We curate and programme all our creative residencies and visual art exhibitions with a range of partner organisations. Our gallery space Lightbox is open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm; 12pm to 4pm on Easy Saturday family days on the second Saturday in the month; until 10pm on LastFriday street food nights, and admission is free. We also feature artwork in our cafe-bar, courtyard, Print Room (see below) and meeting rooms (see below).
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2020 programme
We aim to support all of the creative industries in our programme and build communities that connect artists, designers and makers - from students and emerging talent, to local, national and international professionals.
This year we have opportunities to showcase work, and organise industry-specific events in the following areas:
February - VR and Gaming
March - Photography and Film
April - Fashion and textiles
May - Design Craft
June - Experimental audio visual
July & August - Summer festivals
September - Art and AI
October - Design Season (multiple fields)
November - Visual Art
December - tbc
If you are a curator or arts/cultural/creative organisation and wish to engage with us around these themes, please get in touch.
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In November 2018 the VEHICLE artist development programme launched, supported by funding from Arts Council England. This has led to
# an installation by Will Hughes in November 2018
see Will Hughes talking about his installation
# a residency by Danni Spooner in January 2019 - watch Danni talking about her residency/bursary in this YouTube video
# a cooking performance Desmond's Republic by Callum Berridge at Last Friday street food night on 22 February 2019
# an experimental musical performance Recursive II : LCB by Anneka at Last Friday street food night on 29 March 2019
# seminars in early 2019 for artists and arts organisations on Creating Opportunities (17 January), Artist Funding with Arts Council England (21 February), and Demystifying Finance (21 March)
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In February 2020 Vehicle announced a callout for Site-Specific Commissions - 5 exciting new commissions for new and emerging talent to take over spaces in the Leicester’s Cultural Quarter and display work to a public audience. Apply by 4 March 2020 - see www.vehiclearts.uk
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See our Events Diary for upcoming and current creative residencies and exhibitions.
Each year we award prizes to works in the annual open exhibition at Leicester's New Walk Museum & Art Gallery.
At the Open 30 exhibition (14 December 2019 - 24 January 2020) we awarded LCB Showcase Prizes to Ali Carpenter-Hughes, Steve Sadler, and Kate Jackson. Their work will feature in our meeting rooms : Old Gallery (Kate), Garden Room (Steve) and Courtyard Room (Ali), throughout 2020.
Ali Carpenter-Hughes (The Sleeping Queen, above)
Steve Sadler (above)
Kate Jackson (The Sid James Car Park, above)
The Print Room
LCB Depot is also home to the Print Room, Leicester Print Workshop's showcase at LCB Depot for its members' work. It is open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm. The Print Room is sometimes used for meetings, so please call us on 0116 261 6800 to check availability before making your visit.
Street art/wall art at LCB Depot
Through our partnership with Grafffwerk and the Bring The Paint festival, we sport some outstanding street art on the walls of our building.
On our front facade in Rutland Street with have a stunning stylised photorealist image - the man with the beard, a friend of the artist - by internationally renowned Australian artist SMUG.
Along the 'cherry pie' wall inside our rear entrance from Colton Street is Griff Jam which celebrates pioneers of traditional UK letterform : a juxtaposition of lettering by UK kings KOST, DRAX, NOIR and ZOMBY alongside Leicester's own surreal artist MONO.
In our courtyard above the cycle shelter is a blue piece by Munich-based pioneer and founder of the legendary ABC crew, WON. Here he demonstrates his original dark comic style approach to imagery with a unique celebration of popular culture heroes and villains.
Look out for the murals refresh of our Cherry Pie wall, and the new mural on the front of LCB Depot following the 2019 Bring The Paint festival. The next Bring The Paint is due in 2021.
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See 41 Rubens - wall tiles by Fiona Meagher and Paul Reilly installed in February 2017 in our courtyard (detail, above)
Other local exhibition venues
Leicester's Cultural Quarter
Phoenix film and digital media centre in Midland Street LE1 1TG - home of the DMU Cube digital arts space
Curve theatre in Rutland Street LE1 1SB
Leicester Print Workshop at 50 St George Street LE1 1QG [open Tues-Sat 10-5; Weds 10-8]
Two Queens Studios in Queen Street LE1 1QW
StudioName 2 Brougham Street LE1 2BA
Also in Leicester
Attenborough Arts at the University of Leicester LE1 7HA
Leicester Gallery at De Montfort University Leicester's largest gallery space
Bishop Street Methodist Church LE1 6AF - Art At The Chapel art & spirituality project
The Y Theatre at the YMCA in East Street LE1 6EY - Art in the Bar exhibition space
Little Theatre Dover Street LE1 6PW - The Little Gallery
Wingates Gallery 27 Loseby Lane LE1 5DR (formerly Oberon Gallery)
Urban Antidote Silver Walk, St Martin's Square LE1 5EW
The Marvellous Art Gallery 14 Belvoir Street LE1 6QH
Hub 16 Belvoir Street LE1 6QH
Deacon Street Arts 20 Deacon Street LE2 7EF
Leicester Society of Artists Promoting art and artists in Leicester since 1882
Leicester Sketch Club was set up 1898 as a group where members could go out sketching and painting and meet once a month to have their work critiqued by an experienced artist
Knighton Lane Artists Group is a cooperative providing affordable spaces for local artists in the Leicester area
Leicester Art Week is an annual visual art festival produced by Leicester Visual Arts, presenting an exciting programme of exhibitions, events and commissions across the city in November.
See further exhibitions, including the annual open exhibition, and events at the Leicester Museums and Galleries website : see what's on at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, The Guildhall, Belgrave Hall, Newarke Houses, Jewry Wall, and Abbey Pumping Station.
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Support for the visual arts
Arts Space Leicester explores the scope and practicalities of creating an affordable, multi-functional arts space in the city centre for use by a wide variety of creatives
Contemporary Visual Arts Network, East Midlands is part of the national Contemporary Visual Arts Network which supports Arts Council England’s ten year strategy to strengthen the national visual arts sector.
Creative Leicestershire supports contemporary artists and creative businesses in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. It also runs Made in Leicestershire - a showcase for the rich range of handcrafted work by local artists and designer makers.
Visit the website of Arts Council England's Midlands Office