Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending January 14 2007.

11.01.2007 - Holocaust Survivor to visit Jewish Museum for Holocaust Memorial Day

In recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27 2007) the Jewish Museum, Camden Town is planning a special programme and visit to tie in with the current exhibition Champion of the Child – Janusz Korczak, on show until April 8 2007.

Holocaust survivor and Jewish activist Itzchak Belfer (pictured as a child, above), an Israeli artist who was raised in Korczak’s Warsaw orphanage and featured in the exhibition, will visit the museum to take part in a series of events and work with school and adult groups, sharing his first hand experiences of life in Korczak’s orphanage.

Janusz Korczak (1879 -1942) was a Polish Jewish doctor, educator and renowned author, and one of the world's first advocates of children's rights. The exhibition tracks his rise to status of Polish national hero and highlights his courage as director of a Jewish orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto, from where he went to his untimely death in the concentration camps.

There will also be a unique opportunity to meet Itzchak Belfer at two public events; Empowering the Child – Janusz Korczak’s educational philosophy on January 23 and Living in the Warsaw Ghetto: Reflections of Survivors 60 Years On on January 24. Contact the museum for more details.

11.01.2007 - Rolf's portrait of the Queen to be unveiled at Leicester's New Walk Museum

The portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by Rolf Harris will go on public display at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, from Saturday January 13 until Sunday February 25.

Commissioned by the BBC to mark Her 80th Birthday, the portrait was exhibited last year at Buckingham Palace. During the last two months it has been on public display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh and during 2007 will be exhibited on a tour of selected public galleries in the UK. The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester is the first venue on the tour.

10.01.2007 - Battle of Britain Fire Bell from Biggin Hill goes up for auction

The historic Air Ministry fire bell from the Battle of Britain Fighter Command air station, Biggin Hill, is to be sold at auction by Bonham's in London on January 29 2007.

Engraved with the cipher George V and dated 1937, the bell hung in the airfiled's fire station during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 and would have been tolled daily to herald the return of bruised and battered fighters and to alert the station to enemy attacks on the airfield.

One of the best known of all Fighter Command airfields during the Battle of Britain, Biggin Hill was home to both Spitfires and Hurricanes and was one of the busiest units due its proximity to London. The bell is expected to fetch between £400 and £600.

10.01.2007 - Jeremy Deller appointed Tate Trustee

The Board of Trustees of Tate have announced that 2004 Turner prize winning artist Jeremy Deller is to become a Tate Trustee. The term of appointment will be for four years from 10 January 2007.

Jeremy Deller (b.1966) is a widely exhibited artist who lives and works in London, Much of his work involves collaboration with individuals and groups, often taking folk culture as its raw material, with the aim of drawing attention to activity taking place outside what is conventionally thought of as the contemporary art world.

By statute, three of Tate’s twelve Trustees are practising artists and Deller will join artist Trustees Fiona Rae and Anish Kapoor on the Board.

10.01.2007 - Frankenstein makers of 2001 Space Odyssey suits sought by Manchester Museum

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MSIM) wants to hear from ex-workers of P Frankenstein and Sons Ltd, which was based in East Manchester and was involved in the making of space suits for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Curators want to hear from anyone who knows about the suits’ production for the Histories Revealed project, which aims to gather oral histories from people who worked at companies in East Manchester, or in the textiles industry.

“We are keen to hear from anyone who may be able to tell us their stories of working for Frankenstein’s, and help us reveal the fascinating anecdotes and human stories behind our collections,” said Susie Elliott, project officer for Histories Revealed, “

MSIM already has a 1940s immersion suit blouse made by Frankenstein’s (pictured), constructed from water-resistant cotton fabric designed to protect airmen and sailors from cold Atlantic waters.

10.01.2007 - Art installation reveals the splendour of York Minster's Great East Window

A digital art installation has been installed in York Minster that highlights the ongoing £23m conservation of the venerable cathedral's Great East Window.

