A hidden gem, the Crescent Arts Centre may look basic, but this modern venue is a great open space…read morewith everything you need to host an event. Clean, functional and accommodating, I have seen numerous events here from poetry slams to comedy improv shows. It's BYOB too, which is a great addition!

The Crescent Arts Centre is a basic but contemporary looking venue…read more It functions as a community arts centre for the people of Belfast and holds a variety of dance, music, creative writing and visual art / craft classes for all. They also push the boat out by holding a artistic participatory events, exhibitions and performances. The Crescent Arts Centre are also the curators of the City Dance Festival and Belfast's longest running literary festival - Between the Lines. I was there recently for the Trans:mission night, showcasing the best Irish electronica musicians, as part of Belfast's innovative trans festival. I was itching to see Nouveau Noise, from Dublin who play deliciously glitchy and lush electronica. The set up was very relaxed. It was a mere £5 in and BYOB. Everyone in the main room was seated round tables dotted around the venue and chatting away. On stage there were electronica acts playing some really interesting and innovative stuff with some cool visuals being projected behind them. In the middle of the night, there was a drawing competition- where two massive boards were erected each side of the stage and a 'crew' of illustrators and street artists from Dublin had to freestyle a picture, with a Dj playing in the background. It made for such an interesting night. I'm all for Arts spaces opening up their doors to gigs, like Block T in Dublin. And the bring your own booze door policy is always a winner.

I couldn't rate Queen's University any less than 5 stars, simply because I work here. The building…read moreitself is amazing, the surrounding gardens are beautiful and very well kept. It's also very close to Botanic gardens which its nice for lunch time walks. There's so many places in and around the area to go for a coffee, breakfast or lunch and dinner or drinks, spoilt for choice.

beautiful campus Not…read moreas beautiful as Glasgow ;), but still beautiful nonetheless. In all seriousness, it's the main Uni in the North and due to that, it's very hard to get in. Most students go to uni in Liverpool or Glasgow because of that. Go on a stroll through the campus with some nice walking shoes.

Studied here's on the BA Fine and Applied art course. Personally,was a waste of time. Wish I had…read morespent my time and money found something else. The course lacked in tuition and facilities. From what I have heard other courses are better than the one I did. So perhaps look at one of those. The building is pretty nice. Take the elevator as the stairs can be confusing working out where you are. The views from the newly developed building as of 2016 are awesome. The lighting is also great.

THE highlight of my year is ALWAYS the Ulster University (UU) end of year art and design…read moreexhibition. It's a fabulous, free day out where you can wander around the Belfast campus of UU enjoying recent graduate artwork. Also known as Belfast School of Art or The Art College. The building itself is an impressive architectural delight, full of natural light and is warm, welcoming and modern in atmosphere and design. Home to BA, Masters and PhD courses in all areas of design, fine arts, craft and architecture. You can literally see everything here - ceramics, silversmithing, jewellery, sculpture, painting, installation art, graphic design, film, interior and architecture etc. The graduate show is open to the public for approximately a week each June. Wear comfy shoes, as once you're in Belfast School of Art you'll literally spend a full day taking in all the wonderful, exciting and sometimes weird art on display. Most of the art is for sale, so if you fall in love with a piece you might be able to buy it - and who knows - it might even be by a future superstar Artist! Follow on Twitter @BelfastSchArt or via their website to keep track of the dates for the annual student exhibition ~ http://belfastschoolofart.com/

Unique by name and character, this art shop is a treasury of beautiful items including paintings,…read moreillustrations, prints, photos, ceramics, jewellery, scarves, soft furnishings and gifts. Displaying distinctive pieces by established artists and students of Ulster University's Art School, where it is located, this is the place to go if you want to purchase something special. All creations on display are for sale, plus there's the option to commission bespoke artwork. Unique also run occasional art workshops and events, so it's worthwhile keeping an eye on their website/ social media accounts.

Really nice art store with a wide selection of items. Unfortunately, I was only searching for a new…read morejournal, but the journal selection was also quite extensive. 3-4 racks. Massive collection of Leuchtturms and Moleskins if that's what you're into. Would recommend. I grabbed one for a friend from a brand I didn't immediately recognize in a niche color. Staff seemed quite friendly additionally.

Absolutely delighted with my Bradbury Art Store delivery; was able to order over the phone and my…read moreWinsor & Newton art supplies were delivered to me the next working day. Canvas and oil paints - looking forward to using them. Excellent quick service, very helpful staff and great selection of quality art materials. This will help me carry on painting during the Coronavirus lockdown - thank you Bradbury Art, much appreciated.

