Easter events at Birmingham Museums
Friday 25 March to Sunday 10 April 2016
The Easter bunny meets dragons and dinosaurs in an assortment of egg hunts taking place at Birmingham Museums Trust’s venues this Easter as part of a cracking calendar of events for the school holidays that also feature authors, scientists, artists, jewellers - and the opening of a new gallery at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, for the amazing ichthyosaur, a giant swimming reptile from the time of the dinosaurs.
Easter wouldn’t be Easter without a traditional Easter egg hunt but at Birmingham Museums the eggs come in all shapes and sizes and the hunts take place in a variety of settings from historic ruins to modern surroundings, so there is plenty of choice for anyone looking for something slightly different this year.
Clues to the whereabouts of the famous Easter bunny can be found on the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter’s Easter egg hunt which takes place daily from Friday 25 March to Saturday 9 April from 10.30am to 5.00pm (free for museum ticket holders) and also at Weoley Castle Ruins on Friday 1 April (entry £1 per child). There’s nothing run-of-the-mill about the hunt at Sarehole Mill, where dragons have laid a challenging egg trail which runs from Saturday 26 March to Sunday 10 April from 12 noon to 4.00pm, but the search will be worth it for the tasty reward for those who triumph (entry £1 per child). By contrast, over at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, youngsters can track giant dinosaur eggs from Monday 28 March to Sunday 10 April. Entry is free for Thinktank ticket holders.
Some of Birmingham Museums’ heritage sites are taking the idea of exploration over Easter to a different level from an egg hunt in the shape of walks and talks, and Aston Hall is having a free open day on Sunday 3 April, from 11am-4pm, giving members of the public the chance to explore the splendour of one of the last great houses built in the Jacobean style. Anyone visiting Thinktank on these dates can also discover what life is like for astronauts living at the International Space Station by watching the Destination Space: Live Show, at 1pm (free for Thinktank ticket holders).
Thinktank and Millennium Point also play host to the Wellcome Images Awards Exhibition this Easter. The exhibition opened on Wednesday 16 March at Millennium Point, and will be moving to Thinktank from Thursday 14 April, where visitors will be able to marvel at the best in science-image making from this year’s Welcome Image Awards. This is the chance to get up close and personal with the delicate features of a swallowtail butterfly, discover how a stroke can be detected before it strikes, and glimpse inside an isolation unit for infectious diseases like Ebola.
Back to earth, two walks promise solid ground under foot and fodder for curious minds: The Jewellery Quarter Heritage Walk on Saturday 9 April (£6 per person) and the Origins of Middle Earth Walk on Sunday 10 April from Sarehole Mill (£7 per person). Pre-booking is recommended for both these walks. Sarehole Mill will also run a milling day on Wednesday 6 April (usual admission charges apply).
For those who love a good yarn Sarehole Mill is holding an event where visitors will be treated to a series of readings and talks: Tolkien Reading Day on Friday 25 March from 12 noon to 4pm, in partnership with the Tolkien Society. Over at Soho House, on Saturday 26 March, there will be an opportunity to meet popular children’s author B B Taylor and her famous characters Bubu the owl and Sox the raccoon. Her light-hearted, imaginative stories based on real animals strike a chord with young readers and she will be reading her books at 12 noon and 1.30pm. Admission is £2 per child.
For sheer variety and number of free family events happening in one place over the Easter weekend the Yardley Arts Weekend at Blakesley Hall, on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March, will be hard to beat. Activities start both days at 11am and run until 4pm. Saturday’s schedule includes: Easter card printing 11.00am-12.00pm, Spring craft activity 1.30pm-3.00pm, and screen printing workshops at 12 noon and 2.00pm (bring your own plain T-shirt or bag or buy one on the day). Face painting will be available all day from £2.50 (this is the only paid-for activity). Sunday’s schedule includes: willow weaving 11.00am-4.00pm, singing workshops at 1.00pm and 2.30pm, a Mummers play at 3pm and Tudor dancing at 12 noon and 2.00pm. For more details call Blakesley Hall 0121 348 8120.
