Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending August 17 2008.
15.08.2008 - Tomatoes will give gardeners delight this weekend at Wimpole Hall
Tomatoes are taking over the gardens at National Trust’s Wimpole Hall, near Cambridge, during this weekend (August 16 and 17) with the eighth annual Tomato Festival which runs from 10.30 to 5.00 pm.
Over 50 varieties of the humble, and not so humble, tomato will be on show, all of which are grown in the Hall’s walled kitchen garden. While this is an immense number, it is just a tiny selection of the 7,000 varieties in the world of Solanum lycopersicum.
Tasting, guessing the weight and learning about the history of tomatoes will be among the many activities on offer during the weekend.
Stallholders at the event will include the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens who will be promoting their National Plant Collections. The National Trust’s Wicken Vision Project team will also be on hand to talk about ambitious plans to create a new nature reserve in the county.
15.08.2008 - Brontë tree to be preserved as modern sculpture
A felled Cypress Pine, believed to have been planted by Charlotte Brontë, will live again, this time as a sculpture.
The Brontë Parsonage Museum has engaged artist Dominic Clare to work through the day on Friday August 22 at the parsonage. Visitors will be able to look on as the tree is transformed into a work of art. This will then be displayed at the parsonage as part of its contemporary arts programme.
The tree, one of a pair believed to have been planted at the parsonage by Charlotte and Arthur Bell Nicholls as part of their wedding celebrations in 1854, had to be felled earlier this year due to disease. However, a seedling was taken before it was cut down and this has now been replanted on the same spot.
14.08.2008 - First British open-air folk museum celebrates 70 years
This month marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of the first open-air folk museum in Britain at Cregneash on the Isle of Man. To celebrate, the village will be hosting an event on August 24 showcasing traditional crafts.
Harry Kelly’s Cottage at Cregneash was given to the Manx Museum after his death in 1935. The cottage became the nucleus of the Manx National Folk Museum which opened to the public in 1938.
A fluent Manx speaker and crofter-fisherman, Harry Kelly’s lifestyle is reflected in the furnishings and trappings left in the cottage, all of which were also donated.
The anniversary is also being celebrated with an exhibition at the museum called ‘Home is…’ This includes displays about Harry Kelly and the founding of the museum. It will additionally feature many contributions from the public who were asked to design miniature fantasy or favourite rooms in shoe boxes.
14.08.2008 - Design Museum announces 2008's resident designers
The Design Museum, London, has announced the list of this year’s contributors to their Designers in Residence exhibition.
The defining theme for 2008 involves focusing on those emerging designers who are taking experimental approaches to design.
Now in its second year, the exhibition is seen as a springboard into the design world. Museum Director, Deyan Sudjic, said: “This is an opportunity for the Design Museum to embrace new talent and enables the museum to engage with young designers. It also celebrates the dynamism and potential of a range of designers at the beginning of their careers.”
The final exhibition will run from September 10 to October 27 2008 as part of the London Design Festival.
The designers are: Tom Drysdale, Matthew Falla & Lea Jagendorf, Jethro Macey, Adrian Westaway & Ben Storan, Freddie Yauner and Sarah Angold. Sarah's work is funded by the Tallow Chandlers’ Company.
One of last year’s Designers in Residence, Chris O’Shea, will be chairing a discussion on September 19 at the museum as a part of the exhibition and festival.
14.08.2008 - BALTIC appoints new Director
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art have announced the appointment of Godfrey Worsdale as their new Director.
Godfrey joins BALTIC with over 15 years of experience in gallery management and programming - most recently as Founding Director of mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, the £14.2 million gallery located in the heart of Middlesbrough town centre.
"He has built a very impressive reputation within the UK art scene and internationally as well as being a passionate supporter of visual arts in the North East," said BALTIC Chairman Sir Ian Wrigglesworth.
"He combines skills in management and creative programming, having directed two galleries and been Head of Museums and Galleries at Middlesbrough Council where he was responsible for the development and successful launch of mima."
He will take up the position at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in November 2008.
13.08.2008 - Armouries Orc runs amok in Leeds City Centre
A terrifying Orc, from the blockbusting Lord of the Rings film trilogy, was let loose in Leeds yesterday to promote The Royal Armouries' big summer exhibition ‘Arms and Armour from the Movies: The Wonderful World of Weta’.
The Royal Armouries is showcasing weapons and armour from some of the biggest Hollywood films of recent years including The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Prior to his promotional engagement the Orc (pictured) dropped in at a hair salon for a quick spruce-up before spreading terror amongst shoppers in the city centre.
13.08.2008 - Talented young artists rewarded at Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton & Hove Museums have given two talented young competition winners the chance to have their work displayed alongside established artists in the Fine Art gallery at Hove Museum.
The two winners aged 10 and 12 entered the Fabulous Flowers art competition which was part of Gardens Week at The Royal Pavilion.
They were inspired by the Royal Pavilion gardens to create stunning images of flowers, plants and open spaces. Their works were picked from about 60 entries, and will be on display at Hove Museum & Art Gallery from September 2 2008 until early 2009.
12.08.2008 - Steve McQueen's Queen and Country goes to Liverpool for Biennial
The Art Fund is bringing Queen and Country, official war artist Steve McQueen’s commemoration of British servicemen and women who have lost their lives in the conflict in Iraq, to St George’s Hall as part of the Liverpool Biennial.
Queen and Country is a collaboration with the families of the deceased and takes the form of a series of postage stamp sheets featuring photographic portraits of individual men and women who have lost their lives in the conflict so far.
