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Penned and Printed

An exhibition of our Archives and Special Collections, telling hidden stories from the shelves and strongrooms.

27 May 2023 - 31 March 2025

Palace Green Library

  • Exhibition

Student Art Prize 2023/34: Paradise

Visit the Student Art Prize 2023/24 exhibition and explore this years theme of Paradise.

01 May 2024 - 31 March 2025

10:00 AM - 4:00 AM

Palatine Center Stockton Rd, Durham DH1 3LE

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Toy Box: celebrating toys and games across cultures

A student-led, family-friendly summer exhibition showcasing toys from across Asia and Egypt to celebrate a simple fact of humanity: we all love to play.

23 May 2024 - 15 September 2024

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham, DH1 3TH

  • Creative
  • Exhibition
  • Exhibitions
  • Public
  • Family friendly

Eternal Ascent: Bentley Beetham and the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition

This exhibition marks the centenary of the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition, the first Western, and ultimately tragic, attempt to climb the highest mountain in the world.

24 May 2024 - 15 September 2024

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham, DH1 3TH

  • Creative
  • Exhibition
  • Exhibitions
  • Partnerships & Collaboration
  • Public
  • Family friendly

Under Durham: The Untold Stories

When you think about the history of Durham, what comes to mind? Beautiful architecture, rich and powerful people and the history you find in textbooks. But how often do we stop and think about the lives of ordinary people? This exhibition explores the past of Durham through the ordinary people who lived and worked here.

24 May 2024 - 21 November 2024

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Museum of Archaeology, Palace Green Library, Palace Green, Durham DH1 3RN

  • Exhibition

Repair and Care: The Norman Chapel Project

Have you ever looked at an ancient castle and wondered how it’s still standing? This exhibition will explore the history of construction and building conservation at Durham Castle, with a particular focus on the Norman Chapel Project, a long-term endeavour to preserve the oldest free-standing building in Durham.

24 May 2024 - 17 November 2024

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Durham Castle, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RW

  • Exhibition

DU Poetry Society 'Living Objects'

Living Objects shows a display of poems by DU Poetry Society

31 May 2024 - 30 September 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Oriental Museum Elvet Hill Durham DH1 3TH

  • Exhibition
  • Exhibitions
  • Library and Collections

Student Art Prize 2023/24 Awards Event!

Join us at this special awards evening and view the Student Art Prize 2023/24 shortlisted exhibition.

17 June 2024

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Palatine Centre Stockton Rd, c Durham DH1 3LE

  • Creative
  • Exhibition
  • Lates
  • Student experience
  • Talks, training, seminars & conferences
  • Library and Collections

Little Dragons

Join us at the Oriental Museum on Wednesday mornings for Little Dragons, our FREE session for children under 5 and their families/carers. Each session will be packed full of exploring the museum galleries, fun craft activities, singing, games and stories.

19 June 2024

9:30 AM - 10:31 AM

Oriental Museum

  • Creative
  • Public

Little Dragons

Join us at the Oriental Museum on Wednesday mornings for Little Dragons, our FREE session for children under 5 and their families/carers. Each session will be packed full of exploring the museum galleries, fun craft activities, singing, games and stories.

19 June 2024

10:45 AM - 11:45 AM

Oriental Museum

  • Creative
  • Public

Autism-Friendly Family Activities

Join us for some fun, autism-friendly crafts for families at the Oriental Museum when the galleries are quieter. Experiment with ways of folding, scrunching and sticking to make your own paper sculpture.

20 June 2024

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Accessible
  • Creative
  • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Outreach & community
  • Public
  • Workshop
  • Family friendly

Twilight Opening at Oriental Museum

Oriental Museum is open until 7pm the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month.

20 June 2024

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Accessible
  • Exhibitions
  • Lates
  • Public

Play Time!

Explore our new exhibition all about play and toys, then try making your own game.

22 June 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Little Dragons

Join us at the Oriental Museum on Wednesday mornings for Little Dragons, our FREE session for children under 5 and their families/carers. Each session will be packed full of exploring the museum galleries, fun craft activities, singing, games and stories.

26 June 2024

9:30 AM - 10:31 AM

Oriental Museum

  • Creative
  • Public

Little Dragons

Join us at the Oriental Museum on Wednesday mornings for Little Dragons, our FREE session for children under 5 and their families/carers. Each session will be packed full of exploring the museum galleries, fun craft activities, singing, games and stories.

26 June 2024

10:45 AM - 11:45 AM

Oriental Museum

  • Creative
  • Public

Twilight Opening at Palace Green Library

Palace Green Library is open until 7pm the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.

27 June 2024

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Palace Green Library

  • Accessible
  • Exhibition
  • Lates
  • Public

Twilight Talk - Twilight Talk: Under Durham: Searching for Stories in Objects

Join this year’s Museum of Archaeology's MA Museum and Artefact students as they explore some of the interesting objects from their exhibition Under Durham: The untold stories, and how they discovered and researched the stories behind them.

27 June 2024

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Palace Green Library, Durham, DH1 3RN

  • Lecture
  • Outreach & community
  • Public
  • Talks, training, seminars & conferences

Portrait and Figure Drawing with Isabel Gotti 1. Portrait Drawing Crash Course

Want to sharpen your drawing skills or draw? Join our Arts Social with Durham University's Art Collection for a tutored drawing session.

28 June 2024

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Magnificent Manga

Explore the Oriental Museum's collection of Japanese Manga comics and create your own to take home.

29 June 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Portrait and Figure Drawing with Isabel Gotti 2.Facial Features

Want to sharpen your drawing skills or draw? Join our Arts Social with Durham University's Art Collection for a tutored drawing session.

05 July 2024

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Tanabata Festival

Tanabata is the Japanese summer star festival. Find out about this special time of year and make tanabata decorations.

06 July 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Silk Painting Workshop

Join us for a creative workshop led by artist Gail Bell and design your own silk painting.

06 July 2024

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Workshop

MG Car Display

The Durham MG & Classic Car Club was formed in 2001 for local car enthusiasts interested in MG cars, both classic and modern. This informal gathering will showcase cars representing models produced from the late 1940s through to the early 2000s.

07 July 2024

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Botanic Garden

  • Family friendly

Durham Art Collective

A youth group for 12-18 year olds to learn practical art skills.

10 July 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Portrait and Figure Drawing with Isabel Gotti 3. Figure Drawing Crash Course

Want to sharpen your drawing skills or draw? Join our Arts Social with Durham University's Art Collection for a tutored drawing session.

12 July 2024

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Festival of Archaeology Fun

Handle some archaeological finds from Ancient Egypt and China and try our special archaeology trail.

13 July 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Portrait and Figure Drawing with Isabel Gotti 4. Figure Quicksketch

Want to sharpen your drawing skills or draw? Join our Arts Social with Durham University's Art Collection for a tutored drawing session.

19 July 2024

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Yak-tastic!

Did you know that yaks were a vital part of the first attempts to climb Mount Everest? Find out why and make cute yak puppet.

20 July 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Think of a door: A creative workshop led by the artist Zara Worth

A creative workshop led by the artist Zara Worth for 7 - 14 year olds!

26 July 2024

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

7 Owen Gate, Durham, DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Holiday activities
  • Workshop
  • Family friendly
  • Library and Collections

Toy Box

Explore our new exhibition, try our new playful gallery trail and make your own game.

27 July 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Sketchbook Workshop

Get a free mini sketchbook and try some easy, fun drawing ideas.

31 July 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Workshop
  • Family friendly

Awesome Armies

Learn about the Chinese terracotta army, and make your own terracotta warrior from clay.

02 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Terrible Teeth

Find out why many Ancient Egyptians had terrible teeth and make a set of chompers from plasticine.

03 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Gorgeous Glass

Decorate a glass jar with your favourite colours.

07 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Paper Marbling Workshop

Experiment with colour and try paper marbling.

09 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Sculpture Saturday

See our huge Ancient Egyptian temple frieze and then make your own relief sculpture.

10 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Join us for a fun-filled day of exploring bear habitats on an interactive guided walk through the Garden, a messy bear art workshop and all your favourite bear stories.

12 August 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Botanic Garden

  • Family friendly

Mountain Zine Making

Explore the sights and sounds of the Himalayas and make a cool mountain zine.

14 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Durham Art Collective

A youth group for 12-18 year olds to learn practical art skills.

14 August 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative

Crazy Creatures

Get interactive with our Crazy Creatures who are visiting the Garden for the day.

15 August 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Botanic Garden

  • Family friendly

Sail Away

See a beautiful boat on display and make your own watercolour sail boat.

16 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Awesome Obelisks

Find out about the ancient Egyptian obelisk on display and create your own 3D model to take home.

17 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Chinese Writing Workshop

Learn some Chinese characters and try writing your own.

21 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Elizabeth Baker, StoryTeller

Join storyteller, Elizabeth Baker, for a whole host of stories and legends from some of the different countries where the wonderful plants in our Garden grow.

22 August 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Botanic Garden

  • Family friendly

Beautiful Bastet

Bastet was the Ancient Egyptian goddess of protection. Find out why she was so important and make a fun cat painting.

23 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

The Shang Dynasty of China

Find out about the Shang Dynasty of China and make a scary taotie mask with embossed metal detail.

24 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Mughal Miniatures

Create your own Indian-style miniature painting.

28 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Make a Mosaic

Create your own mini mosaic from glass tiles.

30 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Glorious Gardens

Get creative and make a mini Japanese Zen garden.

31 August 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Walk Like a Pharaoh

Find out about ancient Egyptian life and make your own sandy pyramid.

07 September 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Durham Art Collective

A youth group for 12-18 year olds to learn practical art skills.

11 September 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Magnificent Moon Jar

See our fabulous Korean Moon Jar - then create a mini one from clay.

14 September 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Horse Play

See the magnificent horse on display in the China Gallery and make a hobby horse.

21 September 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Celebrating Rosh Hashanah

Find out about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year festival, and make a shofar musical instrument.

28 September 2024

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oriental Museum

  • Family friendly

Durham Art Collective

A youth group for 12-18 year olds to learn practical art skills.

09 October 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections

Durham Art Collective

A youth group for 12-18 year olds to learn practical art skills.

13 November 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

7 Owengate Durham DH1 3HB

  • Creative
  • Library and Collections