Exploring the marvellous world of manga!
Make Mine Manga is a free, touring exhibition for anyone curious about manga as well as the avid fan!
Explore the origins of manga in Japan, the creative techniques behind the art and discover the wonder of manga and anime. The exhibition features artwork from incredible creators from Japan and discover today’s generation of award-winning British talents making manga in their own way as part of a truly global comic language.
THE MAGNETISM OF MANGA
The exhibition has been specially created by Paul Gravett, the curator of comic exhibitions across the UK including the British Museum and the Barbican Centre and the author of numerous books about comics and their creators, including ‘Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics’.
Manga has become a pop-culture phenomenon in the UK. Six of the top ten bestselling graphic novelists in Britain are Japanese manga authors.
Make Mine Manga has been touring libraries across the North West and beyond since 2023
Check out these cool manga drawing tutorials & colouring!
Discover this fab collection of short video tutorials and find out how to draw a chibi cat, chibi dog and much more with manga artist Inko Ai Takita!
Check out these ace video tutorials with Chie and find out to draw faces, eyes, hair and more... all in manga style!
Check out our fantastic collection of online and downloadable manga colouring sheets! Cool activities for you to print out and enjoy from Junko Mizuno, Inko and Chie Kutsuwada!
Check out these two cool activity sheets created by Inko for the Make Mine Manga exhbition! All you need to do is download and print the worksheets... you can then create your own manga characters!
Make Mine Manga Exhibition Tour
2025 EXHIBTIONS
Bath Central Library
10th May – 17th June 2025 | Web: baneslibraries.co.uk/make-mine-manga
Alongside the exhibition, the Library will also be running events, offering book lists, a local artist's exhibition and a look at some related items from its Collection. Their dedicated web page about the exhibition is here and you can find details of all the Library's wide range of upcoming events here.
Bradford Literature Festival
27th June – 6th July 2025 | Web: bradfordlitfest.co.uk
Details of venue and associated workshops have yet to be announced.
PAST EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE...
Bolton Central Library
6th June 2023 – 30th June 2023
Crompton Place Shopping Centre, 20-21 Hotel Street, Bolton BL1 1DA
Web: https://www.bolton.gov.uk/directory-record/2/central-library
Manchester Central Library
10th July 2023 – 18th August 2023
St Peter's Square, Manchester M2 5PD
Web: https://www.manchester.gov.uk/centrallibrary
Birkenhead Central Library
4th September 2023 – 30th September 2023
Borough Rd, Birkenhead CH41 2XB
Web: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/find-library/birkenhead...
Crosby Library
16th October 2023 – 18th November 2023
Crosby Road North, Waterloo L22 0LQ
Web: https://sefton.gov.uk/childrens-services/schools-and-learning/libraries/...
St Helens Library
1st December 2023 – 30th December 2023
The World of Glass, Chalon Way E, Saint Helens WA10 1BX
Web: https://sthelens.gov.uk/libraries
Halton Lea Library
15th January 2024 – 17th February 2024
Second Ave, Palacefields, Runcorn WA7 2PF
Web: https://library.haltonbc.info
Huyton Library
4th March 2024 – 30th March 2024
Civic Way, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9GD
Web: https://yourlibrary.knowsley.gov.uk/branches/huyton/
Barrow-in-Furness Central Library
15th April 2024 – 31st May 2024
Ramsden Square, Barrow-in-Furness LA14 1LL
Web: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Kendal Library
Stricklandgate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4PY, UK
2nd September – 18th October 2024
Thought Bubble in Leeds libraries
28th October to 13th December 2024
Make Mine Manga Partnership
Make Mine Manga is a project led by Bolton Library and Museum Services
With: Manchester Central Library, Birkenhead Central Library, Atkinson Public Library, St Helens Library, Halton Lea Library, Huyton Library and Barrow-in-Furness Central Library
In partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival and Manchester City of Literature
Funded by Arts Council England
The exhibition was curated by Paul Gravett
Design by Steve Kerner of Curious Road
Many thanks to the following artists and publishers for their support in making this exhibition possible: Junko Mizuno, Jiro Taniguchi, Eldo Yoshimizu, Takayo Akiyama, Fumio Obata, Kiriko Kubo, Ilya, Yukiko Kai, Hatsu Haru, Hideko Mizuno, Eiko Hanamura, Ueda Toshiko, Matsumoto Katsuji, Kyoto International Manga Museum, Titan, Fanfare and Aquira
In addition, Ed Hillyer (aka ILYA) designed signature idents for the project, used within the basic exhibition materials, largely existing images culled from his MANGA DRAWING KIT: Techniques, Tools And Projects for Mastering the Art of Manga (2006, AmazonUK Affiliate Link)), which has also been published as MANGA ART: Toutes les techniques pour maîtriser l'art du manga (in France), and MANGA ZEICHNEN: Das komplette Set für Einsteiger (Germany) – and from a much earlier exhibit he curated for Whitechapel Ideas Store in 2010 - MANGA UK! MANGA JIMAN! (which means 'having pride in Manga').
Make Mine Manga was part of Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries, a county-wide celebration of Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries from 7 - 11th June 2023.
