Heritage Open Day
Saturday 14 September, 11am – 4pm
In celebration of Milton Keynes Arts Centre’s 50th anniversary year, for Heritage Open Day 2024, we invite everyone to join us for a day of activities inspired by the history of Great Linford and the people who have lived and worked here. Details of activities follow:
Create and Compose with Rachael Inwood
11am – 1.15pm and 1.45-4pm (Each workshop includes a 15min break)
Led by the artist Rachael Inwood, the first part of each workshop will involve making instruments, including drums and mini banjos, from everyday household materials. In the second part of the workshop, participants will work together in composing a piece of music inspired by the history of Great Linford Manor Park and what can be found in it today.
Rachael Inwood is a Milton Keynes-based musician, songwriter, workshop leader, and piano and flute teacher. She has been playing music for over 25 years and says that she loves finding ways to help people unlock their musical side and find freedom in their creativity.
The workshops are FREE but advance booking is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment. Please arrive 10mins before the workshop start time or your place will be offered to those waiting. Suitable for ages 6-12. All materials provided.
To book, click here
Victorian Studio Portraiture with Jo Gane
11am – 12.45pm & 1.45 – 3.30pm (10 min booking slots available between these times)
Inspired by the photographer, Harry Bartholomew (1862-1934), who ran a photography studio at number 35 on Great Linford High Street from around 1890 until his death in 1934, the artist Jo Gane invites people to experience what it must have been like to sit for a formal portrait at the time Harry Bartholomew was working. The photographs will be taken using a period Lancaster camera, which was made in Birmingham in 1894, and the paper negative images will be developed and printed in a portable darkroom installed at the Arts Centre.
Jo Gane is currently completing a PhD about early photography and her work is based around photographic archives and history. She says: “Central to my artistic practice is the idea of the photograph as a slice of history and its function in relation to the progression of time. I use historic photographic techniques and equipment from the dawn of photography to experience the processes of photography. I aim to make contemporary images that disrupt the linear representation of time and allow audiences a sense of time-travel.”
A selection of photographs taken by Harry Bartholomew will be exhibited in the Arts Centre for Heritage Open Day, on loan from John Gosling.
Advance booking is essential. Tickets: £5 per photograph (with groups of up to 6 people per photograph). The developed photographs can be collected between 1.15-1.45 and 4-4.30pm on the day, or between the hours of 9am-4pm Mon 16 – Thurs 19 & Sat 21 September.
To book, click here
Make a Thaumatrope
Self-led drop-in, 11am – 4pm
A thaumatrope is an optical toy that was popular in the 19th century and is seen as an important precursor to film and animation. It comprises a disc with a picture on each side that is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to blend into one.
FREE. All materials provided. No booking required.
To book, click here
This event has been supported by Milton Keynes City Council.
