Inspiring minds of both young and old
INSPIRING people to learn about, make and enjoy contemporary glass.
National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland is a cultural attraction and venue with a difference. With glass at the heart of everything they do, they reflect Sunderland’s glass making heritage and celebrate the work of contemporary artists working at the cutting edge of their field.
Glass making is a key element in the history of Sunderland, bringing together its religious, social and industrial heritage.
Discover the origins, growth and legacy of glass making in Sunderland with their permanent exhibition, Stories of Glass in Sunderland. Using compelling personal stories from local people and striking audio visual display, this interactive exhibition traces the history of glass making in the City from the 7th Century to the present day.
National Glass Centre’s gallery spaces host their international exhibitions programme, which presents the work of leading contemporary artists in glass and ceramics.
Their popular, free glass blowing demonstrations run throughout the day and families can explore their exhibition spaces with themed tours and treasure hunts and play on their iconic glass roof.
Family activities as well as adult courses and classes run throughout the year providing hands-on glass experiences.
National Glass Centre’s Shop stocks a fantastic range of glass, ceramics and jewellery, with their Made in Sunderland range celebrating the work of local artists. Choose the perfect souvenir for your day out!
Visitors can enjoy fantastic local food in the beautiful riverside surroundings of The Glass Yard which is open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea as well as Sunday lunch. Every month during the summer they host live music evening events and you can even get married there!
You can find out more about all of the activities available on their website at nationalglasscentre.com
National Glass Centre – Reflecting our past; igniting our future. THE Easter holidays are shaping up to be a fun fortnight at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle.
There’s not long left to see the fascinating new exhibition Bones: Skeleton Secrets of the Animal World.
It closes on Sunday 14 May, so make a trip this Easter and marvel at scores of real animal skeletons, from teeny-tiny bats to whopping whales.
A host of other activities have been planned to support the exhibition, so join us to make some special family memories at the Museum.
The Babbling Vagabonds lead five very special theatrical storytelling sessions across Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 April. Use the bones in the exhibition as inspiration for your own adventure story, and the Vagabonds will perform it back to your group, complete with props and loads of audience interaction. Various times. Sessions cost £4.50 per person and should be booked online in advance.
Or what about our Shadow Puppetry Workshop on Tuesday 18 April? Bring all manner of bony creatures to life in silhouette and learn about the art of puppetry along the way. 11am2pm. The session costs £4.50 per person and should be booked online in advance.
Would you like to meet Alvin and Simon the prairie dogs or Bob the bearded dragon? Then come to our Live Animal Handling sessions on Wednesday, April 19, led by experts from Animal Story. This is a free drop in activity from 11am – 3pm, with last admission at 2.45pm.
There’s much more happening so be sure to visit www.greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/whatson when planning your Easter family days out. THE National Railway Museum at Shildon is hosting an exhibition on Osaka trains and the story of Japan’s global gateway city.
The exhibition will focus on how Osaka’s famous railway companies helped to make Osaka a world powerhouse city.
Osaka’s railway companies have always been pioneers of technological and social innovation in Japan. Founded in the late 19th century and early 20th century and providing popular rail services to this day, Osaka’s railway companies didn’t just change the society around them, they often built a new society altogether in the communities that they created.
Now, for the first time, a major exhibition will reveal the history of Osaka’s famous train companies and the central role that they played in building Japan’s global gateway city.
The exhibition will run at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham from the 27th of March 2017 to the 27th of April 2017.
The exhibition is being organised by Spin 180, who are working in association with the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau and the Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, Nankai, and JR West Railway Companies Limited to celebrate their unique and fascinating histories.
Also at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon.