Festival of Museums is launched in a flash!

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Buchanan Street in Glasgow was the setting for an impromptu flash mob breakdance performance to mark the programme launch of a brand new festival for Scotland.

The inaugural Festival of Museums will see a jam-packed programme of events taking place in museums and galleries across Scotland from the 13 to 15 May 2011.

Going to the Dancing: Breakdancing Dunbar! – a celebration of 80’s style music and fashion – is one of over 40 day and evening events being staged as part of the new festival that celebrates Scotland’s living culture. The flash mob performance was also inspired by events taking place at the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Museum of Edinburgh.

From the Groam House Museum in Ross-shire and Portsoy Bothy in Banffshire, to the Annan Museum in Dumfries and Galloway, Festival of Museums features an eclectic and colourful range of concerts, talks, workshops, performances and exhibitions taking place right across the country. Many of the events are free, and those paid for are all under £5.50.

Joanne Orr, Chief Executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “Today’s impromptu performance was just a taste of what we have on offer over the Festival of Museums weekend. There will be something for all ages to enjoy, so no matter what your interests – period fashion, science, food, Jacobean history or even Neolithic art – there will be an event, day or night, taking place.

“Festival of Museums encourages museums and galleries across Scotland to work together, not only to celebrate Scotland’s living culture and history, but to demonstrate that these are amazing places to visit year-round. I would encourage as many people as possible to put 13 to 15 May in their diary, but also not to forget these un-missable attractions are always on our doorsteps.”

Festival of Museums coincides with key cultural events on the European arts calendar, including Culture24’s Museums at Night (www.museumsatnight.org.uk).
Director of Culture24, Jane Finnis, added: “The weekend of 13 to 15 May promises to be a fantastic cultural celebration as hundreds of museums and galleries across the UK open their doors for night events, all showcasing the nation’s fabulous variety of cultural works.”
Full details of this year’s programme are available on www.festivalofmuseums.com and highlights from the jam-packed programme include:
The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Glasgow, where visitors to ‘Up to Mischief’ will enjoy an interactive performance by artist Anthony Schrag before popping outside for a large scale games of dominoes and pick-up sticks in Royal Exchange Square. The city’s People’s Palace and Winter Gardens will be the setting for ‘A Grand Day Out – a Celebration of Glasgow’s Exhibitions,’ with suffragette Mrs Donald on hand to rabble-rouse and disrupt proceedings. And in Edinburgh’s City Art Centre, it promises to be ‘Raining Hats and Dogs’ as headwear and man’s best friend are celebrated. Nearby, before afternoon tea is served, the hottest fashions of the 16th century will be modelled at the Museum of Edinburgh.

Elsewhere, at Kilmartin House Museum in Argyll, ‘Sounding the Stones’ will see participants delve into history as through music and storytelling they learn about over 4,000 years of life in Kilmartin Glen – and even learn to make their own instruments! And on the other side of the country, at Kirkcaldy Museum in Fife, ‘The Jacobites Come to Kirkcaldy’ with the chance to meet Bonnie Prince Charlie while fashionistas peruse glamorous vintage clothing and accessories from the era.

To see the full programme of events visit festivalofmuseums.com

To find out more about Museums at Night visit www.museumsatnight.org.uk

Published
18th Mar 2011

Region
Aberdeen City & Shire
Angus and Dundee
Argyll, The Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling & Trossachs
Ayrshire & Arran
Dumfries and Galloway
Edinburgh & The Lothians
The Outer Hebrides
The Kingdom of Fife
Glasgow & the Clyde Valley
The Highlands
Orkney
Perthshire
Scottish Borders
Shetland

National

Publisher
MGS