Keeping culture conscious

While it won’t be possible to visit Sunderland’s cultural venues for the foreseeable future, you can still enjoy plenty of fantastic content online!

Over the coming weeks, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, National Glass Centre, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and Arts Centre Washington, will be sharing exhibitions, performances, stories and ideas via their social media channels to keep you creative and busy online! Here’s a taster of what our friends at Sunderland Culture will be sharing...

EXHIBITIONS

No Strings Online exhibition, National Glass Centre ‘No Strings’ features the work of seven international artists working with glass beads in unconventional ways. The exhibition includes a beaded burger and coke by Faranak Sohi and an evening dress made using beads and safety pins by Shige Fujishiro. Discover the exhibition at: nationalglasscentre.com

Chad McCail: Toy Online exhibition, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art Artist Chad McCail has spent three years developing a single monumental new work specifically for Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. The exhibition presents an enormous three-dimensional cityscape that fills the entire gallery and which we enter into. Don’t miss it! Discover the art online and listen as Chad McCail talks you through each section of the exhibition, giving his ideology for each part and why he created it at northerngalleryforcontemporaryart.org.uk

Received Wisdom Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens Follow Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens on Facebook to be inspired and discover more about the art and boundary-breaking artists in Received Wisdom, a thought-provoking exhibition that challenges the notion that creativity, boundary-breaking and dynamism are the preserve of youth. Plus, check out Welcome to the Collection, a film project which follows the journey of local residents as they delve into the incredible treasures of the Arts Council Collection themselves. sunderlandmuseum.org.uk Rebel Women of Sunderland The Rebel Women of Sunderland is a project that shines a light on the lives of incredible women from the city’s past and present, with specially commissioned artworks and stories inspired by the popular children’s book, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, which celebrates the achievements of women around the world. Sunderland creatives, illustrator Kathryn Robertson, a recent graduate of University of Sunderland, and writer Jessica Andrews, who recently won the Portico Prize for her debut novel, Saltwater, were commissioned to produce portraits and tell the women’s inspiring stories. Discover more about their tales at: sunderlandculture.org.uk/rebelwomen

FACEBOOK / YOUTUBE WEBCAST

The Secret Earl of Biddick Arts Centre Washington Facebook Webcast Settle in for a webcast premiere of this cracking play on 8 April at 6pm, which has been specially commissioned by Arts Centre Washington. The River Wear becomes the setting for the local legend of James Drummond, a Scottish Earl who made his way to South Biddick after defeat at the Battle of Culloden. It features music from award-winning playwright, Neil Armstrong, and a cast of professional actors and members of Arts Centre Washington's Youth Theatre. Follow Arts Centre Washington on Facebook to watch the webcast. More information can be found at: artscentrewashington.co.uk

Sunderland Specialist Stop Smoking Service opened its doors in April last year and since then, has been helping smokers stub out the habit for good. With online tips, free apps and face to face support there’s something for everyone – and the key to success is to keep trying. Check out our top ten quitting tips below! 1. Get support - you’re more likely to succeed if you quit with specialist support and stop smoking aids. Sunderland Specialist Stop Smoking Service is available to help anyone in the city who wants to quit. 2. Never quit trying to quit – don’t be put off by previous quit attempts that may not have worked for you, think of these as a stepping stone! Different ways of quitting work for different people. 3. Feel less stressed - you might think smoking relieves stress, but it can make stress worse. Smoking only reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms, similar to the symptoms of anxiety, but it does not reduce anxiety or deal with the underlying causes. 4. Consider using a quit aid - give yourself the best chance and use a quit aid such as nicotine replacement therapy like patches and gums, or a stop smoking medication prescribed by a GP, pharmacist or other health professional. 5. Switch to e-cigarettes – as they don’t contain tobacco they are considered much less harmful than cigarettes. The significant health problems are caused by other components in tobacco smoke and not by the nicotine. 6. Use free online support – there are lots of interactive apps and tools to help you quit. Download resources such as the Smokefree app onto your phone to help you make a plan or just have support whenever you need it. 7. Think of your health - tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals which can cause many diseases, including cancer, heart and lung disease. Your body will feel the health benefits after just 20 minutes of quitting. 8. Think of how much money you could save – someone smoking 20 cigarettes a day can expect to pay more than £3,200 a year, £250 a month and £63 a week. 9. Involve family and friends – their support can go a long way. If your partner smokes, why not quit together? 10. Avoid triggers – try to recognise when you are most likely to want to smoke, and learn how to manage those situations. Research shows you’re more likely to succeed if you quit with specialist support, so if you want to stop smoking give us a call. Call 0191 567 1057 or freephone 0800 169 9913 for more information or visit stopsmokingsunderland.nhs.uk