Fodor's Expert Review Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC)

Eye-catchingly beautiful, and flooded with light, the Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) is Northern Ireland's flagship home for the arts and energizer of the Cathedral Quarter's flourishing creative scene. Six stories tall, and with two theaters, three art galleries, and artists' studios—along with a café, bar, and restaurant—the MAC is the centerpiece of the neo-Palladian St. Anne's Square development. The MAC makes an astonishing statement with redbrick and dark basalt, oak furnishings, Danish fabric panels, steel balustrades, bronze window frames, and dark-gray terrazzo flooring. Downstairs is a 350-seat auditorium, while upstairs is a 120-seat studio. The galleries present up-and-coming Northern Irish artists as well as attention-grabbing temporary exhibitions incorporating the works of world-renowned artists. The only permanent display is a sculptural artwork by Mark Garry, commissioned by the MAC and the Thomas Devlin Fund, created in memory of a 15-year-old boy killed in an unprovoked attack in North Belfast. Made up of 400 metal wires in the main foyer, it creates a color spectrum through the space with the aim of highlighting the futility of violence. Ushers, known as "MACtivists," are on hand to help point you in the right direction.