About us

Lowry empowers and brings communities together by using creativity as a vehicle for social change. Its arts, employability, and community programmes are a lifeline to thousands of young people who are underserved, stigmatised and excluded.

In 2022/23 alone, 22,000 people took part in Lowry’s participation programmes. These offer transformative experiences that harness creativity, enabling young people to develop the tools to overcome life’s barriers and build their own futures. Lowry believes that sustained investment in artist development brings results and has made a values-led decision to commit resources over an extended period to developing artists, giving them the resources they need to make new work. It is also committed to deep-rooted connections with arts organisations, local businesses and schools, charities, voluntary groups, corporate sponsors, local authorities and the wider creative sector.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Over two thirds of visitors (68%) felt their visit to Lowry gave them a deeper understanding or appreciation of the arts, rising to three-quarters (75%) of those with special access needs. 61% felt inspired to be creative.

ARTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Lowry’s flagship programme for long-term, in-depth creative engagement. The programme connects with young people experiencing adversity, providing them with the support and opportunities to explore their own self-expression and creativity alongside high quality artists, learning new skills, improving their wellbeing, reducing social isolation and anxiety, and accessing potentially life-changing opportunities.

SPEAK UP & NATIONAL THEATRE CONNECTIONS

A partnership with the National Theatre working with Greater Manchester secondary schools. It connects young people and teachers with local artists, co-creating artistic responses to issues that are most important to them and challenging the world that they live in.

There have been over 8,500 attendances at Speak Up sessions and events with over 1600 young people. Lowry also hosts The National Theatre Connections festival, presenting performances by young people with the support of professional artists and writers.

SCHOOLS OUTREACH AND CREATIVE EDUCATION

Lowry runs multiple projects to increase local schools’ abilities to deliver impactful creative education. In 2022/23 these programmes reached 10,221 participants and delivered around £3.2 million in social value benefits to local schools and students.

The Creative Learning programme supports schools to experience sessions with artists and professionals which promote creativity, confidence and build transferable skills. The Teachers Network brings teachers together to discuss the challenges schools face and how Lowry’s offer can be shaped in response.

Lowry has also engaged thousands of children through arts challenges and competitions, like the Creative Writing Challenge and The Copley Prize, an annual art competition for primary children.

A CULTURAL AND URBAN REVOLUTION

The creation of Lowry was one of the first attempts in the UK to place a cultural institution at the heart of a social and economic regeneration project and since it opened in 2000, Lowry has been the heart and soul of an area which has dramatically transformed over its lifetime.

Shining a light for arts and culture in the heart of Salford, it is a space for everyone and the most visited cultural attraction in the North West. Yet Lowry’s contributions to Salford, Greater Manchester and beyond extends far beyond the realm of the arts.

From attracting visitors and tourists to Salford, generating employment opportunities and kickstarting the development of MediaCity and the wider area, Lowry has provided a sense of belonging and the foundation for new opportunities.

It is the home of some of the UK’s most exciting creative, tech and media organisations, from incubators and start-ups to established businesses such as Ericsson and Kellogg’s. Most importantly, Lowry is the beating heart of a re-energised place for happier, more skilled and confident communities.

THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF LOWRY

By stimulating the rebirth of Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, Lowry has brought with it the creation of a new economy. The positive effects on local businesses, employment opportunities, and the overall vibrancy of the region underscore the vital role cultural institutions play in fostering a thriving local economy. Lowry has a disproportionately significant impact in terms of its economic contribution. It supports nearly 650 jobs nationally and generates around £48 million GVA annually, all of which is delivered with unusually low levels of public funding. While the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on visitor numbers in its first two years (after re-opening between 2020-2021), Lowry has since seen an increase in visitors to 940,000 in 2023/24, and is thriving. The Quays regeneration offers a blueprint for successful regional regeneration and today contributes £1.3 billion in GVA to the economy, 99% more than in 2001.