National Museums Scotland’s exhibition Audubon’s Birds of America opens this month, please see details of the exhibition and related events below, followed by all other National Museums Scotland listings to 12 March 2022.
OPENING SOON Audubon’s Birds of America
12 Feb – 8 May 2022
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Member Preview Day, 11 Feb
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Ticketed, £0-£10
This new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland will examine the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and biggest books.
Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a landmark work which achieved international renown due to the epic scale of the project and the book’s spectacular, life-sized ornithological illustrations.
Audubon’s Birds of America (12 February – 8 May 2022) will showcase 46 unbound prints from National Museums Scotland’s collection, most of which have never been on display before, as well as a rare bound volume of the book, on loan from the Mitchell Library. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see so much of Audubon’s work in one place.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Book now nms.ac.uk/BirdsofAmerica
NEW February Half Term
14 Feb – 17 Feb 2022
10:00 – 12:00 & 14:00 – 16:00
Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Free, drop-in
Swoop into the National Museum of Scotland for some feathery February half term fun or download a hands-on activity to try at home.
Join our Learning Enabler team at their drop-in Learning Trolleys to find out the basics of birdwatching – what to take, where to look and what to look for. Or have a go at a bird chatter challenge and see if you can match the bird to its call.
Next, imagine the Grand Gallery is a garden and look up to spy six beautiful birds perched around the balcony. Can you identify all six and complete the answers on our bird watching challenge sheet?
You can also fold your own paper origami dove with the team from Burns & Beyond. These doves will later be flown alongside 2,500 others in artist Michael Pendry’s creation, to debut at St Giles’ Cathedral in March 2022.
Event supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
Spotlight On: Audubon’s Birds of America
8 Mar 2022
14:00-15:00
Auditorium, Level 1, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Free, advance booking required.
Suitable for those aged 12 and over.
Join exhibition Curator Mark Glancy and Paper Conservator Lisa Cumming as they discuss how our upcoming exhibition Audubon’s Birds of America took flight.
Discover how Birds of America, one of the world’s rarest and most coveted books, was made, and learn about the ongoing conservation work to preserve these life-size, hand-coloured prints for future generations.
Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
NEW Mindful viewing of Audubon’s Birds of America
6 March 2022
17:30-19:00
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
A rare chance to explore our special exhibition after hours, hosted by museum mindfulness teacher Laura Baxter. Taking time to savour pleasant experiences, such as looking at art, can increase our mental wellbeing.
This session will invite visitors to first freely browse the exhibition, then as a group focus on a single work of art within the exhibition, discovering how to enjoy the artwork and experience how to engage with it mindfully, moment by moment. Through guided mindfulness practices, participants will discover how to slow down, connect with the artwork and each other.
Part of the National Museum of Scotland’s Wellbeing Weekend.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/WellbeingWeekend
NEW The Joy of Birds
31 Mar 2022
19:30-20:30
Online
Free, with optional donation
Join David Lindo and Paul Walton for an online discussion celebrating the joy that birds bring us, the urgent threats they face, and the science and conservation work protecting them.
David Lindo, also known as The Urban Birder, is a wildlife broadcaster, nature writer and urban wildlife educationalist. He is Vice-President of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Honorary President of the Colombia Bird Fair, and was voted 7th most influential person in Wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Paul Walton is Head of Habitats and Species for RSPB Scotland.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/JoyofBirds
Exhibitions & Displays
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life
1 Jul – 13 Nov 2022
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Ticketed
Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.
This exhibition will look at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected. Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.
Sponsored by Baillie Gifford Actual Investors.
Visit nms.ac.uk/Anatomy
The Typewriter Revolution
Until 17 Apr 2022
10:00–16:30
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Free entry
The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this new exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts, and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons.
The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular. Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote.
Visit nms.ac.uk/Typewriters
Inspiring Walter Scott
Until 8 Jan 2023
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1
Free entry
On the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller.
Visit nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition
Scotland’s Climate Challenge
Until 27 Mar 2022
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1
Free entry
This small exhibition highlights the exciting work being carried out in Scotland to fight against climate change.
It brings together just some of the technological responses that have been developed in Scotland or that are being used here in the effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions. On show are a range of leading-edge equipment, much of it newly collected, alongside samples of natural material.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Visit nms.ac.uk/ClimateChallenge
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00
LAST CHANCE TO SEE LEGO® Concorde Model
Until 6 February 2022
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00
Free with pre-booked museum entry
Master builder Warren Elsmore and his team have created a LEGO® Big Build of the National Museum of Flight’s Concorde.
Six metres long and made of over 60,000 bricks, you can see the model on display alongside the real thing. The model is made purely from standard 2×4 LEGO bricks and took five days to build as part of our Brick Wonders exhibition in Spring 2021.
Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
Events
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Discovering Decorative Arts at the National Museum of Scotland
20 Jan – 24 Mar 2022
11:00 – 13:00
Dunfermline Room
£175 for 10 sessions (concessions available)
Join this short course from National Museums Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, a great way to explore our collections and their wider history with experts.
This course will introduce the magnificent decorative arts collections within the National Museum of Scotland. We will explore the historical developments of decorative arts and how they have influenced the modern methods and techniques used to create many of the beautiful objects on display in the National Museum of Scotland.
This course will be led by Karen A Clulow BA MA FSA Scot. The University of Edinburgh Short Courses are presented by the Centre for Open Learning.
Book now nms.ac.uk/DecorativeArts
NEW Wellbeing Weekend: Yoga, sketching and mindfulness
4 Mar – 6 Mar 2022
A weekend of resetting, relaxing and reflection within the inspiring architecture and galleries of the National Museum of Scotland.
As we emerge from the darkest months of the year, join us for a series of events to reset your body and uplift your mind. From relaxing yoga to mindful sketching, make the most of our unique spaces and inspiring galleries to improve and enhance your wellbeing.
The times, dates, prices and booking info for individual events across the weekend are below.
Yin Yang Flow Yoga
Friday 4 March
18:00-19:15
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
Morning Ashtanga Yoga
Saturday 5 March
08:15-09:15
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
Mindful Sunday Sketch
Sunday 6 March,
13:00-14:30 and 15:00-16:30
£10, £8 Members and Concessions
Wellbeing Trail
4-6 March
Free
See the museum in a new light using our Wellbeing Audio Trail, or pick up a paper copy in the Grand Gallery.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/WellbeingWeekend
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For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789
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