National Museums Scotland listings
18 January – 1 March 2010
Highlights
Meet Your Maker
National Museum of Scotland
Fri 29 January – 14 March 2010
Free
Meet Your Maker takes you behind the scenes of the Scottish contemporary crafts scene showcasing the work of nine makers from across Scotland. Working in situ, the makers will provide a fantastic insight into the processes behind the craft. Visitors are encouraged to chat with the makers, discuss their traditions and techniques and take away some ideas for their own creative work. There will also be the opportunity to purchase work by the makers. Featured crafts include jewellery-making, silversmithing, metal design, ceramics and glass work. A full list of makers can be found at www.nms.ac.uk/maker
Sir Jackie Stewart: World Champion – 1969, 1971, 1973
National Museum of Scotland
Free
Proud Scots, motor-racing fans and sporting enthusiasts can now speed into the National Museum of Scotland to see the famous Formula One car belonging to three times Formula One World Champion and Scottish sporting legend, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of his first World Drivers’ Championship in 1969 and Scotland’s Year of Homecoming 2009, Sir Jackie has loaned his 1971 World Championship-winning Tyrrell 003 car to the Museum for up to three years. The car has won eight Grand Prix races, more than any other individual car, and is displayed alongside Sir Jackie’s 1971 Monaco Grand Prix and German Grand Prix trophies, and his famous tartan-rimmed helmet.
Exhibitions
Helmand: Faces of Conflict
National War Museum
Until Sun 31 January 2010
Included in Edinburgh Castle admission
Helmand: Faces of Conflict at the National War Museum features the photography of Robert Wilson, war artist with Edinburgh’s 52 Infantry Brigade. From the faces of weary men returning from three weeks on patrol to the dusty landscape of their surroundings, Wilson captures the lives of soldiers and civilians with an unflinching sense of intimacy.
Garden Detectives
National Museum of Rural Life
Free with museum admission
What lurks at the bottom of your garden? See the natural world through the eyes of a detective. Delve into hedges, take a peek in our shed and unearth wonders from our flower beds and pond. Explore habitats, study food chains, track animals and discover what they get up to while you’re asleep! Inspired by the work of Charles Darwin to mark his 200th birthday, Garden Detectives turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Take a larger-than-life look at plants and flowers, learn fascinating facts about nature and experience all the sounds and smells of a real garden, without getting your hands dirty. Darwin200 is a national programme of events celebrating Charles Darwin’s scientific ideas and their impact on society.
Fantastic Flight
National Museum of Flight
New permanent exhibition
Included in museum admission
Our three new hands-on galleries help you find out how aeroplanes fly, how they are built and the skills needed to fly them. Join in with over 25 activities to feel the force of lift, discover what planes are made of and test your own skills. Can you navigate your way around the world or land an aeroplane? Remember to try out the flight simulations – could you be a fighter pilot?
Get to grips with the mechanics of flight with buttons, dials, switches, propellers and wings. Look out for a Wright Brothers engine, the propeller from an aeroplane which flew over Everest and Sheila Scott’s record-breaking Piper Comanche, which she flew solo around the world. Let your imagination soar!
Fortunes of War
National Museum of Flight
New permanent exhibition
Included in museum admission
What was it like to serve at East Fortune airfield at different times in its history? Uncover the vivid human story of service at this military airfield from RAF crew, photographs, film and rare artefacts. You can see wings from an East Fortune Sopwith Cuckoo, and the original painted gate from the Royal Naval Air Station. Watch out for objects from the R34, East Fortune’s record-breaking airship, which flew to North America and back in the first-ever transatlantic crossing.
You can also discover how the airfield has changed with our interactive map, navigate an airship to find the enemy submarine and watch historic film footage. Models, aircraft parts, uniforms, and flying equipment combine to give you a very personal sense at what life was like at East Fortune.
Treasured: Wonderful Things, Amazing Stories
National Museum of Scotland
Until 2011
Free
This exhibition offers the chance to discover some of the most extraordinary treasures in the care of National Museums Scotland. Featuring over 300 objects drawn from the four corners of the globe and spanning across centuries, Treasured: Wonderful Things, Amazing Stories celebrates the wonder and diversity of the National Museums’ world-class collections. From a Sumatran tiger to a Victorian corset, Treasured is an eclectic mix of the spectacular, extraordinary, precious and personal. The exhibition provides a link to the Royal Museum collections during closure, casting new light on familiar objects and also giving a first glimpse of some of the objects which will feature in the redeveloped National Museum of Scotland when it re-opens in 2011.
