National Museums Liverpool Blog - Friday, October 19, 2012

A display of traditional artefacts at World Museum's Meet Your Muslim Neighbour Day. Photo courtesy of Usama Munir, MYMN

Meet Your Muslim Neighbours (MYMN) is an established group of volunteers, adult and children of Muslim faith. They run this initiative to help break down barriers and build bridges for all communities.

World Museum’s inaugural Meet Your Muslim Neighbour event in June 2012 attracted almost 700 visitors. Brimming with family friendly activity, the day included henna hand painting, Arabic art writing, samosa tasting and a show-and-tell on cultural artefacts and objects.

Following the success of Meet Your Muslim Neighbour Day at World Museum, there are now plans to roll out the same event across all National Museums Liverpool’s venues, starting with Museum of Liverpool tomorrow (Saturday 20 October). Drop in any time 11am-4pm - see the website for further details.

There are still events happening for the centenary year of Titanic’s sinking for people who are interested in the tragic tale of the ship. Ian Murphy, Deputy Director of Merseyside Maritime Museum is speaking at the Titanic Talks event organised by the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool at 6pm on 16 October along with Dr John Foster of Queen’s University, Belfast. Details of the event can be found here and for more information contact: Dorothy Lynch, Development Manager, The Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool, 1 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WY.

The Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition is open until 21 April 2013, at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

There's something fishy going on...it's shark week at World Museum! 

Here's Education Demonstrator Alyster Chapman to tell us more:

It’s that time of year again when Europe celebrates European Shark Week. We will be having shark activities this weekend, 13-14 October, at World Museum. 

From 11am-4pm in the Clore Natural History Centre, families will be able to get crafty with our shark-themed activities. Come along for the chance to take part with badge making, face painting and also design your own shark to add to our giant underwater mural!

At 1pm and 3pm there will be an exclusive screening of the multi-award winning film 'Shark Water' (PG) in our Treasure House Theatre. This film is not only captivating, action packed and full of breathtaking underwater footage but has a truly inspirational message about shark conservation as well as a very charismatic presenter.

These events run both days of the weekend and it's all free!

Sharks often get a bad press. People tend to think of them as only man-eating, killing machines but sharks are amazing animals and hugely misunderstood. 

Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, the pigmy shark is the smallest, you could fit a full grown one on the palm of your hand. The biggest shark is the whale shark, they grow over 20 metres in length and are a gentle giant of the sea, feeding on tiny plankton in the water. 

Sharks were on the earth 400 million years ago, that’s before the dinosaurs! Luckily sharks are still here, for now. Shark numbers are declining though, with around 70 million sharks being slaughtered every year. Many are killed just for their fins, which are cut off and the dying animal is thrown back into the sea. This extremely cruel and wasteful process, known as shark finning, goes on to produce a delicacy called shark fin soup. Shark finning happens in this country as well as others, so this really is a local problem.

We hope you will join in our celebration of sharks and see these creatures for what they are; amazing, fascinating, majestic, awesome animals.

The tiny figure which inspired Angela's John Moores painting

We had a really fascinating talk from John Moores artist, Angela Lizon on Tuesday. This little figure was found in a charity shop, and made a perfect subject for Angela who is intrigued by kitsch and how it can be transformed into something unique.

‘Made in Taiwan’ was the smallest submission from more than 3,000 entries to the competition. You can see how little it is in the photograph- it is the second painting from the right.

Next Talk Tuesday is the turn of prize winner Stephen Nicholas. He will be discussing the intriguing 'Gallery' from 1pm.

For more John Moores Painting Prize and Biennial events click here.

Liverpool - the story of a city

If you've enjoyed your visit to the Museum of Liverpool (and who hasn't?) or can't make it to the Museum, then our latest book is worth a look.

Liverpool - the story of a city gives a whistle stop tour of the Museum's galleries (essentially a potted history of Liverpool), starting with the departure of the ice at the end of the last Ice Age, running through to the recent report on Hillsborough.

It celebrates the city and the millions who have inspired, thrived, created, fought, worked and lived here. It covers the Liverpool usuals (The Beatles, football, Grand National, slavery, the docks etc) plus many topics you may not immediately associate wth the city like the American Civil War, the world's first passenger railway and the humble cup of tea. There's lots of photos which make for a pleasant wander down memory lane for locals, and for visitors an introduction to the city Carl Jung described as 'the pool of life'.

You can purchase the book at the Museum itself or through our online shop. And at £9.99 it'll make a thoughtful yet affordable Christmas present.

Tributes to be paid to the life and work of Liverpool based performer Elroy Josephs (1939-1997).

As part of our Black History Month 2012 programme, the International Slavery Museum presents a tribute to actor and dancer, Elroy Josephs in an evening of movement and memories that celebrates the work and artistic achievements of the Liverpool-based artist.

