The Midlands has a wealth of art galleries and museums hosting a range of fantastic exhibitions - both permanent and temporary. Here's a selection of what's showing across the region. 

DESIGNING TERRY PRATCHETT'S DISCWORLD

Exhibition celebrating 30 Years of Paul Kidby’s Illustration

This brand-new exhibition displays the artwork of Paul Kidby - Terry Pratchett’s ‘artist of choice’ for his Discworld books. 

Explaining why he selected Paul, the late author once said: “He sees things my way about 75 per cent of the time, which suggests either mind reading is happening or that my vision of my characters is really rather vague until I see his drawings.”

The exhibition includes colourful paintings, ‘exquisite’ pencil drawings, ‘and a rogue’s gallery of favourite Discworld characters’.

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, until Sunday 4 January

COMMODITIES: SCULPTURE & CERAMICS BY RENEE SO

Hong Kong-born artist Renee So’s latest exhibition may well be a game changer in terms of how Compton Verney’s world-renowned collection of Chinese Bronzes is viewed... Specialising in darkly playful ceramic sculptures, Renee’s work explores how perceptions of history can be distorted, re-fashioned and changed, asking the question: ‘How do we create the new stories that we tell ourselves today?’

Compton Verney, Warwickshire, until Sunday 8 March

JESUS & THE POPE BY ROBBIE WILLIAMS

Burslem-born Robbie Williams has teamed up with local ceramic design brand 1882 Ltd to transform two of his ‘inkling’ drawings into abstract works of art depicting Jesus and The Pope. 

The superstar singer’s technicolour pieces sit alongside a collection of works donated by 60 of the UK’s leading artists, architects, designers, musicians and creative polymaths. 

The artworks have been transformed into plates by the Barlastan-based company and are being auctioned off to fund an apprenticeship scheme. 

Publicising the show, Robbie said: “I’m from the Potteries, Burslem born & bred. Clay built our city. We are of the earth - we are earthy people.”

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, until Sunday 7 December

THE OFFBEAT SARI

“The idea for the exhibition came from a desire to challenge the way that South Asian culture is conventionally depicted - as being timeless, or rigid in the colonial or post-colonial past.” 

So explains Priya Khanchandani, who has curated this major exhibition. The show celebrates the contemporary sari and brings together a selection of striking garments designed, worn and crafted by people from India. “I wanted to showcase South Asia as a culture in the process of evolution, and one which is as relevant to contemporary fashion as anywhere else.

“MAC is a fantastic place to present the exhibition. Its artistic programme reflects and represents the cultures of the city of Birmingham, and I think the show will resonate with Brummies of South Asian heritage in a meaningful way.”

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC). Birmingham, until Sunday 2 November

THROUGH THEIR EYES: 80 YEARS ON

Marking this month’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, Through Their Eyes is part of the National Memorial Arboretum’s The Year Was 1945... project. The initiative comprises displays, events, services, talks and tours, its aim being to share the stories of those who served during wartime. 
Through Their Eyes has been produced by the Royal British Legion, the UK’s largest charity solely dedicated to supporting the needs of the Armed Forces community.  

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, until Sunday 16 November

DIPPY IN COVENTRY: THE NATION'S FAVOURITE DINOSAUR

The Natural History Museum’s iconic Diplodocus cast - life-size, made of plaster-of-paris, and affectionately referred to as Dippy - has taken up residence in Coventry for an initial period of three years. 

Diplodocus carnegii, to give it its official name, lived during the Late Jurassic period, somewhere between 155 and 145 million years ago. Huge, plant-eating dinosaurs with long, whip-like tails, they grew to about 25 metres in length and are believed to have weighed around 15 tonnes, making them three tonnes heavier than a London double-decker bus. 

Dippy first arrived in London in 1905 and recently visited Birmingham as part of an eight-city tour that attracted a record-breaking two million visitors.

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, until Tues 21 February 2026