Fun for all the family at River & Rowing Museum
Public Events and Exhibitions Programme: January - June 2009

… David Hockney: Grimms’ Fairy Tales…Drift... …Henley Lives
.... Vintage Style for Teens…Ratty’s Refuge...Batty Bonnets and Boaters…

The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk) has announced its exhibitions and events programme for the first half of 2009 and it’s more action-packed and fun-filled than ever before! In addition to the River & Rowing Museum’s permanent galleries that house the likes of the Wind in the Willows exhibition, there is a range of activities, events and exhibitions from the spooky world of Grimms’ Fairy Tales to contemporary art installations – something for all the family!

Best of all, visitors can enjoy the Museum all year round for the price of just one ticket; so there is no need to allow the credit crunch to get in the way of fun days out for all the family throughout 2009. Each admission ticket provides FREE, unlimited entry to the Museum for 12 months from the date of the original purchase, providing great value in these cash-strapped times! Tickets start from as little as £7.00 per adult and £5.00 per child aged four and over! Children three and under go free!

Forthcoming highlights include:
	David Hockney: Grimms’ Fairy Tales – Did you know that one of the most influential artists of the 20th century illustrated six of Grimm’s tales in 1969, including Rapunzel and The Little Sea Hare? Art buffs and fans of fairy tales alike will love this exhibition of drawings.
	Henley Lives – budding historians can discover that there’s more to Henley’s history than meets the eye, having been home to an 18th century murderess, a scandalised socialite and a boat builder – this fascinating exhibition brings the town’s history to life!
	Ratty’s Refuge – The River & Rowing Museum garden which won a bronze medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008 will be recreated at the Museum. Visitors can learn how to garden to help save ‘Ratty’ as water voles are the UK’s fastest declining mammal
	Drift – Check out this multi-layered contemporary art installation from brook & black, which uses video, sculpture and sound to respond to the themes of the river, flood, climate change and loss.
	Vintage Style for Teens – bored teenagers will enjoy being a jewellery designer for the day and creating their own one-off designs in this fun and interactive workshop.

Public booking information
These are just some of the many wonderful things to see and do at the River & Rowing Museum. All forthcoming River & Rowing Museum events until June 2009 are listed below. Full public information for all activities is available at www.rrm.co.uk. Bookings can be made on 01491 415 600 or edbookings@rrm.co.uk. Some paid for events and courses must be booked in advance, please see listings for details.

Press information
Press releases and pictures for the events and activities can be downloaded from http://www.kallaway.co.uk/rrm.htm. For further information please contact:

Amanda Dellor 01491 415642 amanda.dellor@rrm.co.uk
Katie Jackson 020 7221 7883 katie.jackson@kallaway.co.uk



MAJOR EXHIBITIONS

This inspires Me!
Kirkham Gallery
26 September 2008 – 4 January 2009
The power of objects is explored in this exhibition that celebrates 10 years of the River & Rowing Museum. We’ve raided our store cupboards to find the weird and wonderful, including a Victorian contraption used to pull dead bodies from the river and a piece of fossilised dinosaur poo! We’d love you to get involved by telling us your favourite object in the Museum, or something you have at home that you’d love to display.

Special Woods
The Wall
8 November 2008 – 4 January 2009
The beauty and diversity of woodlands in the Chilterns are on display at this special exhibition. See unique and different perceptions of enchanting trees. The artwork comes from the Special Woods Art Competition. For more information about the Special Trees and Woods Project visit www.chilternsaonb.org/special

Henley Lives
Kirkham Gallery
24 January 2009 - 22 March 2009
An 18th century murderess and a scandalised socialite…just two of the fascinating people featured in our exhibition on Henley, past and present. Discover more about their lives through pictures and intriguing objects. And we’ll bring you up to date with the Henley of today.

David Hockney: Grimms’ Fairy Tales
14 February – 15 March
An exhibition of 39 monochrome etchings made in 1969, which depict the artist’s very personal response to six of Grimms’ tales including Rapunzel and The Little Sea Hare. Arguably the best known painter of his generation, Hockney considers these prints to be one of his major successes. Inspired by earlier illustrations of the tales and other art historical influences, these pictures focus on magical elements and descriptions in the text rather than simply illustrating the central parts of the stories.
A Hayward Touring exhibition from Southbank Centre, London on behalf of Arts Council England.

