Exhibitions, Events and WorkshopsJanuary - April 2012

Nithsdale MuseumsGracefield Arts Centre

explore your local mu

seum

s

Welcome to Nithsdale Museums, which include Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura, Robert Burns House and the Robert Burns Centre.

In this half of the brochure for Dumfries and Galloway Council’s art gallery and museums in the Nithsdale area you’ll find details of the venues, special exhibitions and events at some of our area’s best loved museums. The Old Bridge House Museum (Dumfries’ oldest domestic dwelling) and Sanquhar Tolbooth Museum open for the summer season on 1 April.

If you open the 'Gracefield Arts Centre' file, you’ll find details of the lively programme of temporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops available at Gracefield Arts Centre up until April 2012.

While admission to our venues and special exhibitions is free, places for some events are limited and can book up quickly. To make sure you don’t miss out, join our mailing list by filling in a form at one of our venues or online at www.dumgal.gov.uk/gracefield.

Alongside its display on the life and times of the well-loved poet, the Robert Burns Centre is also home to the RBC Film Theatre, a small and friendly cinema showing all manner of new cinema releases, classics and international art house films. For more details check the RBCFT website at www.rbcft.co.uk.

We look forward to seeing you at our venues in 2012.

Best wishes,Rebecca Coggins, Principal Officer Arts and Museums Nithsdale

ROBERT BURNS CENTRE FILM THEATREBOX OFFICE 01387 264808 Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Mill Road, Dumfries DG2 7BE

w w w . r b c f t . c o . u k

In walking distance from Dumfries town centre, located on the grassy banks of the River Nith next door to the divine Hullabaloo restaurant, the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre is a small and friendly cinema with an action packed programme of new releases, classics and international films.

For details of the current programme please check the website at…

START DATE END DATE VENUE TYPE OF EVENT TITLE PAGE NO

2011 11 FEB Dumfries Museum ExhibitionHat Trick - the story of gentlemen’s headwear through the ages

iv

21 JAN 21 JAN Dumfries Museum Free family activity Stargazing LIVE vi

21 JAN 15 APR Robert Burns House ExhibitionBurns and Graham - A Poet and His Patron

x

28 JAN 29 DEC Dumfries Museum 2012 Foyer exhibition Down the Dock iv

28 JAN 28 JAN Robert Burns House Poetry David Sibbald in residence ix

11 FEB 11 FEB Dumfries MuseumBook sale in the museum shop

The Big Book Bargain! iii

14 FEB 14 FEB Dumfries Museum Free family activity Zoolab – Nightlife! vi

25 FEB 06 MAY Dumfries Museum Exhibition Animal, Vegetable and Mineral v

03 APR 03 APR Dumfries Museum Free family activity From Little Acorns vii

05 APR 05 APR Dumfries Museum Free family activity Flutter-Bys and Humble-Bees! vii

10 APR 10 APR Dumfries Museum Free family activity Nest Building vii

12 APR 12 APR Dumfries Museum Free family activity Beautiful Boxes vii

14 APR 14 APR Dumfries Museum Talk & live music Yuri’s Night v

DIARY

DUMFRIES MUSEUMThe Observatory, Rotchell Road, Dumfries DG2 7SWTel: 01387 253374

A treasure house of history in Dumfries and Galloway telling the story of the land and people of the region. Look out for fossil footprints left by prehistoric animals, the wildlife of the Solway, tools and weapons of our earliest people, stone carvings by Scotland’s first Christians and the everyday things of the Victorian farm, workshop and home.

Museum activity trails and gallery investigations, visitor information and a shop.

iii

The Big Book Bargain!2pm – 5pm Saturday 11 February 2012

Come along anytime during the afternoon and bag yourself a bargain from our shop. Special 10% discount on most items, including unusual and nostalgic toys, gifts and pocket

money buys, and many books at half price. All

major credit cards accepted.

Open all yearOctober - MarchTuesday - Saturday 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

April - SeptemberMonday - Saturday 10am - 5pmSunday 2pm - 5pm

Admission freeThe windmill tower is reached via a spiral staircase – please telephone for further details.

Weather permitting the Camera Obscura is available on Saturdays. Please telephone to check before making a special journey.

AdmissionAdults: £2.40 Concessions: £1.20

BOX OFFICE 01387 264808

Hat Trick - the story of gentlemen’s headwear through the ages

Until Saturday 11 February 2012

For centuries the hats men wear have served as status symbols and fashion accessories as well as being functional and protective. From the formal, stiff top hats worn by the aristocrats and professionals of the 19th century to the soft felt berets favoured by intellectuals and artists, men’s hats have made important statements about the individuals who chose to wear them.