Free events feature daily throughout the Easter holidays at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and range from learning how to make electronic booby traps and computer games, dancing with Sampad and object handling, to workshops about drawing, poetry, portrait photography and even art gaming hacks. For full event listings and booking information visit birminghammuseums.org.uk/whats-on
What child doesn’t enjoy spending time making something? With family-orientated arts and crafts activities taking place between Saturday 26 March and Friday 8 April at seven different Birmingham Museums venues children can fire up their creativity and produce a portfolio of artwork over the school holidays, including building their own space buggy to send to the moon (at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, Monday 28 March–Friday 1 April and Monday 4–Friday 8 April, at 2pm each day. Free for Thinktank ticket holders).
Birmingham Museums Easter holidays arts and craft activities and events include:
- Blakesley Hall: Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March, 11am-4pm; Tuesday 29 March; Tuesday 5 April
- Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum: Monday 28 March–Friday 1 April and Monday 4–Friday 8 April, 3pm. Free for Thinktank ticket holders
- Aston Hall: Wednesday 30 March; Wednesday 6 April
- Sarehole Mill: Wednesday 30 March; Wednesday 6 April. £2 per child
- Museum of Jewellery Quarter: Crafty Kids Workshop with artist Lisa Broughton, Thursday 31 March, 1pm-3pm. Crafty Kids Workshop, with jeweller Jolene Smith, Thursday 7 April 1pm-3pm. Price for each workshop is £4 per child. Booking essential for both these workshops: 0121 348 8140
- Weoley Castle Ruins: Friday 1 April. £1 per child
- Soho House: Friday 8 April
For details of all of these events, and other tours and activities at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum and Birmingham Museums Trust’s five heritage sites, visit www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/whats-on
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Spring Event Highlights 2016 Birmingham Museums
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Portrait Photography Workshop with MingDeNasty
Sun 27 March, Fri 8 – Sun 10 April. 1-3pm | FREE
Portrait Photography Workshop with Vanley Burke
Sat 19 & Sun 20 March, Sat 2, Sun 3, Sat 9 & Sun 10 April | 1-3pm | FREE
Poetry Workshops with Emma Purshouse
Sat 19 & Sun 20 March, Sat 2, Sun 3, Sat 9 & Sun 10 April | 1-3.30pm | FREE
Birmingham Portrait Studio
Mon 28 March – Fri 1 April, Mon 4 – Fri 8 April | 11am-4pm | FREE
Object Handling
Mon 28 March – Fri 1 April, Mon 4 – Fri 8 April | 11am-4pm | FREE
Make a Computer Game!
Wed 6 & Thu 7 April | 11am-4pm | FREE
Dance with Sampad
Sat 2 & Sat 9 April | 2-4.30pm | FREE
Art Gaming Hacks Workshop with Leon Trimble
Thu 31 March | 2-4.30pm | FREE
Light Drawing Workshop with Jo Gane
Sat 26 March & Sat 9 April | 2-4.30pm | FREE
Glitch Art Workshop with Antonio Roberts
Fri 25 & Sun 27 March | 2-4.30pm | FREE
Electronic Booby Traps with Ben Neal
Fri 1 & Sun 10 April | 2-4pm | FREE
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
Wellcome Images Exhibition (Showcasing the best in science image-making, this exhibition will
be housed at Millennium Point,then will move to Thinktank fromThursday 14 April)
Opens Wed 16 March | Free for Thinktank ticket holders
Destination Space: Live Show
Discover what life is like for astronauts living at the International Space Station.
Mon 28 March – Fri 1 April & Mon 4 April – Fri 8 April | 1pm | Free for Thinktank ticket holders
Space Buggies
Build a space buggy to send to the moon.
