Events and activities for everyone
A varied programme of events for adults and children, including talks and workshops, accompanies the temporary exhibitions and permanent displays in the Art Gallery & Museum.
Onsite events include gallery tours and artists’ talks which provide visitors with opportunities to engage with the collection and temporary exhibitions.
Most events are free, but there may be a small charge for some, e.g. art workshops.
The Art Gallery & Museum is particularly interested in working with young people and groups which have been identified as under-represented in its existing audience.
Booking - you are advised to pre-book for all events at the Art Gallery & Museum. Please visit the Art Gallery Reception Desk or telephone 01926 742700 for further details.
Visit our Toys & Games and Victorian Leamington websites!
Forthcoming Events:
Art Cart Family Fun
Last Saturday of each month, 2 – 4 pm
From Saturday 26 April
Join us for new family art sessions using our mobile Art Cart. Take part in a different activity every month, create artwork in the galleries and have lots of fun!
FREE! Drop in and join in. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Children’s Art Competition
Saturday 2 August from 11am – 3pm
Using the Art Gallery & Museum’s exhibits and the Royal Pump Rooms building as inspiration children can create their own masterpieces! The Art Competition is free and open to children in three age categories, 7 years and under, 8 -10 and 11 – 15. Judging takes place at 3.15pm and prizes are announced at 3.30pm. Everyone who takes part will receive a small prize! The Friends of Leamington Art Gallery (FLAG) will be supporting this annual event.
Summer Art Club
Thursday 7, 14, 21 and 28 August from 2 – 4pm
Children aged 6 -12 years and their accompanying adults can try out different creative activities every week inspired by the Art Gallery & Museum’s summer exhibition, 'Clocking On: Local Working Life in the 20th Century'. Lots of exciting art and craft materials will be provided and children can take their artwork home with them. The club runs on Thursday 7, 14, 21 and 28 August from 2 – 4pm. Sessions last 20 minutes, final entry 3.40pm. Free admission, drop in and join in.
Friday Focus
Every Friday, 1pm
Lunch time will never be the same again!
Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum is hosting informal ten minute lunch time talks for everybody who is interested in art, culture and local history.
A new programme of talks for July, August and September 2008 has now been announced. Highlights will include an introduction to the Art Gallery & Museum’s summer exhibition ‘Clocking On: Working Life in the 20th Century’ by social history curator Victoria Slade; an opportunity to find out about the range of conservation techniques used to preserve the Art Gallery & Museums collections; and a talk about the artist L.S Lowry which will include a unique opportunity to view the back of the double sided painting The Mission Room, painted by Lowry in 1937.
You can drop in for a Friday Focus on Fridays at 1pm. All talks are free and no reservations are needed. For further information and a programme please call Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum on 01926 742700.
July Programme
- 11/07/08 Fergus Durrant, artistic director of Sez-U Community Theatre, elaborates on ‘The Art of Deception’. During the 1940s Leamington Spa was home to the Camouflage Directorate, a government funded unit to research and apply camouflage for military and civilian use. A specially created display can be viewed in the Art Gallery & Museum mezzanine from the 1 July.
- 18/07/08 Councillor Les Caborn, previous Chairman of Warwick District Council, will introduce his favourite exhibit, the painting Winter’s White Silence by Lucy Elizabeth Kemp-Welch. This talk is part of our Collection Connection programme and will be co-presented by Tammy Woodrow.
- 25/07/08 ‘A Visit From The Doctor’, a talk by Rozi Smith exploring the medical profession in the 19th century.
August Programme
- 01/08/08 Dawn Mason, a student from Leicester University who is completing a placement at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum through the LUMeN scheme, will talk about a display she will be creating as part of her placement.
- 08/08/08 Jonathan Treadwell will talk about the artist L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) and his piece The Mission Room, which was painted in 1937. This will be a unique opportunity to view the back of this double-sided work.
- 15/08/08 Chloe Johnson, senior curator at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, will elaborate on a sketch book in our collection by the artist John Burgess (1813-1874) who worked in Leamington Spa in the 19th century.
- 22/08/08 Martin Lawson, editor of the Leamington Spa Courier, will introduce his favourite exhibit, the Douche Slab. This talk is part of our Collection Connection programme and will be co-presented by Tammy Woodrow.
- 29/08/08 Photographer Ray Spence FRPS will present his impressions of the refurbishment of the Bath Assembly Rooms. Ray is a Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society, sits on the distinctions panel for Visual Art and is the Chairman of the Printing Panel. This talk will be co-presented by Tammy Woodrow.
September Programme
- 05/09/08 Local historian Robin Stott will elaborate on the Victoria Pavilion. The Pavilion is a building with a long and sometimes surprising history which has housed all sorts of entertainment and recreation and was even linked to the Camouflage Directorate during World War II.
