TYNE AND WEAR MUSEUMS JOINT COMMITTEE
25 SEPTEMBER 2003
REPORT OF: Director of Museums and Galleries
SUBJECT:
Newcastle Museums
Discovery Museum
1.
Performance
Following the completion of the new entrance, visits to Discovery show a
23% increase on the previous year with over 100,000 visits being made in
the five months since April. The resources provided by the successful
formation of the North East Regional Museums Hub have already born fruit,
allowing Discovery Museum to create its first television commercial which
was aired at the beginning of the school summer holidays. Significantly,
following the airing of the commercial, the visits are 70% higher than for the
same month last year.
2.
Exhibitions
2.1 Evening Chronicle Gallery
Tyne From The Sky (April to August)
An exhibition of photographs giving a bird's eye view of the tremendous
developments that have taken place in Tyneside over the last century.
Specially taken views contrast with photographs from the 1920's to show
how the area has changed.
2.2 People’s Gallery
Represent (28 July to 2 November)
A multi-media exhibition by members of the North Shields-based Motive
8 youth development project. The exhibition includes photographs,
videos and documentary text, and explores the lives of socially excluded
young people in Tyne and Wear.
The Motive 8 project aims to empower young people and help them to
become more motivated. It is one of Raleigh International’s regional
projects, which offer the young people the chance to take part in
expeditions to developing counties around the world.
3.
Events
3.1 Volunteers Fair (7 June)
The newly refurbished Great Hall provided a splendid backdrop for the
Volunteers Fair. The one-day event brought together the public and a
wide range of voluntary organisations with the aim of encouraging people
to become volunteers. The event was organised by the TWM Volunteer
Co-ordinator and the Newcastle Volunteer Forum was opened by the
Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor Margaret Carter.
3.2 National Carers Week (9 to 15 June)
As part of National Carers Week, Discovery Museum hosted an
exhibition to explore the challenges faced by young carers. The
exhibition and drama performances were organised by members of
Crossroads Gateshead Young Carer's organisation and the TWM
Outreach Officer. The week-long programme, staged in the Great Hall,
was opened by the Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor David Lynn.
3.3 Northumbria Young Technologist of the Year Competition (2 July)
Now in its third year at Discovery Museum, the event once again
revealed the wealth of design and technology talent amongst the area’s
GCSE and A Level students. Thirty-nine of the region’s schools
competed for the Young Design & Technologist of the Year titles. The
event was organised by The Rotary Club of Hexham, assisted by
Rotarians from across the region and members of the Discovery
Associates.
3.4 Science Works (30 June to 4 July)
Sports science, forensic chemistry and wind energy were just some of
the fun-packed activities at Discovery's annual science event. Nine
hundred and fifteen school children from across the region took part in
the event organised by the Education Department with assistance from
the Associates of Discovery.
3.5 Business Partners Evening (14 August)
The annual Tyne & Wear Museums Business Partners Evening was held
this year at Discovery Museum. The highlight of the evening was a
special presentation by the television science expert Adam Hart Davies.
3.6 Stakeholders Event (15 August)
Adam Hart-Davis returned the following day to the Great Hall to entertain
an audience of Discovery stakeholders, supporters and advocates with a
celebration of North East science and technology history. The event was
hosted by the Chair of the Joint Museums Committee and attended by
120 people.
4.
Hirings
Newcastle New Deal for Communities
Annual General Meeting (17 July)
Around 200 people attended the Annual General Meeting of the Newcastle
New Deal for Communities in the Great Hall. An exhibition featured the
work of twenty eight local projects and provided a great opportunity for
members of the public to find out more about New Deal for the
Communities programme.
5.
Discovery Development programme
The new entrance opened to the public on 21 June. Visitors are now
welcomed into the museum via a flat route way with feature lighting leading
into the impressive glass and steel entrance enclosure.
The new shop also opened at the same time. Visually striking with a hightech flooring that changes colour, the new shop offers a much wider range
of merchandise. Initial trading figures have been very encouraging and
show a marked increase over the old shop.
Laing Art Gallery
1.1 Exhibitions
1.1.1 Paradise (12 April – 29 June 2003)
Paradise is the second in the series of four exhibitions produced in
partnership with the National Gallery, London and Bristol
Museums and Art Gallery and has proven to be the Laing’s fourth
most popular exhibition ever with 92,001 visitors. The exhibition is
the Gallery’s fourth most popular ever.
1.1.2 Cullercoats: A North East Colony of Artists
(17 July – 12 October 2003)
This exhibition celebrates an important aspect of the North East’s
cultural heritage in highlighting the hitherto unrecognised artists’
colony at Cullercoats in the late 19th century. The exhibition
displays work by visiting artists of national repute including Frank
Holl, William Quiller Orchardson and most famously the American
artist Winslow Homer. Their works are shown alongside works by
local painters such as Robert and Isa Jobling, George Horton,
Arthur Hardwick Marsh, Henry Hetherington Emmerson and John
Charlton.
The exhibition and accompanying catalogue, written by Dr Laura
Newton with Abigail Booth Gerdts, has been produced in
collaboration with the University of Northumbria. The exhibition
was opened by local historian and television presenter, John
Grundy and over 500 people attended the event.
1.1.3 From the Vaults: The Dove Marine Laboratory’s Choice
(17 July – 12 October 2003)
Researchers and students from the Dove Marine Laboratory were
asked to select paintings from the Laing’s permanent collection to
form an exhibition alongside the Cullercoats exhibition. The
Laboratory, based at Cullercoats, is part of Newcastle University
and is a well-known coastal landmark. Comments have been
displayed alongside the paintings giving gallery visitors an insight
into why the paintings were chosen. The scientists, cited
personal, aesthetic and occupational reasons for their prominently
nautical choices. As most of the students are from abroad some
of the observations recall memories of their homes.
