A new museum exhibition celebrates the extraordinary relationship between humans and animals.
The new exhibition, Chesterfield Menagerie, includes a wide range of items from the Chesterfield Museum collection which show humans connections with animals. It includes a beautiful Brampton salt glaze fish flask, ‘The Plough’ a stunning painting by Joseph Syddall, a wonderful figurine of a Chicken by William Gordon and much more.
There will be fun activities and interactive elements for the whole family to enjoy including handling items, feely boxes, a sound board of animal calls, a magnetic board matching activity and animal related crafts.
The exhibition will be hosted in the Grade 2 listed Assembly Rooms above the Market Hall from Friday 13 September until Tuesday 12 October, and open from 10am to 2.30pm weekdays, and from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. It is free to enter.
Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our residents and visitors to learn more about our borough’s history and see some incredible things that have been created right here. We want lots of people to come along and support this exhibition and we’ve made sure that there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
In addition, there will also be a selection of free special events hosted during the exhibition.
Chester the Field Mouse will be visiting the exhibition, meeting fans and posing for pictures on Saturday 14 September from 1pm to 2.15pm.
On Saturday 21 September, Kakou will be hosting a workshop where visitors can create their own art bot. This simple robot will wobble across paper and create a unique drawing. Sessions are being held at 11am, 12 noon and 1pm.
As we approach the autumn months visitors will be able to learn more about birds and bees, including how to identify bees, how birds build nests, and they will be able to build their own bird feeder to take away and hang up in their garden. Visitors will be able to take part in this activity on Saturday 28 September from 1pm to 3pm.
The exhibition is hosted in the town centre making it easily accessible by public transport and the venue also includes a lift to ensure that visitors of all abilities can access the exhibition. Further work is being undertaken to provide the exhibition materials in different formats.
The Chesterfield Menagerie exhibition is part of a programme of events and exhibitions that are being funded by Arts Council England.
It aims to ensure that whilst Chesterfield Museum and the Pomegranate Theatre are closed for refurbishment residents and visitors can still connect with our borough’s history and culture.
Over the next year the programme will include a series of museum exhibitions at venues across the borough and range of theatre productions at the Winding Wheel Theatre. To find out more about this programme, please visit our Arts Council England programme page.