Called Recovered Light, the piece consists of a 70ft by 40ft screen that covers the entire east front of the building allowing people to see the window's upper scenes through a series of moving images that work as a kind of X-ray.

The artwork was devised by New York based artist trio, OpenEnded Group, and will run until January 28, every day from dusk until midnight.

09.01.2007 - Eastleigh Museum launches Spitfire community history project

Eastleigh Museum in Hampshire is launching an ambitious project to tell Eastleigh's Spitfire story through the memories, photographs and memorabilia of local men and women.

Last year the Museum celebrated the 70th anniversary of the iconic Battle of Britain fighter with an exhibition that attracted record numbers of visitors. Now the Museum is hoping to capitalise on that interest by asking local people to tell their memories of the warplane.

As well as airfields, the Eastleigh area boasted many workshops that serviced and produced Spitfires and the Museum is keen to hear from anyone who may have worked in them. They are also interested in hearing from everyone from pilots and engineers, to ground personnel and anyone with memories of the Spitfire.

The project will be used to make a local history pack that will be launched in early summer 2007 together with an archive to be kept for future generations. Anyone with photographs, memorabilia or memories is asked to phone Eastleigh Museum on 023 8064 3026.

09.01.2007 - NPG offers a 'night at the museum' for last chance to see Hockney exhibition

Due to popular demand the National Portrait Gallery is to open its current David Hockney exhibition for a special late night opening on Friday January 12.

David Hockney Portraits, which is due to close on January 21 2007, will be open until midnight for the special late night veiwing. Throughout the evening visitors will also be able to enjoy a drink whilst listening to a programme of jazz in the Main Hall.

09.01.2007 - Science Museum goes X-rated for Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day sees the launch of three unique sex-related events at the Dana Centre, the Science Museum's adults-only bar and cafe in the heart of Kensington, London.

Audience members will be able to see stand-up comics and scientists joining forces on February 14 for an irreverent and tantalizing sex quiz featuring artefacts, inventions and objects taken from the storerooms of the Science Museum in London.

On February 22 a Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) whodunnit night will explore gay and lesbian sexual health with leading experts and performers, whilst a final event on February 28 will invite technophiles to text sexologists with any sex-related questions or concerns from orgasms to sex and drugs.

08.01.2007 - Southampton acquires major work by Bridget Riley

Southampton City Art Gallery has just made a major addition to its collection of modern art, by buying a £235,000 painting by leading British artist Bridget Riley.

Red Movement, 2005 will go on public display at the gallery from January 19 2007 as part of a new display of contemporary British art.

"This painting fills a gap and is a wonderful addition to the city's art collection," said Councillor Stephen Sollitt, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture.

"Southampton is proud to own one of the finest public contemporary art collections in the country and I hope many people from near and far will come and see Red Movement alongside our inspiring programme of displays and exhibitions."

The purchase was made possible by funding from The Art Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the David and Liza Brown Bequest Fund. Image: Bridget Riley, Red Movement (detail). Courtest The Art Fund

08.01.2007 - Grant preserves a bit of Dales industrial heritage

The Heritage Lottery fund has given a cash boost to plans to preserve the industrial history of a village in the Yorkshire Dales.

£18,000 has been awarded to the Kettlewell Historic Industries and the Trust Lords Project, a local historical group, to raise awareness of Kettlewell's industrial heritage and to preserve a historic lead smelt mine.

08.01.2007 - Lindow Man to return to Manchester Museum

Lindow Man, the naturally preserved body of an iron age man found in a peat bog on Lindow Moss near Wilmslow, Cheshire in 1984 is to make its third visit to The Manchester Museum.

Currently on display at the British Museum, the body will form part of a temporary exhibition from April 2008 to March 2009 and curators are keen to reflect a range of different points of view in the interpretation of the body.

The views of archaeologists, museum curators, special interest groups, pagans and members of the public are being invited in order to develop sensitive and transparent proposals for the display of the Iron Age man.