What's on at Harrogate Museums!

The Primetime program for Harrogate Museums and Arts launches this week with an exciting program of exhibitions and events - Phone 01423556188 to book tickets to any of the events you are intrigued by!

12th of April to the 12th of October sees Art and Yorkshire From Turner to Hockney come to the mercer Art Gallery - this exhibition will showcase over 100 watercolours, oils, drawings, photographs and sculptures showcasing Yorkshire talent as part of the Le Tour Cultural Festival.

Wednesday 5th February at 2pm - Greek and Cypriot pottery in the Harrogate Collection - An illustrated talk to accompany the new temporary exhibition of Greek and Cypriot Pottery at the Royal Pump Room Museum. Dr Sally White will look at the history of the Kent Collection of Greek and Cypriot Pottery and discuss the making of the exhibition. Cost £5 including admission to the Royal Pump Room that day.

---

Tuesday the 11th of February "The Trap Rebaited" Victorian Mourning Dress. While mourning dress has been worn worldwide for centuries, it was in Victorian England that the practice became both extreme and fashionable, with widows subject to the most restrictive rules of etiquette. This handlins session with Laura Gray will showcase Harrogate's collection of mourning garments, discuss Victorian Mourning practices, and take a look at how those practices are reflected in the fine art collection. Cost £5

Wednesday 19th February 2pm - Frank Holl and Women, Gallery talk with Harrogate Curator of Art Jane Sellars discussing Holl's affection and admiration for women and how this is depicted in his subject paintings. Jane will discuss the importance of Holl's biography written by his daughter Ada Reynolds. Cost £6 - Mercer Art Gallery

Saturday 22nd Feb either 10.30am-12.3-pm or 2pm-4pm - Frank Holl: Emerging from the Shadows - creative writing workshop - This workshop will explore ways to create a poetic or prose response (both individual and collective) to Holl's thought-provoking and enigmatic images of Victorian life. Open to writers of all levels and run by staff and students of Leeds Trinity University's creative writing programme and the leeds centre for Victorian Studies. Free but must be booked in advance - Mercer Art Gallery.

Tuesday 25th Febuary at 2pm - Afternoon Tea at Nidderdale Museum - Visit to the museum with knowledgable guides on hand throughout. Enjoy 11 rooms full of artefacts and displays illustrating all aspects of Dales life in the past. Themes include World Warr 11, mining, school, costumes and an original cobbler's shop. A real chance to step back in time. Cost £3 including refreshments. Nidderdale museum - HG3 5LE.

Thursday 27th February 10am-12pm - Harrogate remembers the First World War - Enquiry Day - Do you have any photographs or mementos relating to the war or the home front in Harrogate? Would you like them to be part of exhibitions at the Royal Pump Room Museum and Harrogate Library? Or simply bring them along for us to have a look at? Visit us at the library to help us build a picture of Harrogate people during the First World War any photographs, letters or artefacts welcome. This is following on from November's successful event. FREE - Drop into Harrogate Library HG1 1EG.

Monday 3rd of March 2pm - The look of Labour - The Hardships of working life depicted in the Art of Frank Hell - Frank Holl's own dedication to the Victorian virtue of hard work made him an artist who was particularly sensitive to the hardships evident in the working life around him, especially  as seen in the lives of the working poor. In many of his narrative paintings, and in so many of his engravings for The Graphic newspaper, he inscribes body and scene with both physical and psychological signs and scars of labour. Sophie Gilmartin's talk will explore these marks of labour in both urban and maritime paintings in this exhibition. Cost £7 Mercer Art Gallery.

 Friday 7th March 9.30am-4.30pm Millinery Workshop - Create a vintage inspired headpiece - Leading Yorkshire milliner Justine Bradley-hill will guide you through a one day creative workshop to create your own headpiece. Learn how to block (shape) a headpiece and how to trim and decorate using feathers and beads. You will also see historic hats from Harrogate's collection and be introduced to the history of hat making. Cost £45 including materials and refreshments (lunch not provided) although please feel free to bring any buttons, beads or ribbons you would like to incorporate. Basic sewing scills are required - Mercer Art Gallery.

Tuesday 11th March at 10am - Women of the workhouse guided tour and talk - Learn about the lives of female inmates and staff as you are guided around Ripon Workhouse. Uncover real life stories from the Victorian period to post World War Two through a specially researched tour, displays and collections. Costs £5 Ripon Workhouse Museum.

Wednesday 26th March at 2pm - Tea Gowns and Tea Time - Costume Presentation by The History Wardrobe. A terribly tempting talk about cakes, Kings, Crockery, fads and fashions from the 1930's. The perfect accompaniment to a delicious afternoon tea! Cost £14 including afternoon tea St Wilfrid's church, HG1 2EY

Tuesday 29th April at 2pm - Made in Harrogate - Sculpture in the Harrogate Collection - Illustrated talk by sculpture expert Ann Compton and conservator Mairi Venables looking at what the sculptures in the Facing the Future exhibition can tell us about Harrogate's past and changing sculptural techniques and materials. This event draws on Ann Compton's investigations into the history of the Mercer's sculpture collection and Mairi Venable's experiences conserving these objects. Research and conservation and a look at the Sculpture pavilion outside afterwards. Cost £7 Mercer Art Gallery.

