Galway City Museum are rolling out the last of this year’s free programme of events and exhibitions and are inviting the public to visit the museum and join in upcoming activities.
DROP-IN WORKSHOP: Clothes-Peg Dolls In times past, before toys were made in factories, Irish children often made their own toys to pass the time and amuse themselves.
As money was scarce, they used their imagination to recycle whatever castaway materials were to hand, natural materials such as wood, wool, straw and, even, bone. Sometimes, children would make dolls or soldiers out of old wooden clothes pegs and bits of cloth or rags.
This drop-in workshop gives participants a chance to make their very own clothes-peg doll. All are welcome to drop into the Museum Education Room anytime between 11am and 1pm on Saturday 9 December. Materials will be provided. The event is free of charge and booking is not required.
TALK & SCREENING: Ordinary Treasures – Objects from Home On Wednesday 13 December from 2pm until 3pm the Museum will be screening Ordinary Treasures: Objects from Home. This new film asks the question “If you had to leave your home for your own safety, what would you bring with you?” and bears witness to what six International Protection Applicants and Refugees, who have been attending the Irish Refugee Integration Network (IRIN ) English language classes, packed with them when fleeing their homeland. Made in conjunction with IRIN and the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies in Dublin City University (DCU ), the film is underpinned by a commitment to solidarity and socially-engaged artistic practice and strives to encourage empathy and affective change through an emphasis on voice, object and story. Film directors, Maria Loftus and Fíona Murphy from DCU, will introduce the film, accompanied by two International Protection Applicants, who will speak about the co-design process.
Exhibitions Living Skills: the Aran Knitting Project is now open in the multi-purpose Museum Education Room. This exhibition curated by Galway City Library, showcases the Aran Knitting workshop series that took place there recently. Other exhibitions currently running at Galway City Museum include A Well-Trodden Path (external ); SUPERHUMAN | FORDHAONNA; This Is The Modern World; MONUMENT; Keepers of the Gael | Caomhnóirí na nGael; Revolution in Galway, 1913-23; The Galway Hooker; The Claddagh – A Triumph of Unconscious Beauty and Sea Science.
This Christmas season, Galway City Museum will be open up to and including Saturday 23 December from 10am until 3pm. The Museum will be closed for Christmas from Saturday December 24 until Thursday 28th December inclusive. It will open on Friday December 29, 10am – 5pm but will be closed on Saturday December 30 Normal opening hours resume on Tuesday January 2 2024.
For more information on upcoming exhibitions and events see www.galwaycitymuseum.ie or follow Galway City Museum on social media.