Drift
Kirkham Gallery
4 April 2009 – 12 July 2009
The Kirkham Gallery at the River & Rowing Museum will hold a contemporary art installation by the creative partnership brook & black in Spring 2009. Using Gericault's famous painting The Raft of the Medusa as a touchstone, the artists have responded to themes of the river, flood, climate change and loss. Using video, sculpture and sound they will create a poetic, multi-layered art installation that reaches beyond the interior gallery space. brook & black have recently exhibited in France, Germany, and most recently at the Wallace Collection, London.

Not so dawdling: Magdalen’s 150 years
Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery
June 2009
Oscar Wilde was one of its most famous members, but Magdalen College Rowing Club is probably best known as the engine room of British success at the early Olympic Games in the 1900s. Amongst its colourful alumni, there were also two Nobel-prize winners. This special display celebrates 150 years of rowing at the world-famous Oxford college.

The rowing that China forgot
Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery
June 2009
The foreign community in Shanghai enjoyed a rowing club from 1837 to 1940, situated just off the Bund near the old British consulate. Regattas were held on the Wangpo River and at Henli, a magical summer retreat 40 miles inland on Soochow Creek. The club also arranged regattas among Chinese seamen and the crews of visiting ships. Our Rowing Historian Christopher Dodd went back during the Olympics to kick over the traces of an institution that was once the centre of social life in old Shanghai.

Coming Spring 2009…
An amazing hoard of 30 gold coins - over 2,000 years old - have been acquired by the River & Rowing Museum in partnership with the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It will be the first opportunity to see this fascinating hoard close up when they go on display in the Invesco Perpetual Henley Gallery in Spring 2009.

Would you know what to do if you found an old coin in your back garden? Well, The Portable Antiquities Scheme (www.finds.org.uk) is a voluntary scheme for recording archaeological finds made by the public. These finds can tell us much about the past and the way people lived. Anni Byard is the Finds Liaison Officer for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire and she will be holding two Finds Surgeries at the River & Rowing Museum. The first is on the 10th of December between 12-2pm and the next is scheduled for the 11th of March 2009. Finds Surgeries are held regularly throughout the region, so bring along your finds that you think are earlier than c1700 AD, and get them identified. For more information, contact anni.byard@oxfordshire.gov.uk

February

March of the monsters
Tuesday 17 February
10.30am to 12.30pm
Have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster? What about Tessie, Monster of the Thames? (she’s friendly of course!). Make your own Tessie with quick papier mache. Learn about real river monsters - crayfish and pike. You can make a paper river full of them. Visit the museum galleries to find monsters lurking on the objects.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Crash Bang Wallop
Wednesday 18 February
Drop in any time between 11am – 4pm
Old plastic bottles, boxes and paper…it can all be used to make music! Make some simple musical instruments to join in a command performance with the bubble orchestra.
Fun for all the family
Free with admission

A Map of Me: Henley Lives
Thursday 19 February
10.30am to 3.30pm
Human beings are rather cool, so it’s time to celebrate YOU! Make a map of your life with collage and paint. Work with an artist to create a self-portrait mounted and framed with your Life Map. You can then be really nosy…go and visit the Henley Lives exhibition and see how others spend their days.
Age 7 to 11
£16.50

Vintage Style for Teens
Thursday 19 February
1.30pm-3pm
Recycle old jewellery for some cool retro style… bring beads, chain or charms with you to make into a new piece of unique jewellery. Mix and match with sterling silver, beautiful glass and semi-precious beads. Learn new techniques to make jewellery as individual as you are.
Age 12-16
£8.50 + £8 materials

Mother Hen’s Poultry
Friday 20 February
Drop in any time between 12pm – 3pm
How do you fancy getting involved in one of the UK’s fastest growing pastimes? Keeping hens is all the rage as we become more interested in where our food comes from and the welfare of chickens. Come and find out how to keep chickens in your own back garden. See and handle different breeds of chicken and you might even see eggs hatching. Get expert advice on how your family can get its own free-range eggs, everyday.
Fun for all the family
Free with admission

