New small Temporary exhibition space at the Booth Museum

Prior to a full refurbishment of the osteology gallery (planned for 1-2 years time) we’ve covered over some damaged cases to create a small area for temporary gallery style exhibitions. 

The first exhibition is a small display of photographs from the Brighton and Hove House Sparrow’s Project competition, on display until the end of February 2018. The second exhibition (running early March to September) is a display of the winning entries for the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s calendar competition. These exhibitions (and the whole Booth Museum) is free entry - so why not come and have a look! 

Late at the Booth: Uncovering the Muse

What could this guy be up to? Preparations for Late at the Booth: Uncovering the Muse are underway.

Event Details

  • Start: 16 November 2017 at 7:00 pm
  • End: 16 November 2017 at 10:00 pm

Join us after hours at the Booth as the museum comes alive. Enjoy a drink from the bar as artists and scientists from the University of Brighton share their insights into the Booth collection. 

One of the presentations for the evening:

The Digital Storytelling Collective

8, 8.45 & 9.30pm

The Digital Storytelling Collective discuss participative creative media practice and the ways in which they used it to engage with the Booth Museum. They will present their digital stories, collaboratively made, and open a debate with attendees on the ways in which sharing personal stories might reveal novel ways of engaging with museum exhibits and archives.

Admission £10, members £8, book in advance. Pay bar. 18+

You can buy tickets by telephoning the Events Booking line on 03000 290902 (Mon-Fri) or in person at any of our venues.
You can also email visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you have any queries.
A £1.50 booking fee may apply to some events. Tickets cannot be reserved without payment. Please book early as an event may be cancelled if too few tickets have been sold.

Photo credit: Isobel Creed

Late at the Booth: Uncovering the Muse

Event Details

  • Start: 16 November 2017 at 7:00 pm
  • End: 16 November 2017 at 10:00 pm

Join us after hours at the Booth as the museum comes alive. Enjoy a drink from the bar as artists and scientists from the University of Brighton share their insights into the Booth collection. With talks, workshops and demonstrations.

Programme:
All included in the ticket price unless otherwise stated

Just a Label? – Marcus Winter
7.30, 8.15 & 9pm

Object labels and visitor books are a standard feature in many museums, and often the only ways in which curators impart their knowledge about exhibits and visitors document their impressions and thoughts. Drawing on Dr Winter’s recent research, this session looks at opportunities and challenges when introducing novel technologies in museums and presents some hands-on examples.
Dr Marcus Winter is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics.

Wildlife conservation stories behind the specimens – Rachel White
7.30, 8.15 & 9pm

One vital role museum specimens currently play is helping scientists understand more about biodiversity and facilitating wildlife conservation. The session explores this by unlocking some of the extensive Booth Museum’s bird collections and telling their conservation story.
Dr Rachel White is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation Science at the University of Brighton

Digital Storytelling – Ross Adamson and Ray Gibson
8, 8.45 & 9.30pm

Ross and Ray discuss Digital Storytelling as a participative creative media practice and the ways in which they used it to engage with the Booth Museum. They will present their digital stories, collaboratively made, and open a debate with attendees on the ways in which sharing personal stories might reveal novel ways of engaging with museum exhibits and archives.
Ross Adamson is Senior Lecturer in Media Studies and Ray Gibson is a Brighton-based freelance photographer specialising in performing arts and events.

The Penguin Is Present – Susan Diab
8, 8.45 & 9.30pm

Susan Diab spent time with a penguin from the Booth Museum’s collection of taxidermy, letting it communicate with her and noting down anything that it ‘says’. Her encounter with the penguin is centred around the question ‘what is it that we are really looking at when we are faced with a museum exhibit?’. Her presentation is a reflection on how a museum visitor approaches and processes their experience.
Susan Diab is an artist who teaches Fine Art at the University of Brighton.

Behind the Scenes Tours with curatorial staff are also available to book on the night – £5 per person

Admission

£10, members £8, book in advance. Pay bar. 18+
You can buy tickets by telephoning the Events Booking line on 03000 290902 (Mon-Fri) or in person at any of our venues.
You can also email visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you have any queries.
A £1.50 booking fee may apply to some events. Tickets cannot be reserved without payment. Please book early as an event may be cancelled if too few tickets have been sold.


http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/events/event/late-at-the-booth-uncovering-the-muse/

Photo credit: Kate Holden @yeahsomeday

Cheetah Reveal

Event Details

  • Start: 23 September 2017 at 2:00 pm
  • End: 23 September 2017 at 4:30 pm

This new exhibit, created by ethical taxidermist Jazmine Miles-Long with help from the local community at our recent event A Late Stitch up at the Booth (see photo), will be revealed to the public for the first time.  

Jazmine will be on hand to answer any taxidermy questions.

We’ve also teamed up with ONCA, more details below:

Join us at the unveiling of the Booth Museum’s taxidermied cheetah with a panel discussion on taxidermy, extinction and creative responses to ecological loss. Meet ethical taxidermist Jazime Miles-Long, master embroiderer Katie Tume aka Mother Eagle, and Lost Species Day historian of biodiversity Matt Stanfield. 

