information Source: Westmorland and Furness Libraries | eventbrite

Lakeland Arts’ much-loved art collection includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture ranging from the 1700’s to the present. In our refreshed collection galleries discover the stories of our extraordinary collection pieces and the people connected to them. Historic artists and subjects will be shown alongside works from modern and contemporary eras, telling a diverse story of people; their lived experiences, conflicts and shared commonalities. Portrait Galleries Contemporary artists, such as Kendal-based artist Lela Harris have been invited to exhibit alongside the Abbot Hall collection. Highlights from the collection include works by George Romney, Joan Eardley, Lucian Freud, Hilde Goldschmidt, Victor Pasmore, Celia Paul, Kurt Schwitters, Stanley Spencer and Charmaine Watkiss. You’ll be able to see The Great Picture which depicts the accomplishments and family history of Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676). Painted during the English Civil War, it is a rare celebration of the life of a woman from that period. Through a combination of portraits, words and symbols it represents Anne’s fight for her rights, her intelligence and her talent as a writer. Art Herbarium Within the collection galleries you will also find the Art Herbarium, a space to explore plant, mineral and animal forms. Drawings and paintings range from the immaculate ‘organic vision’ of John Ruskin, to the illuminated letters of Cumbrian artist, Percy Kelly. The collection galleries are situated on the main floor of Abbot Hall. Our collection displays are included with gallery admission. Members go free. Other concessions available.

The much-anticipated celebration of adventure, culture, nature and exploration is now online for its 4th and final wave this November! This year’s festival is the largest ever, with 200+ live sessions, 300+ speakers, 190+ films and 60+ events, attracting over 25,000 adventure seekers and outdoor enthusiasts.

AFRICA VIBES is a workshop series hosted by YENSA Festival, inviting Black Women instructors to share their knowledge of movements connected to the African diaspora with the community. Dances and Rhythms of Africa with Lua Shayenne Lua Shayenne, based in Toronto, Canada, is a dedicated student of traditional Mandé dances and rhythms. Her dance workshops seamlessly integrate song, cultural insights, and live percussion, catering to participants of all skill levels. Through the grounded movement of dances from Africa, Lua Shayenne invites you to celebrate your body as the Temple of the spirit, intimately connected to Mother Earth. Together we explore Breath, Ground, Inner Rhythm and Current. This dance workshop will offer an ALL-LEVELS experience of West African dance with live drum accompaniment. About Your Teacher A finalist of the 2024 Toronto Arts Foundation Muriel Sherrin Award and nominee of the 2025 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes, Lua Shayenne, a dynamic creator, intertwines dance, song, and storytelling to explore contemporary narratives inspired by her African heritage and the Baha’i Faith. Her work addresses ecological stewardship, social equity, and spiritual growth, seeking to ignite dialogue and inspire action. Lua is the creator and performer of YASSAMA and the BEADED CALABASH, a children’s dance theatre production that has toured since 2023. The show was featured in 2024 at the Junior Festival in Toronto, Vancouver Children’s Festival, and Children's Festival of Saskatchewan. Upcoming performances include stops at MIFO in Orléans and Agora des Arts in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. As artistic director of Lua Shayenne Dance Company (LSDC), Lua founded the YENSA Festival, a biennial event celebrating Black women in dance. Lua’s recent choreographic and performance highlights include WATER SPIRIT and FRONTIERS | FRONTIÈRES. Lua teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and shares African dance and culture with communities across Canada. Currently, she is developing a dance film project titled WAVES, along with other dance works for film and stage, premiering in 2025. As we move together, let's give back! In celebration of Socktober - a charitable initiative started by a middle school class in 2011 - we invite you to bring a new pair of socks to our October 19th workshop to donate to a local shelter. You are of course welcome to bring more than one pair if you so wish. Please note, participation in Socktober is completely optional. Want to give more? Other items in need that you are welcome to bring include: Adult jogging pants, jeans, and sweatshirts (in good condition, no stains or rips), NEW men’s and women's underwear in a variety of sizes, Men’s shoes and boots, size 9-14, and NEW unused toiletries, sanitary supplies and first aid supplies. As Lua says, In Soussou, FARE means dance, music, and song as one. I explore FARE as a spiritual practice that nourishes the soul and connects us to our community. For me, FARE is about being of service, fostering deep connections with every human heart I encounter. Let’s dance, connect, and make a difference together! These workshops are made possible with the support of Jörgen Dance / George Brown College Dance . Learn more about YENSA Festival HERE! Information Source: Yensa Festival | eventbrite