Wolverhampton Art Gallery is proud to present Walking with Wolves, a powerful, youth led exhibition that captures the spirit of Wolverhampton.
Opening in the Making Space gallery, this dynamic showcase runs from 21 April to 14 July, 2025, with a special evening launch on 25 April (6pm to 9pm) as part of the Wolves Lates programme.
Co-created by a diverse group of 16 young people, Walking with Wolves is a reflection on their experiences of growing up in Wolverhampton, intertwined with the city’s rich industrial heritage, high street, and architectural landscape. Through art, they envision a hopeful future where young voices shape the city, empty buildings are revived, and community thrives at the heart of Wolverhampton.
Visitors to the exhibition will experience a thought provoking collection of prints, protest boards, videos, and paintings, each piece offering unique insights into the group’s journey. In collaboration with the gallery’s collections team, they have also carefully selected historical objects from Wolverhampton’s past to complement their artwork, deepening the narrative of the city’s evolving identity.
Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “Walking with Wolves is a powerful reflection of Wolverhampton’s past and a bold vision for its future. These young creators have captured the city’s essence through art, challenging us all to rethink what Wolverhampton can be.
“This exhibition is their voice, their movement, and their hope for a thriving, inclusive city.”
Hanouf Al-Alawi, National Outreach Manager at the British Museum, said: “We have been so impressed by the creativity and vision of the young people in Wolverhampton. Their Walking with Wolves exhibition is an incredible achievement and it has been fantastic to see the group’s ideas come to life throughout this project. I hope they will continue to build on this experience going forward and I am excited to see what they will all achieve next.”
This project has been developed as part of the national Where we are… programme delivered by the British Museum and supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The programme works with third sector and cultural partners across the UK to develop meaningful arts and culture projects, aiming to remove some of the barriers to engagement within the cultural sector that young people face.
Throughout the project, these young creators have worked closely with local artists and the Wolverhampton Art Gallery team, gaining invaluable experience in co-producing an exhibition. Their work is not just a showcase of artistic talent, it is a celebration of their collective voice, marking the culmination of their Where we are… journey.