This quirky exhibition, based on Dumfries Museum’s own collections, explores how social change has been reflected in the styles, designs and fabrics of this most commonplace of clothing items.

2012 Foyer exhibition Down the Dock

Saturday 28 January – Saturday 29 December 2012This exhibition reveals the story of Dumfries Dock. This narrow strip of land along the east bank of the River Nith was not only the town’s harbour, it served as a gathering place, a pasture and a meadow, provided orchards and nurseries, bleaching fields and drying greens. It was the town’s first ever industrial area, later becoming a tree-lined riverside promenade, and finally a popular municipal park.

2012 marks the centenary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and this exhibition will also focus on the memorial to the disaster which is located in the park, and tells the story of the men from Dumfries who lost their lives in the accident.

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS AT DUMFRIES MUSEUM Hat

iv

v

Yuri’s Night

Saturday 14 April, 7.00pm – 9.00pm

At Dumfries Museum

Yuri’s Night is an international celebration held in April every year to commemorate two separate space exploration milestones. The first milestone was the launch of the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961. The second was the launch of the first Space Shuttle, STS-1, on 12 April 1981. The goal of Yuri’s Night is to increase public interest in space exploration

and to inspire a new generation of explorers.

Come along and enjoy an evening of short talks and live music! The usual excellent refreshments.

No booking is required.

A joint event with Dumfries Astronomy

Society.

Animal, Vegetable and Mineral

Saturday 25 February – Saturday 6 May 2012

This exhibition celebrates the vast wealth of treasures that have been collected by the people of this region and that are now cared for at Dumfries Museum. How were the collections formed, who were the key collectors, and what should we add to the collection in the future?

From the linen wrapped head of an Ancient Egyptian mummy to a collection of Scottish lichens, from the earliest fossils to an elaborately carved 17th century Norwegian powder horn and from samples of the Indian Ocean telegraph cable to the skin of a sloth, the variety is remarkable!

This exhibition pays tribute to the collectors as well as their collections, and recognises the special role played by the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society as members celebrate their 150th anniversary this year.

Family Events AT DUMFRIES MUSEUM

Admission is free. Booking is essential unless otherwise stated, please phone Dumfries Museum on 01387 253374. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please wear old clothes, workshops can be messy!

Stargazing LIVE

Saturday 21 January7.00pm – 9.30pm

A joint event with Dumfries Astronomy Society to celebrate the BBC’s Stargazing LIVE project - a nationwide campaign to get people exploring and learning about the sky above them - that kicks off with three live BBC2 television programmes on 16th to 18th January. Come along to Dumfries Museum for a guided tour of the night sky with society members, and weather permitting, take a look through both the museum’s telescope and the society’s telescopes, take part in activities including making a Cosmic Calendar, pick up a copy of the Stargazing LIVE Star Guide - and much more!

No booking required.

Zoolab – Nightlife!

Tuesday 14 February

1 hour sessions at 10.00am, 11.15am, 1.15pm and 2.30pm

A dramatic tale of how our intrepid Ranger got lost in the jungle and found himself stranded far below the earth in a deep, dark cave. Here he meets an astonishing group of animals adapted to living in the dark. Through activities, slide show and animal handling we will discover how animals have adapted to live in dark places and meet some of them that do!

Suitable for children aged 3 years and over.

vi

From Little Acorns

Tuesday 3 April10.30am - 11.30am

With Nithsdale Countryside Ranger Tom Henry

It is springtime and things are about to start sprouting and growing! Learn about the plants, small and large, that are about to come to life. Plant your own acorn to see if it will grow into a giant oak tree.

Suitable for children aged 5 and upwards.

Flutter-Bys and Humble-Bees!

Thursday 5 April10.30am - 12.30pm and 2.00pm - 4.00pm

With local storyteller Anne Errington

Stories from around the world inspired by the collections in our “Animal, Vegetable and Mineral” exhibition.

Storytelling sessions at 11am and 2.30pm. Drop in anytime to create your own fantasy collection of imaginary insects.

No booking required.

vii

Nest Building

Tuesday 10 April10.30am - 11.30am

With Nithsdale Countryside Ranger Tom Henry

Do you think you could build a nest as well as the birds can? Come along and find out how, why and where birds build their nests and then have a go at building your own, and protecting it from predators!

Suitable for children aged 5 and upwards.

Beautiful Boxes

Thursday 12 April10.30am - 12.30pm and 2.00pm - 4.00pm

With local artist Pamela Grace

To coincide with our “Animal, Vegetable and Mineral” exhibition about collecting things, make and decorate a box to keep your special treasures safe and sound.

