Create Portraits

Derby Museum and Art Gallery is running a drop-in family session called Create Portraits on Saturday 13 February, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. It's a chance to make your own portraits, and the starting point is the museum's current hanging show, the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026.

If you've seen the exhibition, you'll know it's all about the portrait — how we see people, how we record them, and the different ways artists tackle the same subject. The session lets you step away from the wall and try it yourself. You'll get to experiment with different materials and techniques, and as you work, you can weigh up the traditional and contemporary approaches of the artists in the museum's collections. It's less about getting it 'right' and more about playing around with how you want to capture a face.

It's a drop-in, so you don't need to be there right at the start if you're running late, and you can leave whenever you're finished. The session is suitable for families, though all children must be supervised and accompanied by an adult. If you've got kids who like to draw or paint, it's a good way to get them into the gallery and working with something they can actually take home.

It runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday 13 February at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of £3.