2.
Education and Outreach
2.1 Paradise Education Programme
2.2.1 Works with Schools
A total of 2,686 school children visited the Paradise exhibition
during a seven-week period. Approximately 2,000 of these
participated in workshops or guided tours and talks.
2.2.2 Paradise Gardens project (6 June – 11 July)
Twenty two, Year 10 (15 year old) students, from All Saints’
College have taken part in a Paradise Garden Project. Working
with Bernadette Koranteng and Newcastle City landscape
designer Richard Barnes, the students have designed a garden
inspired by the Paradise exhibition. The All Saints’ students will
work with students from Kirkley Hall Agricultural College to plant
the garden at the school in early October. A memorial will be
included for Natalie Ruddick a pupil who died earlier this year.
2.2.3 Leather Workshop (23 June)
Twelve KS3 students, studying English as an additional language,
from Benfield School, Newcastle, spent a follow up session at the
Gallery working with Northumbria Police Officer, Andy Bates,
making decorated leather-work sandals, bags and belts. The
students all come from families who are seeking asylum in
Newcastle.
2.2.4 A Visit to Paradise (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 June)
One half-day, artist-led workshop was provided for each of the 13
primary schools in the Newcastle West End Education
Achievement Zone. Three hundred and thirty three children
worked with artist/teacher Bernadette Koranteng and used the
exhibition to explore their feelings and as an inspiration for their
own drawings and collage work.
2.2.5 Inside the paintings (8, 15, 22 May and 5 June)
Artist Frances Keay was commissioned to design and create a
Paradise Quilt to be used in the gallery with pre-school, reception
and KS1 children led by Assistant Education Officer Lucy Castle.
Sixty five children took part in these activities and the quilt will
continue to be used in the future.
2.2.6 General Hospital Young People’s Unit (2 June)
Three students from the Young People’s Unit at the General
Hospital were brought to look at the Paradise exhibition. They
had a very positive visit and the Unit has been invited to
participate in the Cullercoats banner project.
2.2.7 Education Otherwise Sessions
These monthly sessions with Education Otherwise (a group for
home educated children) are still going strong and two more
students will be joining the group this month. On the 22 May the
group visited the Paradise exhibition and made laminated window
hangings. The group also worked on the Cullercoats banner
project.
2.2.8 Cullercoats Resource Area
 The Resource Area has been set up to provide families and
children with the opportunity to explore themes in the
Cullercoats exhibition and to engage in a variety of summer
activities. The Resource Area contains an Art Trolley filled with
quiz sheets, games, pictures to colour and a dress your own
Cullercoats Fishwife doll. There are also reading books, wave
machines, shells, puppets and toy Puffins to amuse children
under 5.
 Activities take place every Tuesday and Thursday throughout
the school holiday period. These include craft and storytelling
workshops for children of all ages and their parents and carers.
On Tuesday afternoons children over the age of eight can work
with Art Historian Marie-Therese Russell, learning about the
paintings in the exhibition and making drawings and sketches of
their own to take home.
2.2.9 Banner Project (17, 18, 20 June)
Education Otherwise and the Young People’s Unit from
Newcastle’s General Hospital worked together with textile artist
Gaynor Devaney to produce two banners. The banners are
displayed in the Cullercoats Resource Area and their designs
were based on the theme of the sea. Groups carried out research
and sketching using the gallery for inspiration. Both groups were
new to textile art and learnt the technique of Batik - the Indian art
of drawing with hot wax. The groups drew their own design of
sand, rocks birds and seaweed.
2.2.10 National Children’s Art Day (3 July)
On National Children’s Art Day a small group of pre-school
children from Northumbria University Nursery came to a “sea
creatures” workshop. The paintings and drawings from the
workshop were used on the Cullercoats frieze in the Barbour
Gallery as part of the Cullercoats exhibition activity area.
2.2.11 Bewick Primary Workshop (8 August)
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Bewick, a print
making workshop encouraged visitors to try different print-making
techniques, both traditional and new. The results of the workshop
are displayed on the café walls at the Laing.
2.2.12 Lunchtime Talks
The Spring and Summer lunchtime talk programme was very
successful and was attended by some 750 people.
2.2.13 Equal Arts (13 & 16 May)
Education Officer, Julie Watson, gave a talk to 41 adults from the
Equal Arts Group, Gateshead. Volunteer Marie-Therese Russell
followed this up with a slide show of the Paradise exhibition before
the group visited the exhibition and had tea in the café.
2.
Friends of the Laing Art Gallery
Guided Tours: (3, 12, 19, 24, 28 June, 7, 12, 22, 29 July, 2, 9, 16 August)
The Friends continue to organise guided tours for the public. Pre-booking
is necessary for the popular Saturday morning visits.
3.
The Laing Art Gallery Refurbishment
A refurbishment of the Laing Art Gallery to improve existing facilities and
galleries will begin in October 2003. The refurbishment will upgrade key
public spaces and create new displays from the permanent collection ready
for the Gallery’s centenary celebrations in April 2004. The work will include
a refurbishment of the Marble Hall, Rotunda and main staircase as well as
work on all display spaces. A new Visitor Resource area will be created
where under 5’s, older adults and family groups can engage in art-based
activities. There will also be a new watercolour gallery to showcase the
Laing’s designated collection of watercolours, which is of national and
international significance.
To allow refurbishment work to take place, the exhibition galleries will be
closed from 13 October 2003 and reopen on 17 April 2004. During the
refurbishment the Laing shop, café and 400 years of Art on Tyneside
permanent display will remain open.
5.
RECOMMENDATION
The Committee is recommended to note the report.
Background