Events/activities
National Museum of Scotland
Talks and lectures
Extraordinary People
Wed 24 February
Early People gallery
19:00 (1hr)
£5 / £4 / Members free
Booking essential on 0131 225 7534
Dr Bill Manley, Senior Curator of Egyptian Scripts, reveals how our Ancient Egypt collections tell the story of the Museum in miniature. Explore the pioneering contributions of collectors such as Straton, Rhind and Ward.
Curator’s Choice: Conquering the Atlantic
Fri 26 February
Dunfermline Room
14:00 (1hr)
£5 / £4 / Members free
Book now on 0131 225 7534
Alistair Dodds, Principal Curator of Transport, tells the story of the first east-to-west Atlantic crossing in 1919, including the R34 airship’s departure from East Fortune Airfield, its arrival in New York, and the event’s aftermath.
Meet Your Maker Special Events
Exploring Ceramics with Fran Priest
Tue 9, Sun 14, Wed 17, Fri 19, Sat 20 February
Special Exhibitions Gallery, Level 3
13:00 (45mins)
Free
Explore the themes of pattern and ornament and create mini-collections in these hands-on sessions. Places are limited – advance booking recommended. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
To book call 0131 225 7534
Mini Paper Sculptures with Libby Day
Sun 7, Sun 28 February
Hawthornden Court
12:00: 16:00 (Drop-in)
Free
Come and try a new craft technique by making mini 3D paper sculptures with artist Libby Day. All materials provided.
Sketches and Ceramics with Fran Priest
Mon 15 February
Hawthornden Court
12:00 – 16:00 (Drop-in)
Free
Explore Fran’s beautiful ceramic collection through sight, touch and sketching in this drop-in workshop.
Valentine Treasures
Sat 13, Sun 14 February
Special Exhibitions Gallery, Level 3
12:00 - 16:00 (Drop-in)
Free
Need a Valentine’s gift with a personal touch? Get creative with artist and jeweller Dorothy Hogg and make a beautiful embossed card or treasure for someone special. All materials are provided.
Story-craft with Pauline Edie
Tue 16, Thu 18 February
Hawthornden Court
12:00 - 16:00 (Drop-in)
Free
Pauline’s jewellery work is inspired by childhood stories and illustrations. Come and try out some simple designs in these themed workshops.
Half-term Events
A Slice of Life
Fri 19 – Sun 21 February
Levels 1, 3, 5
11:00 – 13:00/
14:00 – 16:00
Free (Drop-in)
Step back in time and encounter everyday characters from Scottish history, all with a story to tell! Who will you meet today?
Traditional Games
Sat 20 – Sun 21 February
Hawthornden Court
12:45 / 13:45 / 14:45 / 15:45 (30mins)
Free
Join Big Top Glasgow for fun and games from a bygone age. Try out girds and cleeks, whips and peeries, diablos and many more!
Weekend events
Connect Super Science Shows
Connect gallery
Every Sat and Sun
12:15/13:15/14:15/15:15 (20mins)
Age 5+
Limited space (seating for 20)
Free
Come along to our free events every weekend in Connect. Find out about science in the real world at our Meet the Scientist events or enjoy a Super Science Show!
Free Tours: Scottish Collections
Tours leave from the Hawthornden Court meeting point:
Highlights Tour (1hr)
Daily 11:30/13:30
Themed Tour (1hr)
Daily 14:30
Family Tour (15mins)
Sat 14:00
Treasured: Wonderful Things, Amazing Stories Tour (1hr)
Tue 15:00/Fri 12:00
Information about topics for themed and family tours can be found on the museum’s information screens and on our websitewww.nms.ac.uk/tours.
Museum addresses:
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian EH39 5LF
National Museum of Costume, Shambellie House, New Abbey, Dumfries, DG2 8HQ
National Museum of Rural Life, Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
For booking, opening times and location details,
contact National Museums Scotland on 0131 225 7534/www.nms.ac.uk
Please note that National Museums Scotland (no ‘of’ or ‘the) is our corporate name. Our individual museums are called the National Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Flight, National Museum of Rural Life, National Museum of Costume and National War Museum.
http://www.nms.ac.uk
Final days: Salt of the Earth. Famous faces with Scottish roots. National Museum of Scotland. Until 10 January. Free.
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