Elroy, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica in 1956 developed a ground breaking fusion of African-Caribbean and European dance styles that changed the way dancers and choreographers thought about movement. Central to this was his understanding of plantation slavery in the Caribbean and its colonial legacy. How he felt this history lived within him and informed his work and gave it the power and emotion he felt was essential for dance to have. Despite Elroy’s influence on British dance heritage, (he was the first Black dance tutor at a British University), his story is largely absent from the history of British Dance.

Through a collaboration between International Slavery Museum, performance student Cherise Weaver and staff and students at Enterprise South Liverpool Academy, the present generation have been introduced to Joseph's technique who have then used this as the basis for an original piece.

Join us at the International Slavery Museum on 12 October at 6pm where it will be performed. The evening will use documentary footage, music, movement and former student’s recollections, as well as an overview of Elroy's life, work and impact on the creative arts scene in Liverpool.

Places are free, but please book your space on 0151 478 4456.

National Museums Liverpool have a bumper programme of events for Black History Month. Our volunteer, Louise Beard, has picked out some highlights:

Poet Levi Tafari is holding workshops at Museum of Liverpool

Since 1987 October has been dedicated to highlighting Black history. For America, Black History Month began 61 years earlier in 1926. It might seem more relevant for a country whose history is steeped with well-known and influential Black figures. However, BHM in the UK also aims to emphasise the significance of Black people in British history; such as Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole who independently founded the British Hotel to nurse soldiers back to health during the Crimean war.

With the oldest black community in Europe, Liverpool has a major place in the UK’s Black history. National Museums Liverpool are hosting a number of different events which are aimed to inform and complement BHM. 

A few that have caught my eye in particular are: the Black Community Trail at the Museum of Liverpool which highlights the contribution of Black people to Liverpool’s chequered history (daily from 15/10/12, 10-4pm). Also there is an exciting opportunity for young writers to meet Levi Tafari, who'll be helping visitors pen their own poems (23/10/12, 11-4pm).

At the International Slavery Museum there’s an alternative to the weekly body combat class with Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art (every Saturday, 10-12pm). Literary tastes are also accommodated with an exploration of Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ which looks colonialism (11/09/12, 10-12pm).

Naturally, amidst these events there are plentiful chances for children to craft masks, drums, tiles and quilts galore.

To find out more about the events taking place at National Museums Liverpool click here.

National Museums Liverpool's Black History Month 2012 poster

Hello,

Welcome to Black History Month (BHM).  First of all you can find a list of the varied events we have planned by clicking here. Over the past few years BHM has had a number of detractors, mainly by those who point out that every month should be a BHM and that Black history should be embedded in all history taught as part of the curriculum.  I could not agree more, however, I still believe it is a very worthwhile event as it often the first time some people, of all ages, engage with Black history.  This might not be ideal but it is a fact.  We have similar experiences here at the Museum.  For many people we are an introduction not only to transatlantic slavery and contemporary forms of slavery but African achievement, African culture, African civilization and indeed African resistance.  All these subjects should be obligatory aspects of world and British history, but alas, we are not there quite yet, so in the meantime, let’s get behind BHM events nationwide.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, to many the father of African American history and author of the seminal The Mis-education of the Negro  which highlighted the power of education for  African Americans, established what at the time was called ‘Negro History Week’ in 1926, which became Black History Month.  In the US this traditionally takes place in February, the reason being that it contains the birthdays of two influential figures who Woodson thought had greatly impacted on the lives of African Americans - Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Prior to this Woodson had also established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915 which aimed to research,  promote, preserve and disseminate Black history and culture.  The development of appropriate language has followed to some degree the development of the study and understanding of Black history.  As such, today terms such as ‘negro’ widely used in the 18th to 20th centuries to describe someone of African descent is now considered derogatory and should only be used in a specific historic context.

In the 1980s October was chosen as BHM in the UK as it was at the beginning of a new academic year and thus a good time for young people to get involved.  A number of useful BHM related resources can be accessed at the Jorum website which shares UK Further and Higher Education learning and teaching resources.  More information about how BHM came about can be found at Black History Month UK and Merseyside wide events can be found at the Merseyside Black History Month Group site.

Before I go…10 Did You Know Black History facts?

Dr Maulana Karenga, the founder of Kwaanza who delivered the 2011 Slavery Remembrance Day lecture in Liverpool was the guest of the Greater London Council for what is widely believed to be the first UK BHM event in 1987.

The Kuumba Imani community centre in Toxteth, Liverpool was named after two guiding principles of  Kwaanza -  Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

Over 175,000 Black troops served in the Union army and navy during the American Civil War.

During a promotional tour of England in 1944 the boxing legend Joe Louis signed for Liverpool FC.

The activist Michael de Freitas changed his name to Michael X after meeting Malcolm X who was visiting England in 1965.

John Richard Archer, who became London’s first Black mayor in 1913 when elected in Battersea, was born in Liverpool.

Lord Learie Constantine, cricket legend and Britain’s first Black peer, played for Nelson Cricket Club in Lancashire.

