House of Hexham

House of Hexham is a new international partnership between Queen’s Hall Arts and Kunstverein Zeitz, a vibrant arts organisation based in Zeitz, Germany.

Supported by Cultural Bridge, the project creates new opportunities for creative exchange between artists, freelancers and communities in Hexham and Zeitz, providing space to share ideas, develop new work and build lasting connections across the UK and Germany.

Since the partnership began, we’ve been developing ideas and connections with our partners in Zeitz, exploring what we can learn from each other and how an international creative exchange can benefit both communities.

Welcoming Zeitz to Hexham

In June 2026, we welcomed our partners from Kunstverein Zeitz to Hexham for the first visit as part of the exchange.

We hosted an informal Pizza Party at Queen’s Hall, bringing together local creatives, artists, freelancers, producers, makers and people working in arts and culture to meet the Kunstverein Zeitz team and kick off their visit.

During their time in Hexham, the team also met members of the Hexham Cultural Network, joined a Hexham Heritage Tour, and spent time with the Queen’s Hall Arts team and some of our regular group members.

The visit was an opportunity to share what makes Hexham special, introduce our partners to the people and organisations that make up our creative community, and begin conversations about the similarities and differences between our two places.

Connecting beyond the visits

Out of this initial visit, an online House of Hexham community was launched, bringing together cultural practitioners, artists, freelancers and others interested in the creative life of Hexham, Zeitz and beyond.

The community provides a space to connect, share ideas and opportunities, and continue the conversations started through the project. It is also a place to explore potential collaborations and build relationships that can continue beyond the initial House of Hexham project.

House of Hexham in Zeitz

In August 2026, House of Hexham was presented as part of Zeitz’s annual arts festival, marking an exciting next step in this international collaboration.

Artistic Director Katy Taylor, Engagement Manager Amanda Gould and Visual Art Manager Dominic Smith travelled to Zeitz to meet artists and creative practitioners, explore the city and share more about Queen’s Hall Arts and our creative community in Hexham.

As part of the festival, we shared examples of previous exhibitions and community projects at Queen’s Hall, offering an insight into the breadth of creative work that happens in Hexham.

We took with us work we had commissioned through the two previous Animating Hexham projects. These pieces were exhibited at the Altes Arbeitsamt (the old Job Centre), which had been converted into a multi-room gallery for a large group exhibition. It was fantastic to bring this work and build awareness of these artists to an international audience.

Bringing the innovative Our Freedom project (by artist Emma Tominey), which was also exhibited at the Altes Arbeitsamt, gave us the opportunity to talk about how we work as an organisation, the networks we are part of, and how we connect with hard-to-reach communities through creative exploration and co-creation.

We also presented this film inviting festival-goers to step behind the scenes at Queen’s Hall Arts and meet some of the people who help make what we do possible.

Film credit: Sound Ideas Media

Read our Artistic Director, Katy Taylor’s blog about the visit to Zeitz.

What’s next?

The initial phase of House of Hexham has been about meeting, listening, sharing and exploring the possibilities of an international creative partnership.

Already, these conversations are opening up ideas for what could come next. We’re continuing to explore how relationships between artists, creative practitioners and communities in Hexham and Zeitz can be strengthened, and what new opportunities for collaboration might grow from the connections we’ve made.

Whilst we were in Zeitz, we saw first-hand how much potential there is to forge lasting connections that become meaningful friendships, and new ways of working. We met several artists whose work and practices paralleled those of artists we know in Hexham and the surrounding area. One next step for this project would be to explore how we can resource and support artistic exchanges between the two places in a way that supports creative practice and brings new work to international audiences.

There is still plenty to discover, and we’re excited to see where the partnership takes us next.

Keep checking back for updates on the project, including news about the artists involved, creative exchanges and what’s happening next.

This project is funded by Cultural Bridge, which celebrates bilateral artistic partnerships between the UK and Germany through the collaboration between Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, British Council, Creative Scotland, Fonds Soziokultur, Goethe-Institut London and Wales Arts International / Arts Council of Wales. cultural-bridge.info