design | stage

The SBTD Directors are delighted to announce a new National Exhibition Project (NEP) entitled design | stage to be held in Coventry in early Spring 2027 with Dana Pinto as our new Curator.

We have secured our venue for the next SBTD national exhibition, design | stage, showcasing the membership’s professional work from 2023–2027. SBTD has previously held physical exhibitions in Sheffield, Manchester, Cardiff, and Nottingham, and we are now delighted to share that we will be heading to Coventry in the Midlands in early Spring 2027.

design | stage will take place in Coventry University’s new space on the top floor of the City Centre Cultural Gateway building (CCCG). This vibrant cultural hub is developing a strong creative and cultural infrastructure that will help reshape the city centre’s identity. The building is currently undergoing renovation, due to be completed by January 2027, with other tenants, including the Arts Council and the British Council, moving onto the third and fourth floors in summer 2026, followed by the Coventry Transport Museum on the first floor and a street food market on the ground floor.

There is space to show a great range of work, including installations, performances, large costumes, puppets and artefacts as well as design process in all its forms. So please start thinking how you would like visitors to encounter your ideas, processes, collaborations and commitment to working sustainably and ethically.

There will be a full colour print catalogue to accompany the exhibition, a range of events and schools programme and we are in discussions as to how work can be shown in follow-on galleries around the UK.

The SBTD is also co-ordinating the UK participation in PQ2027, which will be announced separately.