Derby Museum and Art Gallery

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see. Be curious.” So said Stephen Hawking at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics last year.
This exhibiton brings together objects collected over the past three years through the HLF Collecting Cultures project in partnership with Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and Belper Museum.

In spirit of Hawking, it celebrates and explores the extraordinary period known as ‘The Age of Reason’ or ‘Enlightenment’ in the eighteenth century, a time of curiosity and discovery across many continents and subjects.
Objects as diverse as a salt cellar, a patch box, ceramics, a telescope, minerals, paintings and a cribbage set are woven together to illustrate and explain this vast and fascinating subject.

Contemporary artist Jane Pepper’s assemblages and digital images, based on the Museum’s herbarium collection are concealed within drawers among the natural history collection and incorporated into the display.
Visitors will be encouraged to leave their comments and thoughts about this exhibition.

Suitable for

Admission

Free

Bursting out of the gallery and spilling onto the stairs and surrounding the landings, two of our galleries have been saturated with the work of eleven participating artists; Elisavet Andreou, Paul Holding, Sally French, Carol Harries-Wood, Stephen Elvidge, Lauren O’ Grady, Weixi Lin, Virginie Weiss, Jackie Macrae, Vasiliki Fragkou and Bruce Asbestos.

This year’s artists have approached themes that are wide and varied and the exhibition showcases the ‘edge’ and innovation that infuses their creative practice. The group exhibition includes fragile sculptures, assemblages created from borrowed objects, delicate drawings, photograph and installation, a diverse mix of process and media designed to visually surprise and ignite desire to discover more about the artwork and artists.

Suitable for

• Any age

Within his practice Bruce creates work that exists as short performances or online films, often sliding intrusively into other projects and events. His approach is intrinsically multi-media and collaborative, positioning his artwork firmly in the public domain. This philosophy feeds into and responds to the Social Media Takeaway project where the gallery will be used to present an artwork that is in constant, weekly reinvention.

Social Media Takeaway will be live and active once a week when an episode will be created and filmed in the gallery. The studio will lay dormant, but for the few props and evidence of the event for you to view. The completed episode will be edited retrospectively, with the option of using the ‘green screen’ chroma key technique to change backgrounds and add sections filmed off-site. The resulting film will be screened simultaneously on line and in the gallery space.

Reminiscent of anarchic television shows such as The Word, each Social Media Takeaway episode will include a menu of guest performers, music, games and contributions via Social Media, all tied together by our inimitable presenter Bruce Asbestos.

Suitable for

• 14-15
• 16-17
• 18+
• 11-13
• 7-10

Details: Come and visit the new exhibition space nestled in the heart of the Museum, a place where we hope to delight and inspire you with an eclectic selection of objects. The Visual Poetry of 1001 Objects will profile an amazing 1001 objects in a dynamic presentation, designed to celebrate the diversity of our collection and add visual delight to the museum experience.

Jonathan Wallis, Assistant Head of Museums will be talking about John Whitehurst the Derby clock maker and scientist, who made significant early contributions to geology. Suitable for adults.

Suitable for

• Any age
• Family friendly

When

11am-12pm

Learn about the Sun and Moon, sing some fun songs and take part in some fabulous craft activities.

Suitable for families.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

When

10-11:30am

Admission

Free

Enjoy this special early morning walk through the city as the sun comes up over Darley Park. Finish at the Terrace Cafe for an optional breakfast and refreshments before returning to the museum.

Suitable for

• Any age

When

7:30-9am

Join Lucy Bamford, Keeper of Art at Derby Museums, as she talks about the connections between Joseph Wright and other members of the Lunar Society including John Whitehurst during the exciting age of the Enlightenment.

Suitable for

• Any age

When

11am-12pm

The sun is shining and the flowers are blooming. Colour in your favourite flower and take part in our flower-power trail. Join in the fun! Suitable for families.

Suitable for

• Family friendly
• Any age

When

10-11:30am

Take part in our Time Trail at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Throughout the ‘Time 2013′ season, follow our family-friendly trail around the museum to discover time related objects.

Time 2013 is a programme events across Derby City Centre that celebrates the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Whitehurst a Derby clockmaker, innovator, scientist, geologist & founder member of the Lunar Society.

Suitable for

• 5-6
• 7-10
• 11-13

Admission

50p per trail