 Wednesday 30th April 9.15am-3pm Visit to Bronte Haworth - Coach trip including an illustrated talk about the Bronte Parsonage and this fascinating literary family's history, a self-guided visit within the museum and a short walk (optional) to discover the nearby history including the church attended by the family. Lunch not provided available in many nearby cafes/ Cost £20 Departure from and return to the Mercer Art Gallery.
 
Thursday 8th May 1-4pm - who lived in a house like mine? uncovering the history of your home. Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Who built it and when? This half-day workshop with Dr Emma wells will look at : the role of archival research; the use of online resources, an understanding of the language used in historical documents and how to read them; an overview of hot to find out more on the lives of those, both "upstairs" and "downstairs" the development of the house over time and key phases in the evolution of the Yorkshire home; and she situates each in its historical context. Cost £9 including refreshments - Mercer Art Gallery.

Monday 12th May at 2pm - Turner and Yorkshire - Talk by Dr David Hill Professor of Fine Art at the University of Leeds. Dr Hill will draw upon his own research undertaken over the 40 years exploring the country houses of Harewood and Farnley Hall that were Turner's bases, and retracing his footsteps through the county following his various tours to the dales and coast. Cost £6 Mercer Art Gallery.

Wednesday 14th May at 1.30pm - Tour of Stonefall Cemetery - Guided tour around the main cemetery including a brief referral to the adjoining Hebrew Cemetery and War grave Commission Cemetery. The tour will also include the Crematorium and ancillary buildings with an optional guided tour of the crematory and cremation area. Free but please book in advance Stonefall Cemetery HG3 1DE.

Tuesday 20th May at 2pm - All That Glitters - illustrated talk by Jewellery expert Helen Ritchie delving into the research she has recently undertaken on Harrogate's collection of mainly 19th Century jewellery. Most of this was a gift from the famous jewellery collector Mrs Anne Hull Grundy, who gave pieces to museums all over the UK, including an amazing 2,000 or so pieces to the British Museum. Cost £5 including admission to the Royal Pump Room Museum that day. Location for the course Mercer Art Gallery.

Thursday 29th May at 2pm - Brangwyn at War - Illustrated talk on Frank Brangwyn, by the world's leading authority on the artist, Libby Horner. Brangwyn produced over 80 poster designs during World War 1 although he was not an official war artist. Libby will discuss Brangwyn's background, war art, inspirations and his eclectic style and showcase some of this works on show in the exhibition she has co-curated in the gallery. Cost £7 Mercer Art Gallery.

Wednesday 4th June at 2pm - Ancient Egypt in Roman Yorkshire - Illustrated talk with Professor Joann Fletcher exploring the links between ancient Egypt and Yorkshire during Roman Times. This will feature the results of new research obtained while working with museums around Yorkshire, in preparation for the recent Romans exhibition which she guest-curated at "Experience Barnsley" Cost £6 including admission to the Royal Pump Room Museum that day. Location Mercer Art Gallery.

 Sunday 8th June 3pm - Tour of St John The Baptist Church Knaresborough - Guided tour by local history expert Brian Forshaw looking at this historic church believed to have been a place of worship for over a thousand years. Brian will talk about the developments over the centuries, including the support from King Edward III's wife Philippa of Hainault and the first bells installed in 1774. Cost £3.50 St John the Baptist Church HG5 9AR.

Monday 9th June 2pm - surveying Drawings and Prints in the Mercer Art Gallery Collection - Illustrated talk with Alex Kidson about his work researching the works on paper in Harrogate's fine art collection. Some works will be available to view. Cost £5 - Mercer Art Gallery.

Tuesday 17th june 6pm-8pm History and Renovation of the Workhouse Garden. Meet on of Ripon's Museum's gardening volunteers to explore the history of the garden and its relationship to the workhouse since 1854. Find our how our garden is managed now, what we grow and what we do with the produce! Cost £4 Ripon Workhouse Museum.


Thursday 18th September 5.15pm-8pm - Tour of Menwith Hill, Visit one of the famous Golf Balls then enjoy refreshments and a briefing by Senior UK RAF and US Personnel. The Tour includes some open Grid Flooring and stairs so please wear flat sturdy shoes. A liability waiver will have to be signed to say you are fit to undertake the tour. Each attendee must provide full name and address (to be provided in advance) and bring photo id in the form of a passport or driving licence to gain entry on the day. Cost £7.50 also please bring £2.50 for refreshments or tell us in advance if you don't want any. Departure to and from the Mercer Art Gallery.

---