Contact Us | Press Office | Tenth Barber Open Day Offers a Taste of the Sea
Press Release: 27 May 2004
Tenth Barber Open Day Offers a Taste of the Sea
Family Open Day at the Barber Institute -- The Good Britain Guide 2004's 'Art Gallery of the Year -- is always one of the highlights of Birmingham's cultural calendar, and this year there's even more reason to celebrate.
This year's fun-filled bonanza on Saturday 5 June -- subtitled 'Art, Music and the Sea' -- is the tenth annual family day. And, to celebrate, organizers are bringing a taste of the seaside to land-locked Birmingham, with an exciting and enthralling programme of activities for children of all ages, as well as adults.
Famous French Impressionist painter Claude Monet will be talking to visitors in the galleries during Art Alive! performances throughout the day, providing a fascinating and amusing insight into his life and work beside the seaside -- and answering Barber Director Richard Verdi's recent appraisal of his work as "eyewash".
And the great English painter JMW Turner will be welcoming people to his cabin "below deck" in the basement to explain his lifelong fascination with the sea -- and why he even went to the lengths of tying himself to a mast during a raging storm.
Pirate storytellers will be roaming the building after abandoning ship, telling tales about the Barber's paintings as they try to hide from the Admiral, while youngsters will be able to make their own pirate hats, a parrot to perch on their shoulders, and a fish tank to decorate with real shells and fun fish.
There's also a lecture by Richard Verdi, entitled 'Mortal Man and the Eternal Sea', plus a full programme of musical recitals, concerts and workshops throughout the day, ranging from jazz bands and Andean pan-pipe music through to African drums and xylophones -- and even a thumb piano.
The fun starts at 10am and continues throughout the day, with many activities repeated in case visitors miss them first time round, finishing with a final concert at 4pm and prize-giving at 4.30pm.
Education officer Brian Scholes said the Barber Family Open Day had got bigger and better every year. Last year's event, entitled Art, Music and Everyday Life, attracted a record attendance of 1,300 children and adults.
"The theme this year is the sea, partly because travel has been the theme of national Museums and Galleries Month, and partly because of our blockbuster exhibition of Turner's early seascapes," said Brian. "And indeed, Turner himself will be making an appearance again on the day.
"Family Open Day just seems to get a bit more theatrical every year, with more costumes and spectacle, and you're always guaranteed a good time."
Family Open Day: Art, Music and the Sea is at the Barber Institute on Saturday 5 June, 10am-4.30pm. Entry and all activities are free. Full programmes are available at tourist information centres, libraries and other attractions locally.
| For further information, please contact Andrew Davies, Barber Press and Marketing Officer, on 0121 414 2946 or andrewdavies@barber.org.uk |