Mon 28 March – Fri 1 April & Mon 4 April – Fri 8 April | 2pm | Free for Thinktank ticket holders
Arts and Crafts
Be inspired by the new Marine Worlds Gallery and make your own sea creature or dinosaur-inspired
craft to take home!
Mon 28 March – Fri 1 April & Mon 4 April – Fri 8 April | 3pm | Free for Thinktank ticket holders
Dinosaur Egg Trail
Mon 28 March – Sun 10 April | Free for Thinktank ticket holders
Aston Hall Stained Glass Window Craft
Design and make your own tissue paper stained glass window.
Wed 30 March | 11am-3pm | £1 per child or free for ticket holders
Free Open Day
Explore this historic Hall for free.
Sun 3 April | 11am-4pm | FREE ENTRY
Make a Peacock Painting
Take inspiration from the feast in the Great Dining Room and make a beautiful peacock painting.
Wed 6 April | 11am-3pm | £1 per child | or free for ticket holders
Shakespeare, Food & Song
Shakespeare, songs from the strolling minstrel and more.
Sat 16 April | 11am-4pm | Usual charges apply
Blakesley Hall
Yardley Arts Weekend
A weekend of free art activities, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances.
Sat 26 & Sun 27 March | 11am-4pm | FREE ENTRY
Easter Garden Trail
Fri 25 March – Sun 10 April | Free for ticket holders
Easter Egg Hunt
Fri 25 March – Sun 10 April | Free for ticket holders
Craft Activity
Tue 29 March, Thu 31 March, Tue 5 April & Thu 7 April | 12.30-2.30pm | £2 per child
Tudor Weekend
Sword-fighting, Tudor dancing and more!
Sun 29 & Mon 30 May 11am-4pm | Adult £7 | Child £2
Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
Easter Egg Hunt
Fri 25 March – Sat 9 April | 10.30am-5pm | Free for ticket holders
Crafty Kids Workshop
Get crafty with artist Gilly Page.
Thu 31 March | 1-3pm | £4 per child | Booking essential: 0121 348 8140
Crafty Kids Workshop
Get crafty with jeweller Jolene Smith.
Thur 7 April | 1-3pm | £4 per child | Booking essential: 0121 348 8140
Jewellery Quarter Heritage Walk
Sat 9 April | £6 per person | Booking essential: 0121 348 8140
Sarehole Mill
Tolkien Reading Day
Readings and talks in partnership with the Tolkien Society.
Fri 25 March | 12-4pm | FREE ENTRY
Dragon Egg Hunt
Sat 26 March – Sun 10 April | 12-4pm | £1 per child
Craft Activity
Wed 30 March & Wed 6 April | 1-3pm | £2 per child
Milling Day
Wed 6 April | Usual admission applies
Origins of Middle Earth Walk
Sun 10 April | 1pm | £7 per person | Pre-booking recommended
Soho House
Easter Bunny Trail
Fri 25 March – Sun 10 April | 11am-3pm | FREE
Crafty Fridays
Fri 25 March & Fri 8 April | 12-2pm | £2 per child
Storytelling with Author BB Taylor
Meet Bubu the owl and Sox the raccoon.
Sat 26 March | 12 noon & 1.30pm | £2 per child
Weoley Castle Ruins
April Fools Craft Activity
£1 per child | Fri 1 April | 12-3pm
Egg Hunt
£1 per child | Fri 1 April | 12-3pm
Birmingham Museums Trust is an independent charity that manages the city’s museum collection and venues on behalf of Birmingham City Council. It uses the collection of around 800,000 objects to provide a wide range of arts, cultural and historical experiences, events and activities that deliver accessible learning, creativity and enjoyment for citizens and visitors to the city. Most areas of the collection are designated as being of national importance, including the finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world. Attracting over one million visits a year, the Trust’s venues include Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collections Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank and Weoley Castle. www.birminghammuseums.org.uk
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, Arts Council England plans to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
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