No booking required.

viii

ROBERT BURNS CENTRE, DUMFRIESRobert Burns Centre, Mill Road, Dumfries DG2 7BETel: 01387 264808

Situated in the town’s eighteenth century watermill on the west bank of the River Nith, the Robert Burns Centre tells the story of Robert Burns’ last years spent in the bustling streets and lively atmosphere of Dumfries in the late eighteenth century. The exhibition is illuminated by many original manuscripts and belongings of the poet. There is a fascinating scale model of Dumfries in the 1790s and a haunting audio-visual presentation.

Test your powers of observation with a gallery investigation, discover Dumfries and Galloway’s Burns connections and browse around the shop with its wide selection of Scottish books, gifts and keepsakes.

Upstairs at the Robert Burns Centre, the Hullabaloo Café Gallery hosts a lively programme of contemporary works by local artists.

Open all yearOctober – MarchTuesday - Saturday 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

April - SeptemberMonday - Saturday 10am - 5pmSunday 2pm - 5pm

Admission free (Audio Visual Theatre Adults: £2.10, Concession: £1.05)

The Big Burns Supper David Sibbald in residence

Saturday 28 January 2.00pm – 4.00pmAt Robert Burns House

Help Dumfries celebrate the birth of Robert Burns and make this the Biggest Burns Supper ever.

At Robert Burns House David Sibbald, leading Burns orator and renowned after dinner speaker, will be “in residence” for the afternoon. From the tales behind the songs to life at the time of Burns, this informal drop in event is bound to be fascinating – you may even hear a poem or two!

David says “At the end of the day Burns should be fun. Let’s all enjoy the friendship and camaraderie along the way” – just what The Big Burns Supper is all about.

ix

ROBERT BURNS HOUSE, DUMFRIESRobert Burns House, Burns Street, Dumfries DG1 2PSTel: 01387 255297

It was in this simple sandstone house in a quiet Dumfries street that Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, spent the last years of his brilliant life. He died here in 1796 at the age of just thirty seven. The house gives us a picture of how the poet and his family lived in the late eighteenth century, and is now a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from around the world.

The sales area has books, gifts and keepsakes, all with a Burns connection.

Open all yearOctober – MarchTuesday - Saturday 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

April - SeptemberMonday - Saturday 10am - 5pmSunday 2pm - 5pm

Admission freeRobert Burns House is accessed via steps – please telephone for further details

Burns and Graham - A Poet and His Patron

Saturday 21 January – Sunday 15 April

This exhibition describes the friendship between Robert Graham, 12th Laird of Fintry in Forfarshire, and Robert Burns. The poet first met Robert Graham, an Excise Commissioner, in 1787 and the latter soon became a patron and friend, supporting the poet’s application to become an Excise Officer.

In 1793, a two volume edition of “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect” by Robert Burns was published in Edinburgh. Burns presented several copies to his friends, including the Grahams. Theirs has been cherished by the family ever since. The current owner, the 18th Laird of Fintry has kindly loaned the books to Robert Burns House for this exhibition.

EXHIBITIONS AT ROBERT BURNS HOUSE

The first volume has a telling dedication to Mrs Graham, written by the Poet – “It is probable, Madam, that this page may be read when the hand that now writes it is mouldering in the dust.”

As well as the books, we have been able to borrow a group of delicate miniature portraits of the Graham family. They include a portrait of Robert Graham, along with

portraits of several of his children. A couple of keepsakes from the Duchess of Atholl to members of the Graham family complete the display.

x

R i v e r N i t h

Fountain

Theatre Royal

Railway

Station

BUCCLEUCH ST

GL

AS

GO

W S

TR

EE

T

CH

UR

CH

SHAK

ESPE

ARE

ST

E N G L I SH S

TRE E T

LOVER ' S W A LK C AT H E R I N E S T

A C ADEMY S

T

WHITESANDS

BANK ST

FRIAR'S VENNEL

BURNS ST

Tourist Information

Ewart Library

Dumfries Museum & CameraObscura

GracefieldArtsCentre

Old BridgeHouse Museum

Robert Burns House

WHERE TO FIND US

DG One Leisure Centre

Robert Burns Centre and Film Theatre

Midsteeple

New Acquisition at Dumfries MuseumStaff at Dumfries Museum were surprised recently when a unique medal was left to the Museum in a local lady's will.

The silver medal was made about 1831 by local silversmith David Gray for the Queensberry Street Curling Club. The medal was competed for annually between occupants on either side of the street, from Queensberry Square to St Andrews Street.

It will be put on display in the "local silversmiths" case.