What's on in Harrogate Museums!

Monday 19th Jan 2pm - Masterstrokes Series - Making art for Italian Tourists. Frank Miler examines how an expanding Italian tourist travel market gave artists the opportunity to create records and souvenirs of major cities and beauty spots. £6 and at the Mercer Art Gallery.

Monday 9th February at 2pm - Edo Pop Series: Kimono - costume of Japan. Part of our series of talks to accompany Edo Pop: Urban Heroes in Japan 1840-1890. Discover the many layers of the kimono, the history and detail of this beautiful costume. £6 Mercer Art Gallery.

Wednesday 25th February 10.30am Visit to Leeds Library. Guided tour and talk: Learn about the history of this institution. Founded in 1768 as a proprietary subscription library, it is now the oldest surviving example of this sort of library in the Birtish Isles. The Leeds Library began life modestly above a bookseller's shop. Today the library is a charity and has a wonderful collection of books and periodicals houses in a fine 200 year old building. Cost: Free but pre-booking required. The Leeds Library, 18 Commercial Street, Leeds, LS1 6AL.

Monday 9th March at 2pm - Edo Pop Series: samurai, Scallywags and street knights. Exhibition curator Frank Milner will explore the moment when traditional Samurai values clashed with everyday urban life and there arose a mix of new heroic male types, more representative of modern high and low expectations but incorporating some old ideals. Cost £6 - Mercer Art Gallery.

Monday 16th March at 2pm - Edo Pop Series: Beauties, women warriors ad poets. Here curator Frank Milner will  analyse 10 images that reflect roles in 19th century Japan - from cultured fashioned setters of the modern Yoshiwara pleasure quarter to great poets, sacrificing mothers and fearless swordswomen of history and myth. £6 Mercer Art Gallery.

Friday 20th March 10,30am - Visit to Littlethorpe Potteries - Guided tour and talk: Littlethorpe potteries is a working heritage site and the oldest continually working pottery in the country. It is also the only pottery where you can see the manufacturing process in its entirety - "from Pit to Patio" - Cost £5 - Littlethorpe Potteries, Pottery Lane HG4 3LS

Wednesday 25th March 2pm-4pm An Introduction to Family History - Are you thinking about researching your family history? Not sure where to start? This half-day workshop with Harrogate based accredited family historian Pam Smith will look at: recording your information, useful sources and citations, civil registration from 1837, the Census from 1841-1911 and much more. Cost £7 including refreshments Mercer Art Gallery.