Art display an honour

It was a great pleasure for us all to join guests for an early morning preview just before the official opening of the Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing exhibition, now on display at the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.

It was a massive compliment for Sunderland to be selected by the Royal Collection Trust as one of the 12 centres throughout the United Kingdom to show these drawings about a man whose name has been known throughout the world and over the centuries.

Projects throughout the city, including at schools and the university, are planned which are linked to this exhibition being in Sunderland and to mark the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death.

The drawings clearly show his varied interests in, and curiosity of, a vast number of subjects.

For the city it shows, that despite us not being successful in winning the City of Culture Bid for 2021, our name and reputation has been enhanced. To join centres like Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Leeds, Belfast and Glasgow in being chosen to exhibit these drawings is a tribute to the great efforts by those at Sunderland Culture and everyone else involved, who all worked so very hard to make this happen

The four wards mentioned below that we represent as councillors on Sunderland City Council are within the three local Parliamentary constituencies, a massive area.

We strongly recommend to residents of all ages that you take the opportunity to visit this exhibition between now and May 6.

There are other attractions too, so it can easily be made into a very enjoyable family outing. Coun William Blackett, St Chad’s Coun Michael Dixon, St Michael’s Coun Julia Jackson, St Peter’s Coun Dianne Snowdon, Washington Central