The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool – 150 years young

When
13 Apr 2026
19:30 - 21:00
Location
Hansom Hall in the Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester LE1 6QL
Spaces left
100

Registration

Guest tickets – £7.00
Guest tickets allow you to attend in person or by Zoom. For this event, it is also possible to pay at the door without purchasing a ticket in advance.
Student Ticket – £3.00
Student tickets allow you to attend in person or by Zoom. For this event, it is also possible to pay at the door without purchasing a ticket in advance.

Image courtesy of the speaker

Joint Lecture with the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery

Sandra Penketh MA

Director of Collections & Research, National Museums Liverpool

Lecture outline

The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, is approaching its 150th anniversary. Now part of the National Museums Liverpool group, it first opened in 1877. Often called the National Gallery of the North, the Walker has a long history of acquiring art for the city, supporting contemporary practice while at the same time building an outstanding historic collection of fine and decorative arts. This lecture will explore some of the key moments in this significant history, considering how the Gallery has developed its collection while remembering its role as the local art gallery. It will also consider how a Gallery founded 150 years ago can remain relevant, young and vital for today’s visitors.

Biographical note

Sandra has been Director of Collections and Research at National Museums Liverpool (NML) since 2024. She has oversight of NML’s seven public venues, their collections and curatorial teams, and the Collections Care and Research departments. She has been a member of NML’s Executive Leadership Team since 2018, responsible for the strategic management of the organisation with 650 staff and over 4 million collection items. Sandra has been involved in several major collection redisplays, capital schemes and over 30 exhibition projects, including three international tours. Sandra joined NML in 1989 as an assistant curator in fine art at the Walker Art Gallery before moving on to work in art galleries education, capital project management and venue management. All at NML.

Sandra studied History of Art at the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, has a Masters Degree in Medieval Studies from the University of Liverpool and a postgraduate diploma in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester.

Attending the lecture

The lecture is open both to members of the Society and to guests.

The lecture will take place in Hansom Hall - how to find Hansom Hall.

Please note that tea and coffee drinks will be available between 7.00pm and 7.15pm before the formal start of the event at 7.30pm.

The lecture will also be streamed on Zoom. A recording of the lecture may be available to members only.