Bahamas born Dr. Allan Glaisyer Minns was the first Black mayor in England, elected at Thetford, Norfolk in 1904.

During the 2nd and 3rd centuries a North African auxiliary unit Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum was stationed at the Roman fort of Aballava (modern Burgh-by-Sands) at the western end of Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, joint winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize is the 24th President of Liberia and the first elected female Head of State in Africa.

Bye for now,
Richard

Pauline Rushton with one of Mrs Tinne's many evening dresses.

If you missed the first episode it’s available on iPlayer until Friday 19 October, and episode two will be broadcast tonight. Our very own Pauline Rushton, curator of costume and textiles, will be featuring. She’ll be talking about the Tinne letters – around 1,000 letters which were sent between 1923-54 by the well-to-do Dr and Mrs Tinne to their son while he was off being educated. In the missives they regale their son with tales from home, with the servants featuring quite heavily, and not always in the best of lights. The letters are a fascinating insight into the sometimes fraught relationships between servants and their employers.

You may remember Mrs Tinne from the exhibition of her clothes held at the Walker in 2006. The collection features more than 700 pieces ranging from bathing suits and outdoor clothes to evening wear and accessories. Highlights of the collection can be found in the catalogue Mrs Tinne’s Wardrobe – A Liverpool Lady’s Clothes 1900-1940 which you can purchase from this very website. My personal favourites are the darling cloche hats. And if you fancy seeing the pieces in the cloth, as it were, you need only wait a few weeks as a display of the wardrobe opens at the Walker on 17 November.

The John Moores Painting Prize has been open for a number of weeks now. With 67 paintings (including the China works), there is a lot to take in. So for Talk Tuesdays (1pm every week) artists, historians and members of the John Moores project team take turns to talk about their work, and/or what the exhibition and the Prize are all about.

This week was the turn of 2012 prize winner, Narbi Price. Press Assistant, Jo Vickers went along to find out what inspires Narbi's interesting work:

Narbi Price with his prize winning painting

It’s Narbi Price’s second year of exhibiting in the John Moores Painting Prize and the turnout for his talk at the Walker Art Gallery is testament to the fascination his work draws.

The talk begins with a slideshow showing a mix of Narbi’s paintings and those of other artists who have inspired and influenced him. He talks about the influence of David Hockney’s geometric compositions and of George Shaw’s ‘kitchen sink realism’ and the permission it gave him to experiment with the ordinary and mundane as his subject matter.

There are also many abstract artists in his list of influences, including Callum Innes, Roger Kelly and Gary Hume to name just a few. ‘I’m interested in how far you can push a figurative into abstract’ he explains, and it’s interesting to see how he explores this idea in his paintings. Many feature large expanses of colour with only small clues to the subject of the painting.

Despite the clear nod to abstraction in his paintings, elements of them are almost photorealistic; The slideshow intersperses Price’s paintings with photographs of places, and often it is hard to tell which are which at a glance. However, Price is keen to keep the ‘painterly’ quality of his paintings. They are not slavish copies of the original photograph, but new images with, as Price puts it, their ‘own autonomy’.

An interesting trait of Narbi’s to be revealed during the talk is a fondness for subversion. He likes to produce paintings that are, in his words, ‘on the edge of not working’ by playing with accepted rules about colour and composition. He shows us paintings in which several elements compete for the viewer’s attention, like his ‘Untitled Bob Painting'. The busy brickwork, unbalanced composition and garish colours make for an image that’s difficult to look at, making it slightly unsettling.

Another example of Price’s disregard for the rules can be seen in both of his last two John Moores Painting Prize entries, where the conventional ‘rule of thirds’ is unashamedly ignored as the images precisely divide the canvas in two. (Price's 2010 entry can be seen here).

Painting aesthetically pleasing images that invite the viewer in is clearly not Price’s goal. He describes his ‘Untitled Red Gate Painting’ as confrontational, saying of it, ‘the more you look at it, the more it doesn’t want you to look at it.’

The subjects of his paintings, too, seem to challenge the viewers. In the past Price has referred to his work as a “gentle subversion of the hierarchy of values that underpins our seeing”. His paintings seem to confront the audience, asking ‘why should a traffic cone be considered less interesting than a bowl of fruit?’

His JM2012 entry, 'Untitled Kerbstone Painting (MJK)' is one of five paintings, all of seemingly nondescript scenes: a pavement,  a brick wall, an empty school yard. The featureless images, however, take on a more sinister air when it is revealed that each one is the scene of a Jack the Ripper murder, the initials in the painting titles belonging to the victims.

The talk is fascinating and it would be impossible to go away from it and see his paintings in the same way. At first look, his photorealistic paintings are demonstrations of clear technical ability, albeit with unconventional subject matter. But Narbi’s processes, techniques and motivation give the paintings an air of defiance that suggests that the artist is painting primarily for himself, which ironically, might be the key to their popularity.

For more info: www.narbiprice.co.uk