Turner on Tees programme will celebrate region’s creativity

A major programme of exhibitions is being held across the Tees Valley in 2026-27 to accompany the Turner Prize being hosted at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.

The Turner on Tees programme which runs from July 2026 into early 2027 will nurture and celebrate the Tees Valley’s extraordinary creativity.

The major series of exhibitions and creative programmes is being held at Hartlepool Art Gallery, Redcar Palace, Darlington Library Gallery and ARC in Stockton-on-Tees, plus The Auxiliary and MIMA in Middlesbrough. It incorporates work created and curated by the venues themselves, plus expertise from MIMA, Tees Valley Arts, Creative Darlington and Black Creatives & Arts Network (BCAN). The programme will also include exhibitions and activities at Preston Park Museum & Gardens and at the Dorman Museum.

Turner on Tees runs parallel with the Turner Prize 2026 exhibition at MIMA, which showcases work by the four internationally known artists who have been chosen as finalists for this year’s prize. The Turner Prize, organised by Tate, is one of the world’s pre-eminent prizes for contemporary art and is named for the painter JMW Turner, whose work was seen as controversial and groundbreaking in his lifetime. The Turner Prize 2026 exhibition opens at MIMA, which is part of Teesside University, in September and runs to the end of March next year.

Turner on Tees, which is supported by Arts Council England, MIMA and Teesside University, is part of The Next Wave: Creativity Rising. The Next Wave is an ambitious strategy to build and sustain culture, confidence and creative ambition across the Tees Valley, creating a legacy that will follow the Turner Prize exhibition.

Middlesbrough has been longlisted for City of Culture 2029, with the shortlist due to be announced in the autumn. If Middlesbrough wins, it will receive significant government investment to plan a year of cultural and creative events. Middlesbrough’s plans will build from Turner on Tees, creating a programme that spans the Tees Valley, with a working title Culture on Tees.

Visitors to Turner on Tees will have the chance to see and experience work by artists with strong connections to the Tees Valley. This includes artists and curators who have established their careers and those who are emerging as new talents. The series of exhibitions is supported by a programme for young people, schools and communities to ensure that every child in the Tees Valley can connect with this once-in-a-generation moment.

Dr Laura Sillars, Director of MIMA and Dean of Culture & Creativity at Teesside University, said: 'We work and live in a region full of invention and ideas. The Turner on Tees programme will nurture that extraordinary creativity for the future of our region and for our new generations, alongside the world-famous Turner Prize exhibition at MIMA.'

Jane Tarr, Director North and Director, Skills and Workforces at Arts Council England, said: 'The Next Wave: Creativity Rising is an investment in the great potential of the Tees Valley and all its people and communities. Beginning with Turner on Tees and the Turner Prize 2026, it will inspire thousands of people to engage with contemporary art and with creative thinking across very diverse contexts and at world-class levels.'

Full dates and details of Turner on Tees programmes will be available in July from the galleries and museums and at the link below.

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