Two new galleries, with brand new exhibitions open this weekend at The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

One of the free exhibitions focuses on Japanese cartoon art in Japan: Kingdom of Characters.

Mansize 3D models of characters such as Ultraman, Pokémon and Pikachu welcome you into the show which includes over eighty graphics, photographs and films which trace the history of cartoon characters by decade.

Organised by the Japan Foundation, the exhibition takes you inside the world of Japanese characters. Astro Boy, who turns 60 this year, was conceived in the aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Installations, including a fully furnished Hello Kitty bedroom, show how the characters have become commodities in a now billion-dollar industry.

“In the UK we tend to associate Manga and Anime with young people. In Japan though the culture associated with Manga is also embraced by adults to the extent that it forms a realm, or as suggested by this exhibition, a ’Kingdom’ in its own right. ” said Harriet McKay, curator at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

Also new in 2012: The First Moderns: Art Nouveau from Nature to Abstraction; There is Here – photographs from Avi Gupta and Thomas Houseago’s Hemaphoradite is the first in a series of displays in the Sainsbury Centre’s new west end sculpture garden.

The theatre, which had been threatened with closure, says Red Riding Hood marks a new phase in its history.

Read more across in our Features section.

Red Riding Hood is directed by a puppet-maker who started his career here before going on to work with companies such as Spitting Image.

Opening to schools on Monday, the production will run over Christmas before touring the UK. Red Riding Hood has been designed and directed by Peter O’Rourke, a freelance designer, director and puppet maker: “I got my first job in puppetry at Norwich Puppet Theatre; nearly 30 years ago on a production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, so I was very excited to be invited back to direct and design this year’s Christmas show. ”

Red Riding Hood is the first major show produced independently by Norwich Puppet Theatre since 2008. Joy Haynes, the recently appointed Director of Norwich Puppet Theatre, says it signals a new phase in the life of the Theatre: “Norwich Puppet Theatre has been working hard to ensure that it thrives in the future. We are very grateful to the grant bodies, funders, the City and County Councils, businesses and local people who continue to support us. [..]We intend to build on our reputation and experience to become recognised not only as an asset for Norwich and the region but also as a centre of excellence for puppetry nationally and internationally.”

Red Riding Hood opens with a special gala performance on the evening of Saturday 17th December and then runs until Saturday 31th December 2011.

Opening next week, Artshoproject will provide a new venue for artists from Nansa and the wider community to display their work.

An idea that’s taken two years to realise, it was dreamt up by a local social worker, who could see the potential of providing a space to display work as well as retail/gallery experience for young adults with disabilities. The shop will sell a range of art materials including paints, frames and brushes.

As well as selling originals, the team will be able to produce reproduction prints within the store, which they also hope to sell online.

Nansa is a local independent charity set up over 50 years ago, supporting children and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

This year the venue is exploring setting up a new education centre, teaching young people backstage theatre skills.

A feasibility study is being commissioned to look into the idea of an education centre linked to the Theatre Royal. A new centre would build on the educational work already undertaken by the theatre including theatre arts courses, a work experience programme and a bi-annual project where children create an opera from scratch.

The plans come on the back of strong ticket sales, which will help cushion the venue in the current financial climate. In the last financial year the theatre generating a trading surplus of £288,000, all of which will be reinvested in the Theatre Royal.

Chief Executive Peter Wilson said this will be bolstered by a varied programme in the months ahead: “With the help of many donors, principally Norfolk County Council and Norwich City Council, we have created a great theatre that delivers great art for everyone. We do it. We make it happen every day week in, week out.”

It’s the first phase of a four year project which will see major changes at The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

The Sainsbury Centre is seen as one of the most important late modern buildings in Europe, which is why the first phase of the development focuses on The Modern. The Modernisms Gallery will explore themes in modern art and design of the last 130 years, the first of which will be Art Nouveau.

The Next Modern gallery will be dedicated to contemporary practice across all media and will include the work of artists and designers from around the world. The first exhibition will feature the work of American photographer Avi Gupta.

There will also be a sculpture garden and new restaurant and bar. The Modern Life Café will have designer furniture and a “stunning outlook through Foster’s giant windows”.

5 facts about the changes at The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

1.     The Next Modern Gallery is a 100 metre sq. exhibition space with a focus on contemporary art, showing work by emerging and established artists from all over the world.

