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McManus and THAT Partnership Helps Participants with Long-Term Health Conditions

Drawing inspiration from the current exhibition, A Weather Eye at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum, the museum's Creative Learning Team has delivered the fifth partnership project with THAT (Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust).

The project was co-designed to provide person centred learning experiences and creative participation for people affected by long-term health conditions such as stroke, acquired brain injury, chronic pain and others.

In this eight-week block, Artists Laura Lyon and Nicola Wiltshire drew upon, A Weather Eye, to inspire participants to experiment with a wide range of fine art and mark making techniques, including working with collage, chalks, oil pastels, paints and combinations of these materials to explore texture within their work.

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McManus and THAT Partnership Helps Participants with Long-Term Health Conditions

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Bronze Age jewellery restored for the first time in thousands of years

An early Bronze Age necklace and bracelet have been painstakingly restored by experts at National Museums Scotland. The jewellery can be seen in its original form for the first time in over 4000 years and is now on display at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum.

Forty-two jet beads and nine jet ‘plates’ were discovered in a Bronze Age burial at the former Balgay Estate, near Dundee in 1870. At the time, the Balgay Estate extended as far as the shoreline of the River Tay. For over a century the loose beads were thought to come from a single piece of jewellery, but recent research by Dr Alison Sheridan, Research Associate at National Museums Scotland, has revealed they belong to a matching necklace and bracelet set. In-depth analysis has allowed conservators…

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Bronze Age jewellery restored for the first time in thousands of years

International Cat Day!

International Cat Day!

Ameeowse yourself with these cat themed treasures from Dundee City’s Collection this #InternationalCatDay!

This little kitty is hoping for some porridge in this charming scene by John Burr from 1867. ‘Breakfast’ is on display in our Broughty Castle Museum.

This smiling cat ceramic by Katie Horsman (1975) was made in a press mould, which was used over and over again to make many cats. Though all had an identical shape, Horsman used different clays, experimented with firing techniques and used assorted glazes to create diverse feline characters. This one has a jaunty ear chain and glittering green eyes. On display in our Long Gallery at The McManus.

Here is a very dapper ‘Puss in Boots’ by the Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais…

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International Cat Day!
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Dogs of The McManus: Five Four-legged Friends in the City’s Collection

Dogs of The McManus: Five Four-legged Friends in the City’s Collection

For 'take your dog to work day' we'd like to introduce you to five of our four-legged friends in the City's collection!

#TakeYourDogToWorkDay #DogsOfTheMcManus

Wally Dugs

A sure sign of Spring, these vibrant tulips are a joy to behold, painted by Ann Patrick, daughter of the beloved Dundee artist James McIntosh Patrick. She was born in Dundee and studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and at Hospitalfield, Arbroath and her teachers included Alberto Morrocco and David McClure. #springflowers #tulips #flowerart #womenartists

Pawprint

Dealing with a dog's mischief is not just a 21st century problem! Excavated from Carpow legionary fortress, Abernethy, this floor tile fragment shows…

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‘Two Boys and a Dog in a Boat' by William McTaggart. A painting of two young boys with a small dog in a boat with the ocean behind them.
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The Art of Spring

The Art of Spring

Hop along with us as we look at some works from Dundee’s Fine Art collection that will get you in the mood for all the joys of Spring!

Tulips in a Glass (1984), oil on board by Ann Patrick (b. 1937)

A sure sign of Spring, these vibrant tulips are a joy to behold, painted by Ann Patrick, daughter of the beloved Dundee artist James McIntosh Patrick. She was born in Dundee and studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and at Hospitalfield, Arbroath and her teachers included Alberto Morrocco and David McClure. #springflowers #tulips #flowerart #womenartists

© The Artist

Springtime, oil on canvas by Jane Elizabeth Spindler (1856-1939)

Take a moment to immerse yourself in this tranquil scene - complete with ducks, cows and…

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The Art of Spring
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Eight Women Artists spanning four centuries in Dundee's Collections'

Eight Women Artists spanning four centuries in Dundee's Collections'

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum offers a fascinating insight into Dundee and with 8 galleries to explore, there is a wealth of information to discover in our exhibitions of art, history and the environment.

To celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth, we want to shine a spotlight on some of the wonderful works by women artists that we have in Dundee City’s collection. Join us as we travel through time from the days of powdered wigs to the age of cutting-edge silver sculpture in these great works of art by pioneering and creative #womenartists. #ScottishArt #ArtHistory #ScottishArtHistory

18th century: Katherine Read (1723-1778) – Portrait of Willielma Campbell, Lady Glenorchy (1762…

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Eight Women Artists spanning four centuries in Dundee's Collections'
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McManus Creative Learning Outreach Programme Connects with Ukrainian Families

The McManus Creative Learning Team has begun distributing their free ‘McManus Connects’ Activity books and art resource packs to Ukrainian families as part of an engaging outreach initiative. The creative book is a direct lead on from our 2021-22 Reconnect project; in this previous project the team created a creative book for families, working with Home-Start Dundee during lockdown, and are now using this book as a template for the Ukrainian version. The project at the museum has translated art and craft activities into Ukrainian for those who have arrived in Dundee since 2022.

An associated programme of in-house and outreach workshops designed to foster creativity and community integration, and welcome Ukrainian families to the museum, is now taking place as part of the…

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McManus Creative Learning Outreach Programme Connects with Ukrainian Families

Successful Summer School at The McManus

This Summer at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum, the Creative Learning team worked in partnership with Comics Youth SCIO to deliver a free comic summer school targeted at age groups 8-13yrs and 14-18 yrs. 

The project' Building Stories' has been subsidised by the National Lottery Fund and provided 16 young people with the opportunity to create, design, and publish original comics and zines themed around their lived experiences, using the museum's extensive collection as a creative stimulus for their ideas and artwork.

The participants engaged in a range of high-quality workshops to develop their creativity whilst developing new transferrable skills. Each workshop consisted of digital presentations, collaborative exercises, illustration, graphic…

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Successful Summer School at The McManus

Next edition of Small Steps Dundee Women's Trail launched

A second edition of 'Small Steps' Dundee Women's Trail leaflet has been launched to allow children and families to learn more about some of the notable women connected to Dundee.

Between February and April 2023, The McManus’s Creative Learning Team worked alongside Dundee Libraries and Dundee Women’s Trail to provide 92 primary 5/6 pupils from Blackness Primary school and Ancrum Road Primary School the opportunity to create a second addition of a child-friendly leaflet, based on the existing ‘Small Steps’ leaflet launched summer 2022.

The project involved the delivery and creation of a second resource to help young people investigate a further seven women from the existing Dundee Women’s Trail who have made significant contributions to society in Dundee and beyond.…

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Next edition of Small Steps Dundee Women's Trail launched

Celebrating Latent taLent, ST/ART at the McManus

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum has released a film artwork to celebrate the project Latent talent, which has been produced in partnership with Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust’s ST/ART Project. Taking inspiration from the temporary exhibition Hidden Histories and the theme of generosity, the project focuses on shining a light towards the personal stories and lived experiences of artists living with a long-term health condition.

In collaboration with the museum’s Creative Learning Team and the online exhibition Fruits of the Spirit, developed by the National Gallery in London, ST/ART group participants have explored a pairing of two paintings, Dundee’s ‘Two Auld Wifies’ by Robert Stenberg and ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’ by Jan Van Eyck, and explored ideas around…

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Celebrating Latent taLent, ST/ART at the McManus

Think Thursday at The McManus

Come and experience The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum during a late night opening! We are free to visit at any time, and during Think Thursdays, we will be offering a unique evening for all visitors. We will have a strong family focus that encourages everyone to take inspiration from our displays and undertake some self-directed creative activities.

On Thursday April 6th, our family space will transport you to Wild Escapes inspired by our natural history and art collections where you can create your own magical creature to add to the Art Fund website, We also have new nature trails available on clipboards for families to work through.

For those feeling artistic, we have a few easels and tables set up for self-directed activity based on close looking at…

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Think Thursday at The McManus