School’s out for summer! The six-week marathon of keeping the kids entertained begins, but fear not! The Atkinson has you covered with a fantastic line-up of events and activities guaranteed to keep those little minds (and bodies) active throughout the holidays.
Art Gallery:
Take a walk around our art galleries and be inspired by the incredible pieces we have on display. Running throughout summer are the following exhibitions:
The Ties That Bind
Saturday 25 May 2024 – Saturday 15 March 2025
Family life, working relationships, love stories and close-knit communities. This wide-ranging exhibition examines how artists take inspiration from our personal and communal bonds.
Eternal Summer: Paintings by Philip Connard
Saturday 1 June 2024 – Saturday 30 November 2024
From an unpromising start as a Southport painter and decorator, Philip Connard rose to prominence as a successful Impressionist artist and a Royal Academician. This exhibition charts his career including a remarkable period as a war artist serving on the Navy’s first submarines to an important muralist who created magnificent decorations for the room housing Queen Mary’s dolls house.
Edwardian Impressionists: Philip Connard’s contemporaries
Saturday 1 June 2024 – Saturday 30 November 2024
This display of paintings from The Atkinson’s collection looks at the wide range of responses by British artists to Impressionism and some of the Post-Impressionist styles that developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This exhibition features key works from The Atkinson’s collection, including paintings by Philip Wilson Steer, Walter Sickert, Wilfrid de Glehn and Henry Scott Tuke.
Bill Tidy: “Is there any news of the iceberg?”
Saturday 8 June 2024 – Saturday 5 October 2024
The late cartoonist, TV personality and author Bill Tidy MBE lived for many happy years in Southport. This exhibition pays tribute to the comic genius who gave us The Cloggies and The Fosdyke Saga, as well as countless other cartoons in our national newspapers and magazines.
If all the art makes you want to get involved, we have regular Make It! craft workshops throughout summer. Join us in The Atkinson’s Art Box for an arts and crafts workshop suitable for all the family. There’s something for all ages, with all materials supplied and all for free!
First come first served. You may be expected to wait until a space at a craft table becomes available.
Thursday 1 August 2024 – Sleeping Beauty theme. As the excitement for our Christmas pantomime builds (oh yes it does!) our first Make It! is a particularly spellbinding event.
Thursday 8 August 2024 – Horrible Histories theme. We all want to meet famous people from history, the problem is everyone is dead! This workshop aims to bring them back to life and celebrate some Rotten Royals from Britain’s barmy past.
Thursday 15 August 2024 – Southport Flower Show theme. Celebrating 100 years of Southport Flower Show in this crafty session. Expect flowers and fauna!
Thursday 22 August 2024 – Cartoon theme. As Bill Tidy’s work covers our gallery walls, we want to encourage a new generation of cartoonists. Pens at the ready!
Set in the middle of The Atkinson’s galleries The Art Box is an interactive space where everyone can explore and experiment with materials and ideas. Drop in any time to get hands on and creative! The Art Box is regularly updated to reflect our changing exhibitions. A great place for families to get creative together.
Museum:
Are you aged 14-18 and interested in the arts? Would you like to work in a museum in the future? Then we want to hear from you!
In our Young Curators free summer sessions, you will work with industry professionals to develop your creative skills and understanding of museum collections. Across the 4-week programme, you will get hands-on experience working with The Atkinson’s own collections. You will learn life skills such as evaluation techniques, teamwork practices and gain workplace experience.
Tuesday 30 July: What does ‘museum’ mean?
Friday 2 August: Curators of the Future!
Tuesday 6 August: Getting Creative – Heritage Open Days Event
Friday 9 August: Finishing touches – Heritage Open Days Event
Get involved by clicking here.
The Atkinson is home to an impressive collection holding over 3,500 artworks and over 25,000 pieces of social history, which are displayed on rotation across our museum and galleries.
A range of interactive displays and creative activities have been designed to help visitors of all ages have fun whilst exploring The Atkinson.
Discover Ancient Egypt
Our stunning Egyptology museum shows what life was like in ancient Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs. More information here.
Between Land and Sea
Our local history museum tells the stories of the people who have lived and worked along Sefton’s coast. More information here.
Library:
Southport Library have a bumper season across the summer. Check Sefton Library’s website for further information.
Badgemaking is a fun way to get arty! We are hosting two free badgemaking sessions across the summer; Monday 29 July and Monday 19 August. All materials provided!
An extra special summer treat is Zoo2U, animal education sessions on Monday 5 August and Monday 12 August. These will be extremely popular so make sure you book ahead.
Don’t forget our monthly Construction Club! A get together of LEGO builders who let their imagination run wild. Construction Club is on the last Saturday of the month.
This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is Marvellous Makers (very apt, if you ask us!). You can join the Challenge at our library. A librarian will give you a special collector’s pack and help you find books to read for your Challenge. You’ll collect stickers and other rewards along the way! How many books do you think you can read this summer?
Performing Arts:
We have some amazing productions coming to The Atkinson this summer. A trip to the theatre should definitely be a part of your family’s summer plans.
Friday 16 August & Saturday 17 August 2024 – Horrible Histories: Rotten Royals.
Would you be wooed by Richard the Lionheart? Are you ready for a date with King Edward I? Would you be shaken or stirred by Richard III? See Mary Tudor knock the spots off Mary Queen of Scots! Can evil Elizabeth entertain England? Will you be hanged by King James for being a witch? Sing along with crazy King Charles and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria!
Boasting the funniest and most outrageous regal scenes from the hit Barmy Britain shows, Rotten Royals promises Southport will be most amused!
It’s history with the nasty bits left in!
Saturday 31 August 2024 – Rumpelstiltskin
Get ready to meet Rumpelstiltskin – a crafty creature with a knack for spinning gold!
Join Altru Drama for a new adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin – perfect for the whole family. Betsy and her dad the Miller are struggling to make ends meet, but a chance meeting with the foolish and greedy King Jacob thrusts them into a world of weaving, spinning and gold. Can Betsy spin the gold and save herself? Of course not! But Rumpelstiltskin can!
Featuring live original songs, audience participation and loads of fun, this new performance will have you in a spin this summer!
So, this summer, ditch the screens and head to The Atkinson for a fun-filled adventure that will leave everyone with lasting memories. After all, summer holidays are all about making happy discoveries, and The Atkinson provides the perfect launchpad for a season of laughter, learning, and creativity!
Posted on 22 July 2024 under General news