2.     The Modernisms Gallery is a 392 metre sq. exhibition space on the Sainsbury Centre’s west mezzanine. The exhibitions will look at themes in modern art and design over the last 100 years.

3.     The development has been made possible by an extraordinarily generous donation from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Foundation headed by Lord David Sainsbury.

4.    The Modern Life Café will open until 9pm every day of the week from 4 February 2012.  The winning bid for the catering franchise will be announced in December 2011.

5.    The Sculpture Garden, an area of lawn directly overlooked by the Modern Life Café, will present a changing programme of contemporary sculpture.

The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, will hold an inaugural lecture on Wednesday 16th November 2011, launching another aspect of the development – The Sainsbury Institute for Art (SIfA).

The lecture will take place at the Thomas Payne Lecture Theatre on the UEA campus at 6.30pm. Admission is free and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets are on sale for an evening with TV presenter Griff Rhys Jones, whose ‘fantasy coffin’ is on display at the Sainsbury Centre.

The former ‘Not the 9 O’clock News’ star will be at the Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts next month for a special ‘Audience with…’ event.

The evening coincides with the loan of his fantasy Ghanaian coffin to the Sainsbury Centre. The presenter had his own coffin made up in the shape of a TV camera while filming a BBC series ‘Hidden Treasures of Africa’.

It’s an example of genuine contemporary African art: “At the age of 57 I wasn’t expecting to have to buy my own coffin. We wanted to film the whole procedure for a programme for BBC 2, so I coughed up and now possess my own camera-casket in waiting [..] These coffins effectively send out a worldly message. They are celebratory. It is not a message about ju-ju or spirits or the afterlife or ancestors, but about a life as lived in Africa today. ”

The TV camera coffin is the focal point of a new display about Ga art which runs until Sunday 4th December.

Curator, Harriet McKay added: “Griff Rhys Jones’ generous loan of his personal ‘camera coffin’ makes an important temporary addition to the visual wealth and scholarship of the Sainsbury Centre. Although a superficial reading of Ga coffins might lead them to be seen as quirky, exotic, even fun curiosities, their symbolism and artist content tell a much more profound story.”

The ‘Audience with Griff Rhys Jones’ evening on Wednesday 2nd November is a fundraising event for the Sainsbury Centre. Griff Rhys Jones will talk about his experiences filming the BBC television series Hidden Treasures of Africa and the creation of his ‘fantasy’ coffin in conversation with Sainsbury Centre director, Paul Greenhalgh.

The event includes a two-course meal with wine and music from Norfolk’s Anna Mudeka Band, Tickets are £55 or £75, (£75 ticket includes exclusive drinks and canapé reception with Griff Rhys Jones).  Doors open 6pm with dinner at 7.30pm, call 01603 593199 for more information or to book tickets.

The result of a 2 year restoration project on Norwich’s war memorial and Memorial Gardens has been shortlisted for a national award.

The Royal Town Planning Institute awards choose the best planning projects in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Cllr Brenda Arthur, leader of the City Council, said: “The vision, dedication and quality of work which have gone into this very complex project has been apparent right from the day work began and when I see how well used this space is and how many people spend time there, it’s clear that the war memorial and Memorial Gardens are a credit to our city.

A local photographer is collecting images of people in Norwich for an exhibition running at The Sainsbury Centre. The centre wants people to nominate local people they think should be included.

Andy Crouch has so far taken nearly 50 portraits of people in Norwich from all walks of life, from firefighters to shopkeepers. The Face of Norwich exhibition is inspired by The Face of the Artist: Photographs by John Hedgecoe, which is currently on display at the Centre, which includes portraits of artists and writers, together with figures from fashion design and the stage.

Andy Crouch’s exhibition of local people is already on display in the Link Gallery at the Sainsbury Centre, but will change over the coming months as he takes more photos: “I just want to get loads and loads of photos of local people.” The photos are also available online.

To nominate someone to be included call 01603 592448, email k.houston@uea.ac.uk or visit the Centre’s Facebook page.

The exhibition is the latest in a series arranged in conjunction with Targetfollow Arts to showcase the work of local artists.

Dance – An Exhibition Of Works By The Norwich 20 Group – runs from June 3-July 31.