Theatre & Museums
Craft exhibition expected to be a hit this festive season
Arts and crafts will be right on your doorstep this Christmas.
 
Throughout December, the Graham Clarke Gallery at the Hazlitt Arts Centre will host a Christmas Contemporary Art, Craft and Design exhibition.
 
There will be pieces of art, jewellery and interior products, such as ceramic, silver, glass, wood, metal and textile, for sale.
 
The exhibition will be open daily from Monday, December 1 to Monday, January 5, 9.30am to 5.30pm.
 
On Saturday, December 6, from noon to 3pm, there will be a chance to meet the makers. At the same times children will be able to attend a special craft lounge with artist Siobhán Timoney. She’ll help them create festive Christmas decorations such as angels and stars to decorate Christmas trees. It costs £3 per child, but spaces are limited, so please book early. Visit www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk for a booking form.
 
For more information on the exhibition visit www.maidstonearts.com or email arts@maidstone.gov.uk		  
 
Museum has cracks checked out
Maidstone Museum is currently undergoing some repair work to its front.
 
The scaffolding is for work to be carried out to check some cracks at the front of the building.
 
This work is being done by Heritage Stone but at the moment is being delayed because of the recent bad weather.
 
The scaffolding is expected to be up for a couple of weeks, but this is dependent on the weather.
 
Museum manager, Simon Lace said: “The Museum will be open as usual while the work is being carried out and we apologise to visitors for any inconvenience that may be caused. We do hope it will be completed as soon as possible.”		  
 
Sprouting excitement for this season’s pantomime
The countdown to this year’s panto season has begun and to celebrate Maidstone Borough Council are giving one lucky family the opportunity to see Jack and the Beanstalk for free. 
 
On November 29, The Hazlitt Arts Centre opens its doors to the most exciting pantomime to date, running throughout the festive season until January 4.
 
Jake Hendriks, better known as Father Kieron Hobbs in Hollyoaks, will be exchanging the dog collar for magic beans when he makes his debut as Jack. Starring alongside the leading man, this year’s Dame is Michael Fenton Stevens who played Mr Griffith in the BBC TV sitcom My Family. The panto will feature a multitude of other top quality entertainers, including local funny man Tom Swift.
 
To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is find the five magic beans that Jack has scattered on the council’s website, and let us know what pages you find them on. Answers can be submitted via an electronic form and must be received by November 29. All correct entries will be compiled and a winner will be selected at random.
 
Visit www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk for an entry form, alternatively you can send your answers to Communications, Maidstone Borough Council, Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, ME15 6JQ.
 
Tickets for this year’s panto are on sale now. To book call the box office on 01622 758611 or log onto www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk
 
Any child between the age of six and 16 can perform in the show with Jake Hendriks, for more information visit www.newworldworkshops.co.uk
 
 
Sister act of a royal variety
Maidstone is playing host to a royal performance on Friday, November 28, when Sister Queens, graces the stage at The Hazlitt Arts Centre.
 
This one woman show, written and performed by Miriam Cooper, tells the story of the entangled lives of cousins Elizabeth 1 and Mary Queen of Scots. In this story that has captured the imagination for centuries, Cooper gives the audience an exclusive insight into the treachery that bound the royal queens of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. 
 
Miriam Cooper, co-director of Play on Words Theatre Company, trained at the Guildford School of Acting and has appeared at theatres across the country, from the Bristol Old Vic to London’s Young Vic. In this acclaimed performance she portrays the extraordinary lives of the women that shaped the monarchy forever. Described by the Sunday Independent as:  ‘A remarkable and uplifting piece of theatre – gives everything and asks nothing’, this performance is one not be missed.
 
For tickets call the box office on 01622 758611 or log onto www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk.  Tickets are £10 and £8 for concessions.		  
 
Flutter past Museum to view fine collection
of butterflies
Book your appointment today to view Maidstone Musuem’s spectacular collection of butterflies.
 
Tens of thousands of the colourful creatures have been at the museum since the 1960s and can be viewed by appointment with the museum.
 
And as part of the museum’s 150th birthday celebrations there is also a small group of butterflies on general display in the Kaleidoscope exhibition.
 
Dave Rolfe, honorary curator of insects and shells at the museum said: “I would encourage people to come and look at the butterflies because they are so fascinating. This collection has national importance.” Dave has been interested in this subject for more than 40 years and looks after a collection of British, European and Tropical butterflies.
 
Dr Ed Jarzembowski also said how fascinating the butterflies are. The keeper of natural history said: “Butterflies are probably the world’s favourite insect, but they are not just a pretty thing, their presence or absence is visual proof of the quality of our environment.”
 
To arrange a viewing appointment call 01622 602838.		  
 
Diamond day with the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers
After just three months and a public appeal which raised more than £15,000, a Gurkha statue was unveiled today in front of hundreds of people to honour the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers.
 
The Gurkhas have played a significant role in the British Armed Forces since 1815 and are recognised for their bravery, courage and loyalty. It is for this reason and to mark the 60th anniversary of the raising of the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers that this tribute statue was unveiled outside Maidstone Museum.
 
