Bowes Museum to throw open doors for open day this weekend

For the whole of February, there's something great to see and do every day at The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle. From the new exhibition, Murmuration, and daily spotlight tours to an Open Day and performance lectures, visitors will be spoilt for choice. 

This weekend on Saturday (February 10), guests can join a day full of making and creating with plenty to see and do at the Bowes Museum's Open Day from 10am until 3.30pm.  

"Bird-inspired" artist maker workshops will run through the weekend with family activities both inside the museum and out in the grounds.

A series of friendly theme talks and tours led by the museum's team of experts gives visitors the chance to take a deeper look at the museum's collection, and a peek behind the scenes of the popular attraction.

Highlights include guest speakers, ranging from the Cumbria Clock Company who'll be giving an insight into the Silver Swan Conservation Project, as well as a talk from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

There are tours around the museum and parkland, where people can discover areas of interest and find out more about the collection.  

They can also go behind the scenes of the Curiosity Project in special Hard Hat Tours to hear about the redesigned galleries and stores that are due to open in April. 

They can view the collection of paintings in-store and get an introduction to A Collector's Story: A Private Collection of Vivienne Westwood in the Meet the Curators sessions.

A number of the tours and talks during the Open Day will be accompanied by a British Sign Language interpreter.

Later in the month:

• A screening of the film Away with the Birds/Air falbh leis na h-eòin by the artist Hanna Tuulikki, whose work appears in Murmuration, will take place on Saturday,  February 17, at 2pm.  This body of work explores the mimesis and representation of birds in the Scottish Gaelic song tradition. 
• Artist Hanna will then give a performance lecture on the mimesis of birds in Scottish Gaelic Song and unpick some of the themes behind the work.  Tickets are £12 for this and can be booked on the Museum's website or by contacting reception on 01833 690606.
• Artist Jane Young returns to the Museum for the Saturday Make: Artist Maker session from 1pm to 3pm on February 17, to lead an afternoon of creativity taking inspiration from Murmuration.  
• The ever popular Family Story Tours return with Bird Stories at 11am and 1pm on February 19, 20 and 23 where visitors can join the Museum's fun and interactive family tours as we take inspiration from the Murmuration exhibition to look at other birds in the collection.
• The Artist Betty Brown will be sharing her skills in the Wednesday Make: Artist Maker session from 1 - 3pm, taking inspiration from the Murmuration exhibition for the workshop.
• And the Saturday Make: Artist Maker session on February 24 will be led by the artist Zoe Allen who'll be leading a workshop based on Murmuration

Visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in the world of birds, exploring avian symbolism in art and trace its significance across time and cultures in the new exhibition Murmuration, which is open until June 23.

This exhibition presents a wide selection of work from artists and makers from various generations, backgrounds and contexts, whose work ranges across drawing, sculpture, film and installation.

It examines the complexity and nuance around the collecting of taxidermy, from its role as a teaching resource to its connections to scientific racism and colonial exploitation and invites visitors to consider the ethical and cultural implications of preserving animals for study and display.