Graves Gallery Millennium Gallery Weston Park Leader House, Surrey Street Sheffield S1 2LH Tel: 0114 278 2610 [email protected] www.museums-sheffield.org.uk Friends Autumn Newsletter September 2019 Dear Friend, Welcome to your autumn newsletter, I hope you all had a wonderful summer and had the chance to enjoy and explore our summer programme. Leader House, Surrey We have had a great response to our exhibition John Ruskin: Art & Wonder at MillenniumStreet Gallery which marked 200 years of the influential artist, critic and scholar John Ruskin. The feedback we received was perhaps best summed up in this comment from one of the exhibition’s 48,000 visitors:Sheffield S1 2LH ‘What a beautifully curated and truly inspiring and informative exhibition – wonderful.’ Tel: 0114 278 2610 Although the Ruskin exhibition has ended, there’s still the opportunity to get involved and find out more about the many Ruskin bicentenary celebrations still to comeinfo@museums in 2019 at - ruskin200.com sheffield.org.uk We were delighted to offer Friends Circlewww.museums members a private- tour of the exhibition with Louise Pullen, Curatorsheffield.org.ukk of the Ruskin Collection here at Museums Sheffield. As part of the event the Friends Circle were also given the opportunity to handle some of the rare books and manuscripts from the collection. ‘To view, to touch and to turn the pages16 of someJanuary of the 2015 beautifully illustrated books in the Ruskin collection – it was very magical!’ Friend’s Circle member. As we move into autumn/winter our exhibitions programme shows no sign of slowing down. At the Millennium Gallery The Time is Now will look at how contemporary artist have explored our relationship with time while at the Graves Gallery, GAZE: A Retrospective of Portraits by Lorna May Wadsworth will make its debut in November. One of the UK’s most acclaimed portrait painters, Sheffield-born Wadsworth has forged a remarkable career with her celebrated representations of sitters from the worlds of politics, entertainment and beyond. We hope you can join us to celebrate the openings – more info on those below. As always, we love to hear from you! Let us know what you think about Friends and share your ideas of what you would like to see by contacting me directly. It is always a pleasure to hear from our Friends. Mel Russell, Friends Co-ordinator T: 0114 278 2610 E: [email protected] Friends Autumn Newsletter Thank you: Museums Sheffield Friends Week 2019 This July over 70 Friends came together to enjoy a specially curated week of events, activities, talks and tours that took place at Museums Sheffield’s sites and across the city. We had a wonderful week, with highlights including a visit to the historic 15th century timber framed Bishops House and a guided tour of Sheffield Auction House. Friends met the curators to explore behind the scenes at our collections store and also enjoyed the sunshine whilst catching up with fellow Friends at the first Friends Summer BBQ on the Millennium Gallery terrace. It was great to hear how much being a Museums Sheffield Friend means to you and how you enjoyed the events we’d planned as a thank you for your continuing support: “Thank you very much for the interesting visits to Bishop’s House and to the Stores.” “Just to say many thanks for arranging such an interesting visit today. We both really enjoyed it.” “We really enjoyed the visit to Bishops House today so thanks for organising it.” Thank you for a fantastic week we really loved seeing so many familiar faces and meeting new ones too. Museums Sheffield Wills Month Invitation: Join us at Graves Gallery this October for free Will advice Join us at Graves Gallery this October for free Will advice. By writing a Will, you can help secure the future of your loved ones. Once those closest to you are taken care of, a gift in your Will can help ensure the museums and galleries you love continue to thrive. This October, in partnership with Wake Smith Solicitors, we invite you to join us at Graves Gallery for two special curated free events to find out how you can leave a gift in your Will. Hear from our curators how benefactors like J G Graves supported the acquisition of key works in the collection or see examples of works on paper not currently on display. J.G Graves loved Sheffield and was one of the city’s greatest benefactors. He gave generously throughout his life, founding Graves Gallery and his legacy still remains a powerful presence today. Wake Smith Solicitors will be on hand with expert advice about creating your Will and how to remember a charity in it. Evening Talk: Gifts in Wills at Graves Gallery