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300 Facts

Bluecoat's fascinating history revealed

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In 2015, Anne Harild worked with Bluecoat's learning disabled group, Blue Room, on We Approach, a colonnade-like sculpture for the courtyard, inspired by the building.

2015

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In 2002, Bill Drummond brought his How To Be An Artist project to Bluecoat. It consisted of a Richard Long photograph cut into 20,000 pieces, to be individually sold.

2002

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In 1997, to mark 30 years since The Beatles' Sgt Pepper LP, with its iconic cover by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, Bluecoat created a new tableau of cut-out heroes in its gallery for an exhibition titled It Was Thirty Years Ago Today.

1997

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Bluecoat exhibited rarely-seen posters from behind the Iron Curtain in a 1981 exhibition of Czech posters, curated by Gérard Mermoz.

1981

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Art in Chaos was a richly layered solo exhibition at Bluecoat in 1990 by John Hyatt, singer of Leeds post-punk favourites, The Three Johns.

1990

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Black Art: Plotting the Course was one of several exhibitions curated by Eddie Chambers that Bluecoat hosted in the 1980s/90s. A collaboration between Bluecoat, Oldham and Wolverhampton Art Galleries, it featured 27 artists, including Nina Edge, Tam

1989

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Holly Warburton's installation in the Oratory at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral was Bluecoat's contribution to nationwide TSWA 3D public art project in 1987.

1987

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Jarrow's Bede Gallery exhibition, The Gibbeting of William Jobling, toured to Bluecoat in 1975, bringing to life a macabre Geordie story.

1975

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On 25 July 1800, 107 children ran away from the Blue Coat School. 194 years later, artist Susan Fitch reflected on this with an installation of small paper coats, painted blue, on the courtyard railings.

1800

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Juginder Lamba's 1995 solo exhibition of wood carvings From the Wood, following his residency at Liverpool John Moores University, extended into the Bluecoat garden.

1995

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The 1995 exhibition, Science Friction: Art from Cologne, was one of a series of exchanges Bluecoat organised with BBK Gallery in Liverpool's German twin city of Cologne.

1995

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The Art School became part of Liverpool Polytechnic in the early 1970s, and in July 1975 sculpture students from the fine art department there exhibited in the Bluecoat garden. It was the first of many outdoor art displays in this city centre oasis, while

1975

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In July 2008, leading deaf and disability arts organisation DaDaFest moved into Bluecoat, becoming part of its creative community and presenting much of its programme at the venue.

2008

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A substantial solo exhibition at Bluecoat in 1995 by Liverpool-born Chila Burman, 28 Positions in 34 Years, representing her diverse practice interrogating cultural identity and political issues, toured to UK venues.

1995

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Whistler's work was shown at Bluecoat for the 2014 Liverpool Biennial and included recreation of his controversial Peacock Room.

2014

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In 2011, Mark Anstee installed Removed and Destroyed Without Warning, a 12m long submarine made from wood, paper and wax, in Bluecoat's tall Vide space.

2011

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US jazz legend Sun Ra brought his Cosmic Love Arkestra to Bluecoat for a memorable gig in the upstairs concert hall in 1990.

1990

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Between 1765 and 1771, pupils at the school were employed by Bluecoat treasurer, Jonathan Blundell, to manufacture stockings, a practice ended following concerns by some funders of the school that the children were being exploited.

1700s

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Bluecoat has organised regular participation events for children since the 1980s, including during the 2017 summer exhibition, Abacus.

1980s

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Bluecoat's 2011 exhibition, Honky Tonk, drew parallels between Texas and Liverpool, focusing on the Scouse love of country music and honky-tonk bars.

2011

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New Ends, Old Beginnings in 2008 was one of several exhibitions of contemporary art from the Arab World presented by Bluecoat over three decades.

2008

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Peter Hagerty's 1984 Bluecoat exhibition of photographs, The State, revealed sartorial innovation at this fashionable Liverpool nightclub in Dale Street.

1984

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In July 1932, Liverpool architect and Sandon Studios Society member, Lionel Budden, who had a studio at Bluecoat, gave a talk on “'What we saw in Russia.'

1932

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When Bluecoat was built in the early 18th century, close to the revolutionary 'Old Dock,' Liverpool was a small town of around 8,500 inhabitants..

Early 1700s

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