National Museums Scotland Listings

Festive events 

Clyde’s Winter Trail  
National Museum of Rural Life, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride G76 9HR 
2 Dec 2022 – 8 Jan 2023  
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass 
10:00-17:00  

Clyde and his friends have been getting the National Museum of Rural Life ready for the festive season. Can you find all the miniature scenes around the museum?  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Clyde’s-Winter-Trail  

Drawn Together at the Museum  
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF  
28 Dec – 30 Dec 2022  
Daily, 10:30 – 16:30  
Grand Gallery, Level 1  
Free drop-in  

Escape to the museum between Christmas and Hogmanay and enjoy sketching around our galleries. Your artwork will be added to our informal public gallery for everyone to enjoy.  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Drawn-Together  

Sprogmanay  
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF 
1 Jan 2023 
14:00 – 16:30 
Grand Gallery, Level 1 
Free, drop-in 

Sprogmanay at the museum is back! A warm welcome to 2023 with music and fun for all the family. 

This afternoon of fun for children of all ages is free and unticketed and families can drop in to enjoy a programme of live music, comedy, magic and arts and crafts.  

Find our more nms.ac.uk/Sprogmanay 

Exhibitions & Displays    
National Museum of Scotland     
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF    
Open 10:00–17:00 daily   

Bernat Klein: Design in Colour        
5 Nov 2022 – 23 Apr 2023        
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3       
Free entry     

Marking the centenary of his birth, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour will celebrate the work of the influential émigré textile designer. Visitors will be able to explore Klein’s creative process and varied career, from providing couture fabrics for fashion designers to his influence on modernist architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia       

Find out more nms.ac.uk/BernatKlein      

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder  
9 Dec 2022 – 1 May 2023 

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder features eight zones filled with immersive, hands-on experiences. Travel through the Time Vortex Corridor, discover Sonic Screwdrivers, teleportation technology and much more in a TARDIS Tech room, and get up close with some of the series’ weird and wonderful creatures in the Monster Vault. Join us for the Scottish premiere of this ground-breaking exhibition. It’s bigger on the inside! 

Book now nms.ac.uk/doctor-who  

Japanese Contemporary Design  
Until 5 Mar 2023       
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1      
Free entry      

From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades.   The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019. Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings.      

Find out more nms.ac.uk/JapaneseContemporaryDesign       

Inspiring Walter Scott   
Until 18 Jun 2023   
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1   
Free entry   
   
Following 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 and supporting Year of Stories 2022.   

Find out more nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition   

COMING SOON Beyond the Little Black Dress 
1 Jul – 29 Oct 2023 
Special Exhibition Gallery, Level 3 

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, this exhibition deconstructs the little black dress and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion. The exhibition will chart a century of fashion in a series of themed, immersive displays. Iconic early pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Jean Muir will be juxtaposed with recent looks by ground-breaking contemporary designers and brands like Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha and Off-White. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/beyondthelittleblackdress 

Events 

National Museum of Scotland    
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF   
Open 10:00–17:00 daily   

Relaxed Morning  
8 Jan 2023 
10:00 – 12:00 (quiet space open until 12:30) 

Join us for our monthly Relaxed Morning for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum. This session is primarily for, but not limited to, families with autistic children; autistic young people and adults; adults living with dementia; adults and children with mental health problems; and any other visitors with sensory needs or who may prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/relaxed-morning 

Art at the Start in the Museum 
18 Jan 2023 
14:00-16:00 
Imagine Gallery  
Free, drop-in  

The Art at the Start team, based at the University of Dundee, will be running drop-in creative and sensory play activities within the Imagine Gallery, all aimed at babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers and their grown-ups. You can join us at any time throughout the session for baby-safe activities using light boxes, collage, and colourful and tactile materials. 

Read more nms.ac.uk/Art-at-the-Start 

Magic Carpet Minis  
Various times and dates  
£15 per child for block of 3  

Magic Carpet Minis introduces you and your little one to some of the wonderful galleries, objects and themes in the museum in a fun and gentle way. Taking place in different spaces around the museum, you will explore subjects such as the Natural World, Space, World Cultures and Scottish History through songs, stories, rhymes, actions, objects and sensory play. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/magic-carpet-minis  

National Museum of Rural Life   
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR  
Open 10:00–17:00 daily  

Tractor Tots 
10 Feb – 24 Mar 2023 
Dates, times and pricing information in the link below 

Tractor Tots is a bookable series of playful sensory singalong sessions for under-fives and their adults at the National Museum of Rural Life. Running in blocks of three Friday sessions, Tractor Tots offers a fun, focused experience for our younger visitors, introducing them to rural life through interactive creative play. Each session will feature handling objects from our learning boxes, singing, storytelling, rhymes, actions and sensory play to learn all about life in the countryside. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/tractor-tots 

   


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For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789