Sussex sculptor Mary Cox was commissioned to create the bronze statue, which has been mounted on a granite plinth and placed in the courtyard of the museum.
 
Before the ceremony there was a parade of serving Gurkha Engineers led by their national pipe band. It started from County Hall and marched along Week Street before turning into St Faith’s Street to take up position outside the museum.
 
Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, Cllr Brian Moss and Cllr Dan Daley, who was the project’s instigator, made speeches. The statue was unveiled by the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Denise Joy and Colonel of the Regiment, Lt Gen David Bill CB. Gurkha Pandit, Premprasad Gaire, blessed the statue.
 
The statue of the Gurkha Engineer in service dress uniform was paid for by public subscription through The Maidstone Trust, on behalf of Maidstone Borough Council.
 
Cllr Moss said: “Gurkha soldiers are held in high respect by the British people and we in Maidstone have a special affinity with the Gurkha Engineers who contribute so much to life in the county town. Maidstone Museum also plays an important part in our lives and I am proud that it has been chosen to host this special tribute.” 
 
Cllr Daley, whose inspiration initiated the project added: “The Gurkha soldiers in Maidstone should know that they and their families are welcomed here and that this tribute is a genuine token of our friendship. The statue will remain in Maidstone as a constant reminder of the debt of gratitude that we owe to this unique band of fighting men and of our admiration of them.”		  
 

Podcasts get uploaded to Maidstone Museum’s website
 With help from Maidstone Museum 13 teenage girls have recorded podcasts featuring their favourite museum objects.
 
The podcasts cover objects such as the Egyptian mummy, the toy Duck, the River Safari Iguana and the Sutlej gun. 
 
The audio project could not have taken place without financial help from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as input from the learning team at the museum. The money helped to pay for recording equipment and computer software.
 
Audience development manager, Hayley McMechan, said: “It has been so much fun working with the young people on this project and this is just the beginning. We are now about to begin another audio project with teenagers and I hope to make the podcast project the first of many; there is talk of a fashion show on the horizon too at the request from the girls.”
 
The finished podcasts can be downloaded from Maidstone Museum’s website - www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Hayley added: “We would like to encourage people to load the podcasts onto their mp3s and then come to the museum to enjoy the objects while listening to them.”
 
The museum has also been awarded a grant from ‘Their Past, Your Future’ funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to extend this work with the teenagers.

Its next goal is to embark on an intergenerational project with young people and local Gurkha War veterans to record their stories and experiences of conflict to improve our understanding of conflict and its impact, and to spread understanding among our communities. These new audio sound bytes will be available to listen to on the website and in the museum from April next year.

  
 
Absolutely Fabulous painting at Maidstone Museum
Actress and former model Joanna Lumley of Ab Fab fame is taking centre stage in Maidstone Museum’s exhibition to celebrate its 150th birthday. The actress features in a watercolour painted in 1968 by the late John Stanton Ward b.1917-d.2007.
 
The picture, in pencil and colour wash, shows Joanna at 22 years of age in a relaxed pose smoking a cigarette — perhaps an early indication of her future role as Ab Fab’s Patsy.
 
John Ward attended the Royal College of Art and was appointed CBE in 1985. He lived in Kent for most of his career and was well known as an illustrator and portrait painter.  Among his sitters were Walter de la Mare, Elizabeth David, Princess Ann and Sir Roger Bannister.
 
Fiona Woolley, keeper of Fine Art at the museum said: “This is an early example of his watercolour work and provides us with a glimpse into 1960’s pop culture. The study was purchased by the Bentlif Trustees at a gallery sale in the late 1960s. It was brought out from the stores last year as part of a retrospective of Ward’s work held by Canterbury Museum and was shown alongside an oil portrait of Joanna Lumley.  I would urge everyone to come along to see it while it is on display and be inspired by his free-fluid style.”
 
The piece forms part of the museum’s exciting Kaleidoscope exhibition: 150 years of colourful collection.		  
 

Tiger, tiger shining bright at Maidstone Museum
Maidstone Museum is home to the 150th exhibition where their new star attraction is the Indian tiger skin. It has never been displayed before and it has been hidden away in storage for many years.
 
A new display case has been built to hold the unusual object.
 
The tigers head has a bullet hole where it was shot dead. The tiger skin would have then been displayed as a trophy or carpet in front of the fire or as a wall drape in old Victorian or Edwardian houses. But in the 20th century it would have been cut up for ladies fur coats, hats and gloves. Due to our ancestors, tigers became scarce and are now a protected species.
 
Keeper of natural history, Dr Ed Jarzembowski, said: “The tiger skin will bring you as close as you will ever get to this shy animal and you can appreciate how big and powerful it must have been. You can admire the pattern which enables it to completely blend with the environment in its Asian woodland habitat where it will completely disappear from view while still keeping an eye on you.”
 
Visitors at the exhibition have left comments, saying: “Very cool idea. It shows you how colourful history is” and “It shows us how wonderful and bright history is.”