HOME (Manchester)

HOME (Manchester)
Leonv010 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	HOME
Established	2015
Type	Centre for international contemporary art, theatre and film
Location	Manchester, England

HOME (Manchester) HOME is a centre for international contemporary art, theatre, and film located in Manchester, England. Opened in 2015, it emerged from a partnership between cultural organisations and municipal institutions to create a multidisciplinary venue linking visual arts, performance, cinema and learning. HOME positions itself within networks that include regional galleries, national theatres, independent cinemas and universities across the United Kingdom and internationally.

History

The organisation was founded through collaboration between Manchester City Council, Cornerhouse (Manchester), and Library Theatre Company with support from cultural funders and private donors. The project development involved planning consents with English Heritage and coordination with local regeneration initiatives around First Street, Manchester and the Oxford Road Corridor. During its inception phase, HOME engaged architects, funding bodies and stakeholders including the Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, and philanthropic partners. Launch programming featured commissions and partnerships with British Council, British Film Institute, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester International Festival, and touring artists from institutions such as Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art (New York), and Serpentine Galleries.

Architecture and Facilities

The building occupies a mixed-use site in central Manchester and was designed to integrate performance spaces, gallery galleries and cinema auditoria. Facilities include two flexible theatre studios, multiple gallery spaces suitable for installations and exhibitions, and several cinema screens programmed for independent, archive and international film seasons. Support spaces comprise production workshops, rehearsal rooms, education studios, a bookshop, and a bar-restaurant that hosts events and festivals. The design references best practice exemplars such as Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, National Theatre, and recent European cultural hubs like Kunsthalle Zürich and Centre Pompidou-Metz.

Programming and Productions

HOME programmes contemporary visual art exhibitions, new writing and devised theatre, international and repertory cinema, and live events that often involve collaborations with national and international companies. Production partnerships have included Royal Court Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Clean Break, Complicité, Shakespeare's Globe, and Punchdrunk. Film programming has featured retrospectives from Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Akira Kurosawa, and collaborations with festivals such as BFI London Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival satellite events. Gallery exhibitions have presented work by artists associated with Yayoi Kusama, Ai Weiwei, Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor, and emerging international artists who have shown at Venice Biennale and Documenta. HOME commissions new plays, dance works and interdisciplinary projects that have toured to venues including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Norwich Theatre Royal, Bristol Old Vic, and European festivals like Avignon Festival and Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

Community Engagement and Education

HOME delivers participatory programmes, workshops and outreach that connect with local communities, schools and higher education partners. Educational collaborations include projects with Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester, Royal Northern College of Music, and local colleges to provide training, internships, and research residencies. Community initiatives have partnered with organisations such as Manchester Refugee Support Network, Groundwork (charity), Age UK, and youth arts providers including Youth Theatre Arts Trust and Streetwise Opera. Cinema and gallery learning programmes run in association with British Film Institute education schemes and national cultural education initiatives, while artist residencies engage practitioners previously in residence at Rijksakademie, Yaddo, and Cité internationale des arts.

Governance and Funding

HOME operates as a charitable organisation with a board of trustees drawn from the arts, business and civic sectors, reporting to funders and stakeholders including Arts Council England, Manchester City Council, and philanthropic foundations. Income streams combine public subsidy, ticket sales, commercial hires, donations, and corporate partnerships; major supporters have included private benefactors, cultural trusts and grant-making bodies such as Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, and European cultural funding networks. Governance arrangements mirror sector practice seen at institutions like Tate Modern and National Theatre, with strategic planning that aligns with city-wide cultural strategies and national arts policy institutions.

Reception and Impact

Since opening, HOME has been noted in coverage by cultural press and local media for revitalising parts of central Manchester and broadening access to contemporary art, theatre and film. Reviews and commentary have appeared in outlets that frequently cover the arts such as The Guardian, The Observer, The Telegraph, Time Out (magazine), and specialist journals connected to exhibition and performance studies. HOME's productions and exhibitions have won and been shortlisted for awards including those conferred by Olivier Awards, BAFTA, Turner Prize, and festival prizes at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The organisation has influenced urban cultural regeneration debates alongside projects like HOME Manchester-area developments, and is cited in planning and cultural policy discussions involving regional partners such as Transport for Greater Manchester and Northern Cultural Network.

Category:Arts organisations based in Manchester Category:2015 establishments in England