Queen Street Studios (QSS), now located in Bedford Street instead of Queen Street, is a not for…read moreprofit Gallery and Artists studio space. It provides 23 subsidised studio spaces to Artists working in various mediums. The QSS Gallery also displays contemporary, thought provoking visual art exhibitions all year round. You'll find a range of activities going on including exhibitions, talks and open studio days, which allow the public a chance to walk around the normally closed off studios. I visited QSS during Belfast Open Studios 2015 and was amazed at the fabulous, bright, huge building with art studios spanning 4 floors. We were warmly greeted on arrival by Studios Administrator Brendan O'Neill and Gallery Assistant Aoife Earley, given a warming cup of Suki tea and allowed to explore to our hearts content. The Artists were welcoming, friendly and chatty and it was fascinating to view their personal work spaces and see and hear about their work processes. In particular I loved the studios of Craig Donald, Catherine Davison, Zoe Murdoch, Clement McAleer, Sinead McKeever and Angela Hackett. Unfortunately that's as far as I got, only half way through the second floor. I was on a walking tour of Belfast studios and sadly ran out of time - we had to move on to the next place. However I will return to see more exhibitions in QSS Gallery and am looking forward to next years open studio event when I plan to spend a whole day wandering around QSS. I would highly recommend a visit to QSS to see exhibitions, visit the studio space and purchase a unique art work.

Currently in Bedford Street. Go here if you want to check out some Northern Irish contemporary art…read morework. It is a good location as it is really close to the Dublin Road.

For a few months I came here to attend a cookery course. It's surprising to think that there are…read moresubstantial and well equipped kitchens turning out good food high up in this 60s block, but there are, along with excellent staff. Other courses run here include languages, TEFL, business studies and marketing etc. The Brunswick site is a good central location accessible to people travelling in from all directions but it will all change next year when all the courses are transferred to a new building in the Titanic Quarter. The new campus promises to be state of the art but thanks to educational cuts the number of places may be limited so if you are interested in studying it's advisable to apply early to ensure you get your slot.

This building is to be demolished soon, as BMC will have a new building in conjunction with the…read moreUniversity of Ulster, which will be in York Street on the premises formerly known as the Arts College. This building is part of BMC (formerly BIFHE) and was known, many moons ago, as The College of Business Studies a.k.a. the college of biz.This building would have all the GNVQ and Higher National Diploma courses in business, many of which can serve as a bridge to the second year of a degree in the University of Ulster, as well as being a qualification in their own right. There's a whole range of courses on offer here, and they have a lot of catering courses as well. They also do a lot of part-time courses and Saturday courses, from web design courses to language courses, and photography to cake decorating. Most of the part-time courses are relatively inexpensive, with some as low as around £40. Check out their website and prospectus for upcoming courses

We visited the Ulster Museum after we had done quite a few other attractions and decided to only…read morefocus on one of the displays, namely the section dedicated to the Troubles. Extremely informative and well-presented.

Great museum with a wide variety of things- like a national museum. So many genres, and we got…read moreextra lucky that there was an exhibit of current artists with art for sale. That exhibit was gigantic and impressive. Only downside of the museum was no acoustical/ absorption to buffer the screeching children. It was well worth a visit if you have spare time in Belfast.

I am in no way an art buff. I'm not an art anything in fact. But I do like to have a look around…read morethese places, even just to seem a little cultured to the store assistant who can obviously seen through my nods of appreciation. From the outside it looks a little more commercial to other galleries in the area. It always has advertisements in its windows, stating silly pointless things that you should already expect to find in a gallery (not signs saying 'pretty paintings!' but close enough). The price range clearly shows that the stuff here really is for someone who wants to make a serious commitment. Paying 4/5 hundred pounds for a painting the size of my palm is the biggest commitment anyone can make in my opinion!

Eakin's my favourite art gallery on the Lisburn Road. A lovely little family run gallery spanning…read moretwo floors of a red brick townhouse. Specialists in contemporary Irish art they also have some pieces from the past as well. You'll find a range of Artists' work here including George Callaghan, Brian Ballard, Neil Shawcross, Dean McDowell, Louis le Brocquy, J B Vallely and Terry Bradley amongst others. I always call in for a look when I pass Eakin. Yesterday I visited to view the beautiful, stylised, atmospheric paintings of George Callaghan. His harvest sunset paintings are mesmerising and I adore his 'Purple Haze' landscapes. A beautiful exhibition for this time of year as we near the end of October. Prices vary, ranging from smaller works for a few hundred pounds to larger paintings for a few thousand. If I win the lotto I may one day be able to buy instead of just browse! The owner Brian Eakin is very welcoming and their website's kept fully updated with all current paintings listed. However nothing beats a stroll through Eakin Gallery to see the paintings in the flesh.