Egg your Egg on
Wednesday 8 April
Drop in any time between 11am - 4pm
How far can you move your egg on water or on land without it breaking? Compete in our Great Egg Challenge to build an egg-moving machine, and see whose egg travels the furthest or fastest. All materials provided - but secret ingredients are welcome!
Fun for all the family
Free with admission

brooke & black
Thursday 9 April
10.30am -3.30pm
Using digital cameras and projectors, come along and make an exciting, collaborative artwork. The artists brook & black who are exhibiting in our Kirkham gallery will help you to explore and take images of the river and the exhibition. Through shared drawings and projected images you'll make a large experimental work. Amongst other things, you'll be learning about scale, line, silhouettes and what it takes to make a shared, contemporary artwork.
Age 7-11
£16.50

Batty Bonnets and Boaters
Tuesday 14 April
10.30am to 12.30pm
Make sure you look snazzy enough to fit in with Henley’s finest by making a splendid boater or beautiful bonnet for the new season. Use card and tissue for unique creations. Once you’ve made your fancy hat, make sure Mr Toad doesn’t sneak away with it!
Age 4 – 7
£8.50

Taylor Tug Easter Holiday Happening
Wednesday 15 April
11am to 12.30pm
Come and enjoy Spring with Taylor Tug creating exciting things inspired by the museum. Interactive sessions for parents to enjoy with their children.
Age 18 months to 5 years
£7

Bunny likes to Boogie
Thursday 16 April
10.30am to 12.30pm
Make a fluffy bunny and learn to dance the bunny boogie! Make your own rabbits with paper cups and socks, and a cardboard hutch and food. Learn facts about rabbits and you may even spot some, hopping about in the meadows by the museum.
Age 4 to 7 years
£8.50

Earring Queen for Teens
Thursday 16 April
1.30pm-3pm
Become an Earring Queen with spangly and dangly creations guaranteed to impress your friends. With expert tuition and a dazzling array of beautiful materials to choose from, you’ll soon be creating earrings that are unique to you.
Age 12-16
£8.50 + £8 materials

Farmyard Friends
Friday 17 April
Drop in any time between 11am – 4pm
See and stroke lambs, goats, ponies and bunnies as we meet all kinds of animals born this spring. Meet their owners and find out more about how to look after them.
Fun for all the family
Free with admission

Fairytale Fiesta
Tuesday 26 May
10.30am to 12.30pm
Make a cardboard castle for majestic adventures starring Kings and Queens who’ve travelled on the Thames. Your castle will open out to make a stage for your favourite fairytale. Create characters with pegs and let your imagination run wild!
Age 4 – 7
£8.50

Treasure Trove…Get Minted
Wednesday 27 May
10.30am - 3.30pm
Did you know that some of the oldest coins found in the UK, were found right here in Henley? Explore the Museum to find coins and get inspiration for making your own. Use different sorts of moulds for unusual creations. You won’t be able to spend it but you will amaze friends and family!
Age 7 to 11
£16.50

Ratty’s Refuge
Thursday 28 May
Drop in any time between 11am – 4pm
Discover our new Ratty’s Refuge Garden – it’s a place where you can find out all about the creepy crawlies and creatures that live near the river. See how the animals have adapted to their environment and see if our efforts to attract the shy water vole to the garden have been successful!
Fun for all the family
Free with admission

How does your garden grow?
Friday 29 May
10.30am – 12.30pm
Grow your own mini garden in a planter you’ve decorated yourself. Use silver bells and cockleshells to create something truly original. Plant some seeds and watch them grow over the next few weeks.
Additional charge for materials £1.50.
Age 4 – 7
£8.50

CLUBS FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

The River & Rowing Museum is proud to be family friendly! It has created a wide range of exciting and entertaining events and activities for children, parents and families.

Taylor Tug’s under fives club
Wednesdays during term time 10am - 11.30am or 1pm - 2.30pm
Interactive sessions for parents to enjoy with their children. A range of creative activities including craft, stories, songs and free play which explore the Museum. Sessions are led by a trained teacher and are informal and fun for all. Sessions must be booked in advance for a half or whole term only. Age 18 months - 5 years. Half a term (5 weeks) £32.50, Whole term (10 weeks) £63. Booking line: 01491 415600. Booking email: edbookings@rrm.co.uk.

