In 2023 storytelling events by drag performers were targeted by protestors claiming that it was inappropriate for children. Vast numbers counter protested in what, for many, was seen as a stand for LGBTQ+ rights.
In this event they will speak to two performers who utilise elements of drag and dameship within their acts to weave stories and to teach lessons. They will look at the history of drag and dameship, listen to the lived experience of these performers and consider why in 2023 this suddenly became decisive headline-grabbing news.
You will hear from-
Mama G
Mama G draws on a centuries-long tradition of Pantomime Dameship to teach children (and adults) stories about loving who you are and loving who you want. She recently shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent with a whole host of dames, showcasing the diversity of this artform.
Sister Sister
Sister Sister rose to fame when appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Since then she has performed all over Britain and beyond and has been a vocal activist speaking out against online abuse.
In this special event we will hear their individual stories and you will have the opportunity to ask questions and delve into the world of performance, queenship, dameship, gender, and storytelling.
Renaissance and nineteenth century paintings were heavily influenced by ancient Roman and Greek statues.
Author and art historian Frank Milner will explore the links between the museum and galleries’ collections.
Find out about the gods and heroes that artists most loved and adapted, and discover how classical literature inspired painters throughout the centuries.
This event takes place in the Treasure House Theatre, World Museum
Vid Simoniti is joined in conversation by Sophie Oliver, to discuss his newly published book, Artists Remake the World: A Contemporary Art Manifesto.
In the book, Simoniti puts forward a new account of art’s political potential. Introducing the reader to a host of visionary artists who are currently active across the globe — including Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson, Maurice Mbikayi, Wangechi Mutu, and Hito Steyerl — Simoniti demonstrates the potential and limits of their transformative work, while tackling contemporary issues like the climate crisis, social justice and global inequality.
As the artworld increasingly comes to expect political themes in art, the book asks the foundational questions about aesthetics and politics: What difference can art make? Does political engagement exclude a concern for beauty? What is the difference between artists and activists?
The conversation will be followed by a drinks reception, and an opportunity to buy the book at a discounted rate.
In 2019 the Museum of Liverpool archaeology team undertook the first excavation of courtyard housing in Liverpool.
This type of low quality, high density-housing was home to around half of Liverpool’s working class people by the mid 19th century. This dig, in an area of the city described as ‘little hell’ in a court case in the 1880s, revealed some surprises about the everyday lives of people in ‘Court 2, Oakes Street’.
Tickets for this talk cost £7. A booking link will be available soon on the museum’s event page.
Museums and galleries are a treasure trove of fascinating stories and world class collections. In this exciting series of talks you will get the opportunity to meet the experts who care for the museum’s collections, find out never-before-told behind the scenes stories of our most beloved objects, and get the opportunity to pick the brains of a real museum expert.
On 22 June they are bringing in a range of their world class experts who will tell you more about the collections they care for and the stories behind them. Stay for one talk, stay for the whole day. It’s down to you but don’t miss this unique opportunity to go beyond the label and find out more about the fascinating stories behind their collections.
Join Afrah Qassim, CEO and Founder of Savera UK, female genital mutilation (FGM) survivors Babs Ceesay and Khatra Paterson, Dr Sharon Dixon (MBBS, MRCGP, DRCOG, DFFP, DCH) GP Partner and Treasurer and Trustee of Oxford Against Cutting, and Bryony Kendall, Named GP for safeguarding for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, and the North West representative to the NHS England National Network of Named GPs for an online discussion about the responsibility of healthcare professionals in responding to FGM.
The discussion will be chaired by Aislinn O’Dwyer, Chair of Savara UK’s Board of Directors and East Cheshire NHS Trust.
The event will highlight the issue of FGM, its indicators and impact, and look at the responsibilities of healthcare professionals including GPs, midwives, medical students, nurses, and health visitors, while also discussing how specialist organisations can help better equip health professionals to respond to FGM.
The event takes place on The International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, an annual event that allows those working to end FGM to celebrate achievements, advocate for the abandonment of the practice and to raise awareness.
If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact info@saverauk.co.uk at least one week in advance of the event, so we can facilitate your needs.
This event is delivered by Savera UK in partnership with Oxford Against Cutting.
VG&M Volunteer Cheryl will focus on the Edward Burne-Jones sketches that are on display along their gallery corridor.
This event is free and will last approximately 15-20 minutes.
Please meet at the VG&M Welcome Desk in reception ten minutes prior to start time and their volunteer will collect you at 2pm to start the talk.
West Kirby Bookshop are thrilled to welcome Fiona Williams to West Kirby to celebrate the publication of her debut novel, The House Of Broken Bricks.
Fiona Williams’ stunning nature-writing and poetic prose, turns a relatively simple story into a hauntingly beautiful experience.
Join Walker Art Gallery for this talk with 2023 Prize winner Emily Kraus in front of her painting ‘Stochastic 14’.
“I work inside a cubic scaffold structure around which I stretch a canvas loop. It is a shelter, a constraint, a tabernacle and a boundary. The mechanism itself — rolling bars and canvas with no end — is a metaphor for the cyclical world. To create an organic image within a rigid system whose nature is to make repetitive marks requires listening, attention and rebellion.
“Using this apparatus is like painting with blinders on. I hold the memory of surrounding marks as I focus on what I can see, forcing my eyes to layer linear time like ears do when composing a musical score.”
Tickets for this talk are £5 and include entry to the exhibition.
Join Graham Crowley in-conversation with Nicola Selsby – Cunningham, Head of the Walker Art Gallery. Graham is the 32nd winner of the Prize, he has been selected for the exhibition ten times with the first time being in 1976, he was also a jury member for the Prize in 2008.
“I paint shadows. I’m intrigued by luminosity in painting. This is the driving force behind LIGHT INDUSTRY. I’ve always been fascinated by paintings like those of Manet. The way in which the image and the painting as its own object can be seen simultaneously – fused together as a single luminous entity. This remarkable duality is one of painting’s defining characteristics.
“Creativity and class are long-standing preoccupations of mine and one of the ways that I’ve discovered to navigate these complex issues is by employing a variety of vernacular idioms. In this instance it’s a rather obsolete, low-tech graphic device, the duotone. My intention is to make paintings that are both luminous and their own object. This dictates the way I paint. I apply Paynes Gray pigment directly into the medium. Wet into wet, then glaze.”
Tickets for this talk are £5 and include entry to the exhibition.
