Bite-size Talks 2024 at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Love a visit to the Art Gallery and Museum and want to delve deeper into what’s on display?
Check out 2024’s programme of varied and fascinating Bite-size Talks delivered by the Collections team on Tuesday afternoons throughout the year.
Each talk is approximately half an hour long. Please book via the links below as there are limited spaces.
Bring along your questions and enjoy!
Tuesday 6 February 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
What is Waitangi Day and what does it mean to New Zealanders?
This talk explores the history of the day and the consequences of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi to the Māori of New Zealand.
Aotearoa – Māori Myths and Legends of New Zealand is an exhibition at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum open from 27 January to 9 June 2024. From the myths and legends originating in this island country to the impact of colonialism upon it, the exhibition explores the vibrant, resilient culture of the Māori people.
Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is committed to working with the Indigenous cultures that are represented in its collections and is working with the tangata whenua of New Zealand in the production of this 2024 exhibition.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 12 March 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
Curator Deborah Fox and author Heather Whatley will explore the life and work of Dame Laura Knight and introduce the spring exhibition I Paint Today.
Heather Whatley is the author of ‘Laura Knight in the Malverns’, where the painter spent much of her time later in her career. The dramatic landscape of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire served as inspiration for many of her paintings, several of which you can see in this exhibition.
The cost of this talk does not include entry into the exhibition which will need to be booked separately. Book your exhibition tickets here (free exhibition entry to Members).
Tuesday 9 April 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
In Worcestershire, there have been almost 200 treasure reports to the Portable Antiquites Scheme since the implementation of the Treasure Act 1996. The largest of these is the Bredon Hoard comprising 3,874 Roman copper alloy coins, discovered in 2011.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is run by the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales.
Join Victoria Allnatt, Finds Liaison Officer for the scheme based in the West Midlands, as she discusses some of the treasure finds that have been discovered across the county, including some that have been permanently acquired for the museum collection.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 11 June 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
Author Heather Whatley will explore Dame Laura Knight’s time in Malvern and her links to the county.
Heather Whatley is the author of ‘Laura Knight in the Malverns’, where the painter spent much of her time later in her career. The dramatic landscape of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire served as inspiration for many of her paintings, several of which you can see in this exhibition.
The cost of this talk does not include entry into the exhibition which will need to be booked separately. Book your exhibition tickets here (free exhibition entry to Members).
£4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 2 July 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
The arrival of Matariki (the Pleiades star cluster) in the winter sky brings the Māori New Year. It is a time for communities to gather and remember, a time of peace and celebration.
This talk will explore how New Zealand observes the Māori New Year, which takes place in 2024 around Friday 28 June.
Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is committed to working with the Indigenous cultures that are represented in its collections and worked with the tangata whenua of New Zealand in the production of its exhibition Aotearoa – Māori Myths and Legends of New Zealand. The exhibition runs from 27 January to 9 June 2024.
Please be aware this exhibition takes place after the exhibition closes in order to coincide with Matariki.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 10 September 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
The Worcester City collection is home to an extensive costume collection, featuring gloves, uniforms, shoes, and dresses for a variety of occasions and from different periods of history.
Many of these items hold personal stories of Worcestershire people and also reflect the local shops and tailors that would have been frequented in various decades.
Recent cataloguing of the Worcester City costume collection has revealed some exciting highlights that are of particular interest and will be explored in this talk.
This cataloguing has been made possible with the support of fantastic Museums Worcestershire volunteers.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 8 October 2024, 2 – 2.30pm.
Learning and Outreach Coordinator, Megan Keary, expands on Connections, an exhibition co-curated with communities in Worcester.
Discover the process behind choosing the artworks and head into the exhibition together to discuss particular highlights in the gallery. On show will be unexpected treasures and old favourites including paintings ‘Clytemnestra’ and ‘Market Day’.
Connections – The Worcester City Collection, in conversation with the community is free to visit from 14 September – 20 October at the Art Gallery and Museum. Featuring artworks selected by community groups from Worcester’s own collection, Connections explores people’s different responses to art and the emotions and perspectives it can evoke.
The talk is £4.50; book via the link below.
Tuesday 12 November 2024, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Be introduced to the autumn exhibition, Atchin Tan – Travelling Through Art, by the Vardo Project Curator.
The exhibition is a visual journey through time of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities, co-curated with members of the communities. Works by Turner, Munnings and Gainsborough will hang alongside newly commissioned artworks by Romany artists, some of which demonstrate skills from endangered crafts. It is free to visit.
The talk is £4.50; book via the link below.
Image: ‘Landscape with Gipsies’, Thomas Gainsborough, 1753-4. Bequeathed by Mrs Arthur James 1948. Photo: Tate.
Tuesday 10 December 2024, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
The Worcester Story is an exciting new museum display exploring Worcester’s heritage open from Saturday 12 October 2024.
Whether the city has been home for generations or has recently become a place to lay roots; whether our passion is science, culture, nature or art, our locality all means something special and uniquely personal.
This Bite-size Talk explores the behind-the-scenes curation of this new permanent display which took place in collaboration with the people that know Worcester best – its residents.
The project is the culmination of work funded by Arts Council England and the Esme Fairburn Collections Fund.
Learn how our co-curation hopes to showcase new perspectives and feelings that celebrate what it means to be a modern citizen of Worcester.
The talk is £4.50; book via the link below.
Image: Emma-Mai Tilling