Artways art club
For 7-11 year olds 10.30am - 12.30pm Come and join a Saturday morning art club for 7 - 11 year olds.
Five-week courses will explore ways of making art in a wide range of media. The courses alternate between two-dimensional practice in drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed media work; and three-dimensional practice in clay work, environmental media, felt and construction. The course includes all materials and refreshments and is led by experienced, qualified tutors. Sessions must be booked in advance and start: Saturday 10 Jan, Saturday 28 Feb, Saturday 18 April and Saturday 6 June. Limited to 12 places. £50. Booking line: 01491 415600. Booking email: edbookings@rrm.co.uk.

Artways art club
For 11-15 year olds Saturdays 2pm - 4pm
A chance to work towards a recognised qualification in art. The Arts Awards are accredited at Bronze, Silver and Gold level. These five-week sessions are led by professional artists and educators and are designed to help you develop your skills and understanding of different ways of making art. You will get guidance in working from observation and imagination, developing and presenting ideas, using a sketchbook and working in different media. Five-week sessions must be booked in advance. Starting: Saturday10 Jan, Saturday 28 Feb, Saturday 18 April and Saturday 6 June. Limited to 12 places. £60. Booking line: 01491 415600. Booking email: edbookings@rrm.co.uk.

Dipping into the Wells
Saturday 31 January 2009
Angela Spencer-Harper
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
Immerse yourself in the history of Stoke Row and Highmoor at this lecture by local historian Angela Spencer-Harper. Known for her books Dipping into the Wells and The Old Place, Twixt Thames and Chilterns, Angela will use photographs taken between 1850 and 1950 to bring to life this bygone era. Hear about the villagers and their way of life as well as the changing face of village society today.
£5.50

The Thames is Liquid History
Saturday 21 March
Dominic Martyn
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
How do you protect the river’s ecology but also make it accessible for all? Dominic Martyn will talk about his research into the underwater ecology and habitats of the Thames upstream of Reading. Hear about his love and passion for the history of the Thames and an appreciation of what it means to the communities living around it. Dominic will talk about the management of The Thames and its impact on the underwater environment and its species.
£5.50

Installation Art
Thursday 7 May
Michael Archer
Michael Archer, art critic, curator, writer and Head of Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, will be talking about installation art. He will also be in dialogue with artists brook & black whose installation in the Kirkham Gallery may be viewed prior to the lecture. Michael contributes to Art Monthly in the UK and Artforum in the US.
£7.50 inc. wine
7.30pm (Kirkham Gallery open from 7pm)

A "Handsome and Capacious" Town: Henley in the 18th Century
Saturday 9 May
Simon Townley
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
The Henley we know today is largely a product of the 18th century, when the town was transformed by smart new buildings, new broad thoroughfares, and its famous bridge. But alongside this, Henley continued its long-established role as an inland port, its waterfront bustling with activity. Drawing on recent work for the Victoria County History, this lecture will look at these twin aspects of the 18th-century town, and at the darker underbelly which led to the building of the new workhouse.
£5.50

An Early Medieval logboat from Shottesbrooke
Saturday 6 June 2009
Steve Allen
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
This exciting archaeological mystery was found during the excavation of a pond in Berkshire. Archaeologist Steve Allen used the same techniques as those used on the Mary Rose to conserve the log boat and enable it to be displayed in the Museum galleries. Steve will explain the painstaking process that stopped the boat disintegrating, and how it was originally made and might have been used.
£5.50

Hydropower Seminar
Wednesday 25 March
Is Hydropower the answer to our future energy needs or are the controversial schemes a threat to the environment? This seminar will debate the possibilities of increasing local power generation through the installation of hydropower along the River Thames. Experts from the hydropower industry, the Environment Agency and groups interested in installing hydropower on the River Thames will join the debate.
Speakers include: Royce Longton Thames Valley Energy
Ian Tomes, Hydropower Manager at the Environment Agency
Dave Holt, Goring & Streatley Sustainability Group

CREATIVE WEEKEND COURSES

Introduction to Art Clay
Saturday 31 January
10:30am-4.30pm
Come and try this fascinating medium – mould, shape and texture clay before firing it into beautiful fine silver jewellery. The only limit on what can be done with this unique product is your imagination!
£36 + £10 materials

Paint, Print, Play – Fabulous Textiles
Textile Weekend
Saturday 28 February 2009 and Sunday 1 March 2009
10:30am-4:30pm
Hen Coleman
A weekend of paint, print and play with textiles. Make several of your own unique samples of textile art on cotton, silk and velvet using vibrant dyes, paintsticks, and devoré using block print, screenprint, monoprint and batik in combination with hand painted patterns.
£72 + £25 basic materials

Painting the Figure in Oil
Saturday 28 March
10.00am – 4.30pm
Camilla Shelley
Get inspired to paint people using oils…see portraits by Bill Mundy and Justin Mortimer, as well as work by Raoul Dufy, John Piper and Edwin La Dell. Working from a seated, clothed figure, this day will be an opportunity to produce a figure painting in oil. Previous drawing experience is recommended, but beginners in oils are welcome. You will need to bring your own oils and overall. Stretched canvases or board can be supplied at additional cost if ordered in advance. Maximum 8 places.
Fee: £41.00

Willow Basketmaking
Saturday 25 April
10.30am – 4.00pm
Christine Brewster
Help us make sure traditional crafts don’t die out! Make your own unique basket for holding fruit, gathering eggs or storing vegetables. Learn how to use traditional techniques to transform a bundle of willow rods into a robust, hard wearing and beautiful basket. Please bring sharp secateurs, Stanley knife or craft knife, weights or a bag of stones approx 2 kilos in weight. Wear old or gardening clothes, as willow can be grubby.
£36 + £4 for materials

Well-spring! : a writing day beside the water
Saturday 16 May
10.00am-4.30pm
Jane Draycott
Soak up the inspiration that comes from writing beside the river. This year's theme is ‘Rising River’ using literature and other media examining the power of rivers as a starting point. The award-winning writer Jane Draycott will provide a choice of exercises and starting points for your own writing. Beginners especially welcome.
Fee: £37.00
In association with Reading University. To book ring 0118 378 8347, www.reading.ac.uk/conted

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Booking information
Full information for all events, activities and exhibitions is available at www.rrm.co.uk. Bookings can be made on 01491 415 600 or edbookings@rrm.co.uk. All paid for events MUST be booked in advance. No booking is required for FREE events.

Press information
Press releases and pictures for the events and activities can be downloaded from http://www.kallaway.co.uk/rrm.htm. For further information please contact:

Amanda Dellor 01491 415642 amanda.dellor@rrm.co.uk
Katie Jackson 020 7221 7883 katie.jackson@kallaway.co.uk




Notes to Editors

100th Birthday of Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel The Wind in the Willows celebrated its 100th birthday in October 2008. To mark the occasion, The River & Rowing Museum has launched a competition to re-frame Kenneth Grahame’s famous book for the 21st Century by creating a short story (under 4,000 words) in a contemporary riverside setting which reflects a drastically changing world. Full competition entry details are available at www.rrm.co.uk.

The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk )
The River & Rowing Museum is one of the UK's leading regional and sporting museums, attracting over 100,000 visitors a year. The Museum, an independent charity, also has a purpose built education centre visited by over 20,000 children and adults a year.

The Museum provides superb value for money. Tickets start at £7.00 for adults and £5.00 for children, and provide free access for one year.

The Museum celebrates four themes explored through a wide variety of exhibitions and events across four galleries and special exhibitions:

The past, present and future of the River Thames
The historic riverside community of Henley on Thames
The international sport of rowing
The Wind in the Willows

Since opening in August 1998 the Museum has received numerous awards including the National Heritage/NPI Museum of the Year award and the Sandford Award For Heritage Education.

Location, opening and ticket information
The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk), Mill Meadows, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1BF. Tel. 01491 415600.

• The museum, terrace café and shop are open every day from 10am - 5.30pm in summer and 10am - 5pm in the winter
• Tickets give FREE admission for a whole year!
• Admission is just £7.00 for adults, £5.00 for children aged four and over, FREE for children aged three and under and £5.00 for senior citizens and concessions
• Free parking for visitors

The River & Rowing Museum is part of the Thames Valley Museums Group (TVMG) Family Friendly initiative - a scheme that brings together 29 museums across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, to promote their popular appeal to the whole family.

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