The stamps are facsimiles and the artist hopes that an official set of stamps will eventually be issued by Royal Mail.
Visitors will be invited to support Steve McQueen’s vision and sign The Art Fund’s petition asking Royal Mail to issue the stamps. Visit www.artfund.org/queenandcountry for more information about this campaign.
12.08.2008 - More military records go online at the National Archives
For the first time, visitors to the website of the National Archives can now search and download the medal index cards of more than 20,000 soldiers who served in the Indian Army during World War One.
The cards record the soldiers who were entitled to, or made a claim for, campaign medals - in particular the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
The National Archives has also added the facility to search and download service records of officers who served in the Royal Navy.
These records were kept by the Admiralty from the 1840s and record service for warrant officers joining the Royal Navy up to 1931 and commissioned officers joining the service up to 1917, including King George VI.
12.08.2008 - Museum of Kent Life introduces more animals into its adoption scheme
The Museum of Kent Life has just introduced four new members of its farmyard family into its Adopt an Animal Scheme.
Bella, the shire horse, Gordon, the grumpy goose, Fawn, the golden Guernsey goat (pictured) and Bruce, the male pigmy goat, have recently joined the other ten animals at the farm available for adoption.
Adopting an animal makes an ideal gift and for a one-off donation of only £20 you can help keep these animals fed, watered, cleaned and well-housed for a year.
For more information about the Adopt and Animal Scheme, contact the museum on 01622 621242 or vist www.museum-kentlife.co.uk then go to 'About Us' followed by 'Adopt and Animal'.
12.08.2008 - Tate launches first UK gallery tour for iPod touch and iPhones
People who own an iPod touch or iPhone can now take them along to Tate Liverpool this summer and download a free multimedia tour of the Gustav Klimt exhibition.
The tour provides a wealth of information about Klimt’s art, life and times, featuring photographs of Klimt and his circle as well as music of the period, archive film recordings, and behind-the-scenes video footage showing how the exhibition came together.
Developed by Tate Media, the tour is the first in a UK museum or gallery of its kind and the latest development in Tate’s Bafta award-winning multimedia tour programme, which focuses on how new technology can be used to enhance gallery visits.
Visitors can access the tour via a Wi-Fi network at the gallery; download it before visiting from Tate’s website or iTunes; or they can hire an iPod touch at the gallery with the content pre-loaded for £3 or £2 for concessions. (Subject to availability - ID required as a deposit.)
12.08.2008 - Orford Ness Lighthouse opens for tours
The National Trust is conducting special tours of the lighthhouse at Orford Ness on Sunday August 24.
Orford Ness National Nature Reserve is well known for its fauna and flora, not to mention its military history, however, less famous is the lighthouse situated at the end of the 16 km spit.
Fully automatic and under remote control from Trinity House Depot at Harwich, the lighthouse opens its doors to the public once a year in a joint venture between Trinity House and The National Trust.
'To the lighthouse’ takes place on Sunday August 24. Bring your own food and drink, wear suitable clothing for the weather and don’t forget your binoculars and cameras. Ferries run every twenty minutes from Orford Quay between 10am and 1.40pm; last ferry leaves the Ness at 5pm.
Adults £13 (NT members £11), children half price (minimum height restriction 1 metre). Booking essential: call 01394 450900.
11.08.2008 - Anson Engine Museum joins forces with Beamish
Tim Macaire, one of the Trustees at the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton, Cheshire is working with the curatorial staff at Beamish Open Air Museum on a project to protect and restore part of their engine collection.
The Anson Engine Museum is rapidly becoming recognized as one of the UK's leading specialist museums with the largest collection of engines in Europe including exhibits on loan from the Science museums of Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham and London as well as Beamish.
Tim has been working with Beamish curator Chris Scott to develop a restoration strategy for their collection of engines whilst renewing and strengthening the links between the two collections.
11.08.2008 - Chirk Castle Yew hedges help in fight against cancer
Historic Yew hedges at Chirk Castle are making a contribution to the fight against cancer as they are once again due for their annual clipping.
The trimmings of these beautifully statuesque hedges, which have have stood guard over Chirk Castle for over a century, are to be collected by a company that transports them to laboratories where a naturally occurring active compound is extracted and used in the production of established anti-cancer drugs.
This compound can be obtained by harvesting the bark of some yew trees, but this has the detrimental effect of killing the tree and therefore threatening the Yew population. By giving up their trimmings, the Yew hedges at Chirk Castle are able to contribute to potentially lifesaving drugs whilst maintaining their own beauty and longevity.
The trimming of the Yew hedges is a spectacle in itself, for more information on Chirk Castle and the trimming of the Yews visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk or call on 01691 777701.
11.08.2008 - BALTIC launches art classes for 2 - 4 year olds
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is launching a new series of weekly contemporary art classes for children aged 2 – 4 years.
Launching on September 9 2008, Toddler Tuesday will explore shape, colour and texture using a variety of traditional and non-traditional art materials. The hour long classes will be held in BALTIC’s learning studio and will be taught by members of BALTIC’s Freelance Artist Team.
The toddlers, along with their grown-ups, will be encouraged to let their imaginations run free when exploring each week’s theme. The young artists will be given the opportunity to create their own installations, structures, environments and original artworks using a wide range of medium. Activities are aimed at children aged 2 to 4 years old but sessions are open to all under 4 year olds.
Tickets for Toddler Tuesday can be purchased from the Information Desk on the morning of the class with a maximum of 15 places available per session and toddlers must be accompanied by an adult. Price: £3.00 adult / £3.00 child / £1.50 additional children.