Lunchtime Talk: The Legacy of J G Graves Wed 9 Oct, 5.30–7.30pm Thu 17 Oct, 1-1.45pm Graves Gallery, Free, book in advance Graves Gallery, Free, just turn up Find out about Sheffield’s outstanding visual arts Find out about the city’s collections have been collection, see works on paper not currently on enriched by J.G. Graves’ legacy. The Wake Smith display and learn more about leaving a gift in your Solicitors team will also be available to offer expert Will. Refreshments included advice about making a Will. For more information and to book to attend please contact Mel Russell at: [email protected] or call on 0114 278 2610 Friends Autumn Events 2019 David Mellor Cutlery Factory & Design Museum, Hathersage Thu 24 Oct, 6.30 – 8.30pm Specialising in metalwork and especially cutlery, Sheffield born David Mellor was a key figure in the development of British design. At this exclusive Friend’s evening you’ll hear from Mellor’s son, Corin, Creative Director of David Mellor Design and see first-hand examples of expertly handmade silverware. You’ll find out more about Mellor's award-winning approach to design and the many important government commissions it led to, perhaps most notably the traffic lights we stop at every day. After touring the outstanding Round Building, a modern factory designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, you‘ll have chance to explore the on-site shop and enjoy a special on-the-night 20% discount. The Round Building approximately a 5-minute walk from Hathersage train station and car parking is available on site. Places are will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To book your place please contact Mel Russell at [email protected] or call on 0114 278 2610. Christmas with Friends SAVE THE DATE: Handmade for Christmas, 25 Oct – 29 Dec 2019, Millennium Gallery Featuring the very best in contemporary British craft and design, Handmade for Christmas presents work by some of the country’s most talented makers. Choose from beautiful jewellery, stylish glassware, ceramics and prints - all handmade in the UK. Friend’s Exclusive Discount: Visit Millennium Gallery on Fri 25 or Sat 26 October and take advantage of a range of exclusive discounts as a thank you for all your support. • 10% off £1 – £74.99 • 15% off £75 – £124.99 • 17% off £125 – £199.99 • 20% off over £200 Just show your Friends card at the till point to claim your discount. Friends Annual Christmas Celebration SAVE THE DATE: Wed 27 Nov 2019, 6–8.30pm, Millennium Gallery Christmas is a time for us all to come together. To thank you for your generosity and support throughout the year we are delighted to invite you and up to 4 guests to our Friends Annual Christmas Celebration. We’ll be in touch with more information on what we have planned shortly. For now, please save the date in your diaries and we’ll look forward to you seeing you there. Friends Invitation: Upcoming Exhibition Launches Friends are warmly invited to join us at the following exhibition opening receptions. You can find more about the exhibitions listed in your new What’s on Guide. The Time is Now GAZE: Loved&Lost Thu 10 Oct 2019 A Retrospective of Portraits by Thu 9 Jan 2019 Lorna May Wadsworth 6–8pm 6-8pm Sat 9 Nov 2019 Millennium Gallery Weston Park Museum 6–7.30pm Graves Gallery Please RSVP to Mel Russell: [email protected] Changes across Museums Sheffield: DCMS Project: Ancient Egypt & Sheffield Stories galleries at Weston Park Museum Exciting changes are currently underway at Weston Park Museum. After successfully securing a bid for £187,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, two galleries at the museum will be experiencing major refurbishment. Project Manager Ayesha Heaton has updated us on the progress of the project so far: ‘We are starting to build good links with the community groups across the city that will be working with us to co-curate the new Sheffield Stories gallery, which replaces the current Treasures gallery. The displays in Sheffield Stories will change more frequently and will be co-curated by people from across the city – our initial focus will be on stories from Sheffield in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. ‘During June we welcomed several Ancient Egypt specialists to Sheffield as we continued the research for the museum’s new Ancient Egypt gallery. Dr Ashley Cooke, Senior Curator of Antiquities at National Museums Liverpool, Dr Anna Garnett, Curator at Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and Dr Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Manchester Museum explored our Ancient Egyptian collections on display and at the store.