- 12/09/08 Vicki Slade and Tammy Woodrow will discuss a range of conservation techniques used to preserve the Art Gallery & Museum collections.
- 19/09/08 Sharon Luke will introduce Cream Glazed Pot (1979) by painter and printmaker Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005), who was associated with Pop Art.
- 26/09/08 Tammy Woodrow will present recently acquired pieces by artists Lee Tribe and Bill Woodrow. These works were part of the Tom Bendhem collection.
Thursday Flickers
Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum is hosting an exciting weekly film & video event. Thursday Flickers provides a platform for local film & video makers to showcase their innovative media work to a wider audience.
The new programme includes work from video artists, short-film makers, animators, motion-graphic designers, VJs, and artists using video installations. Budding film students as well as more established moving image artists can present their work.
Each Thursday night we will show pieces from two film & video makers. After the viewings there will be the possibility for the public to ask questions.
This event will take place Thursday night from 6.30 to 7.30pm. FREE. Drop in and join in.
We are still searching for new film and video talent! If you would like the opportunity to show your work in an informal and friendly environment please contact Tammy Woodrow on 01926 742700 or email prooms@warwickdc.gov.uk.
July Programme
- 03/07/08 Richard Wood, media lecturer at Warwickshire College, director of Leofric Films Ltd and acting chairman of Call The Shots Film Group will introduce an eclectic mix of locally produced short films made by Coventry based filmmaking organisation Call the Shots and students of Warwickshire College in Leamington Spa. The selection will include a short documentary that follows Sky Blue fans during the demolition of their beloved Highfield Road Stadium.
- 10/07/08 Stephen Dawkins, media production tutor at Coventry University and documentary maker will present his film Terminal. This 27 minute long film was shot in the world famous Grand Central Terminal in New York in February 2008 and examines what it means to be American in the current political climate. The documentary was co-produced and co-directed with Ian Wynd, video production lecturer at North Warwickshire College in Hinckley. Both Stephen and Ian will be present.
Steve Rainbow, freelance film maker, will present his film that is part of an art installation entitled TO. The film consists of three panels and aims to show old and new lines of communication simultaneously during a journey between Birmingham and London. Last summer it was shown on the BBC Big Screen and it is the only pictorial representation of the entire Grand Union Canal.
- 17/07/08 Antshake, a locally based film production company will show you their latest project Wildfire which was filmed in Leamington Spa’s Victoria Park. Sean Kelly, film producer, financer and writer will be there to answer questions.
Stephen Reynolds, independent Midlands based writer, producer and director, shall screen his short films Thr3e, Strive and Open Call. There will also be a trailer of Stephen’s work with Bafta award winning screen writer Geoff Thompson.
- 24/07/08 Tammy Woodrow, organiser of the Thursday Flickers programme, will introduce work by video artist Martyn Thompson. Martyn graduated from Northampton University and currently lives in South Korea where he is investigating the technological advancements in video art. His work is profoundly influenced by the artist Nam June Paik.
Nick Loquens, based just outside Stratford Upon Avon, is a stop motion animation & live action film maker. As a model maker & conceptual designer, Nick has previously worked on Creature Comforts series 2 & Creature Comforts USA. He will be screening his animation Eyes in the Darkness.
Edward Loades, DV director and art department assistant, will present his music video I Feel It; the title of a song produced by The Urban Myth Club. Edward has worked with several production companies including, Mutton Jeff Productions, Pulse Films, Soho, Kurtz Films and Archers Mark International and the Producers’ Forum in Birmingham.
Appeal for working life memories
As part of research into working life in Warwick District during the 20th Century, Vicki Slade, Curatorial Officer at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, is looking for people who would like to share their memories of working in the region.
Vicki would like to speak to anyone who worked in Warwick District, but particularly those who worked at Ford, Flavels/Rangemaster and Potterton. She has already spoken to several people who have described how working practices changed during the 20th Century and have recalled social activities provided by companies.
The research is being undertaken in preparation for Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s summer exhibition, ‘Clocking On: Working Life in the 20th Century.’ During the last Century social reform and the impact of the two World Wars radically influenced what it was like to work in Britain. The minimum wage was introduced, women joined the workforce in greater numbers than ever before and working hours were reduced. This exhibition will explore the impact of these changes on working life in Warwick District.
The recorded memories will form part of the interpretation for the exhibition and will be added to the Art Gallery & Museum’s collection as a permanent record of working life in Warwick District during the 20th Century.
Vicki is very keen to talk with as many people as she can over the next few weeks, so if you are interested in adding your memories, please contact the Art Gallery & Museum on 01926 742700.
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