There will be artefacts to handle and opportunities to get close up to the cheetah, as well as time to chat with curators from the Booth.

http://www.jazminemileslong.com/
https://madebymothereagle.com/ 

Admission

Free, drop-in.

 
Please note A ‘first come, first served’ policy is in operation for drop-in sessions and free events that do not require pre-booking. For enquiries call 03000 290902

Photography by Kate Holden

Pinning butterflies and reading a comic about a man who loves to catch moths!

The mice and men have got to this little Water Vole, but is a great view of internal taxidermy! 

Some pictures from Friday’s Late Night Stitch Up. Thank you to everyone who came!

A Late Stitch Up at the Booth!

Friday 17th March 7-10pm

Join us after hours at the Booth as the museum comes alive at night. Enjoy a drink at the bar, see demonstrations of butterfly-setting and watch magic lantern projections.

Meet ethical taxidermist Jazmine Miles-Long and help her stitch up a cheetah which will go on display at the Booth.

Talks by:

Artist Elisabeth Pellathy

Curator Alexandra Loske-Page

Keeper Emeritus John Cooper


Mini puppet show by Michael Olden

Mini writing workshops by Mick Jackson

Magic Lantern shows by Alexia Lazou

Butterfly Setting by Holly Archer

Get up close to objects at our handling tables with staff and volunteers.Behind the scenes tours by curatorial staff (tickets £5, book on the night, limited spaces)


Pay bar (may be asked for ID).

The event is suitable for ages 15 and over.


Admission

£10 per person, members £8 per person, book in advance. Pay bar. 15+

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/booth/whats-on/#!a-late-stitch-up-at-the-booth

You can buy tickets by telephoning the Events Booking line on 03000 290902 (Mon-Fri), in person at any of our venues, or you can buy tickets online. You can also email visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you have any queries. A £1.50 booking fee may apply to some events. Tickets cannot be reserved without payment. Please book early as an event may be cancelled if too few tickets have been sold.

Spring is in the air! Come check out our March Bird of the Month: Himalayan Monal (Lophophores impejanus). 

The Himalayan Monal is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as Danphe, and is found across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan and Tibet. 

The colorful Monal forages by digging with its beak to discover insects and roots underground. 

A highly communicative bird that uses several different call types to express meaning. 

A Late Stitch Up at the Booth!

Friday 17th March 7-10pm

Join us after hours at the Booth as the museum comes alive at night. Enjoy a drink at the bar, see demonstrations of butterfly-setting and watch magic lantern projections.

Meet ethical taxidermist Jazmine Miles-Long and help her stitch up a cheetah which will go on display at the Booth.

There will be a programme of talks and demonstrations throughout the night, details to follow. A limited number of tickets for behind the scenes tours will also be available to book on the night for an additional £5.


Pay bar (may be asked for ID).

The event is suitable for ages 15 and over.


Admission

£10 per person, members £8 per person, book in advance. Pay bar. 15+

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/booth/whats-on/#!a-late-stitch-up-at-the-booth

You can buy tickets by telephoning the Events Booking line on 03000 290902 (Mon-Fri), in person at any of our venues, or you can buy tickets online. You can also email visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you have any queries. A £1.50 booking fee may apply to some events. Tickets cannot be reserved without payment. Please book early as an event may be cancelled if too few tickets have been sold.

Come check out these colourful, geometric shapes formed by minerals!

Ever wonder what your cats skeleton looks like?

Bird of the month - February

Jay 

Garrulus glandarius

Jays are seen most often in woodlands, they are shy in comparison to the rest of the crow family but are increasingly seen in towns and cities. They have bright blue feathers on their wings, and mostly brown bodies.

Jays are intelligent birds, they remember locations of the acorns they bury. Their call is loud and recognisable. They are also known to mimic calls of other birds, such as the tawny owl.

Booth’s catalogue for the museum states that the jay is declining due to being shot by gamekeepers. The jay is listed on the UK’s conservation status as ‘green’ and their populations are either stable or increasing across Europe.

Bird of the month - January 

Sunbird

Nectariniidae

Sunbirds have downward curving bills for feeding on nectar, though they also pierce the base of flowers to reach the nectar instead. They also eat insects and spiders. They are superficially similar to hummingbirds, though they are unrelated. Sunbirds are found in Africa, Asia and into northern Australia.

They are relatively long-lived for small birds, with one record of an amethyst sunbird living for 16 years. To prevent predation of young, they create highly camouflaged nests, often filled with mammal hair, particularly from gorillas, where the range is shared. Some sunbirds even choose to rear their chicks near wasp nests. The grey sunbird builds 50cm long nests, suspended from trees or buildings.

Bird of the month - October

Albatross

Diomedeidae

Status: Endangered

Albatrosses are part of the tubenose family, named for the feature on the top of their bills used to excrete excess salt. The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any bird. Albatross wings lock into place, enabling them to glide over the sea for prolonged periods of time.  

The Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross is considered endangered due to its small breeding range and rapid decline due to by-catch from longline fishing. Efforts to reduce this have been addressed in recent years and have led to a 99% reduction of albatross deaths.