The wide range of events includes a classical quartet, festivals, talks, tours and a study day on sex in past times.
Exhibitions are listed below, followed by special events then displays.
5 April to 29 June
This exhibition contains sexually explicit material.
Throughout history, cultures around the world have talked about sex, regulated sexual activity and produced cultural artifacts relating to sex, often revealing refreshingly or startlingly different attitudes towards sex.
Between 1900 and his death in 1936, the billionaire pharmaceutical giant Sir Henry Wellcome amassed over a million objects from across the globe for his museum of medical history. A substantial proportion of these related to human sexuality.
Wellcome believed passionately in the potential of historical artifacts to unlock the secrets of human sexuality by revealing the varieties and complexities of the way that sex has been understood and represented in different cultures across global history.
The variety of attitudes and cultural practices embodied in this display of objects prompts us to question our own attitudes towards censorship and display, the boundaries between childhood and adulthood, control of sexuality, fertility and contraception, pleasure and power relations. It asks our audiences to open up their minds and to reflect on the value and significance of sex to us today.
This is the first ever dedicated display of Wellcome s sexually related material.
From time to time the galleries will be closed for special events; please check before travelling.
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29 March to 20 July
Since 2009 The British Wildlife Photography Awards have showcased some of the finest images captured by photographers practising in Britain. The 14 categories, including Botanical Britain, Young People’s Awards, Coast and marine and Wildlife in HD Video, are inspiring, thought provoking and highlight the natural wonders right on our doorsteps. Subjects range from familiar favourites to rare and elusive floral and faunal gems.
From time to time the galleries will be closed for special events; please check before travelling.
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22 March to 22 June
RAMM is delighted to be presenting the work of Gilbert & George as part of the national ARTIST ROOMS programme in 2014.
Gilbert & George are among the most celebrated artists to have emerged from the art scene in the late 1960s.
Gilbert (b Dolomites, Italy, 1943) and George (b Plymouth, Devon, 1942) met in 1967 as students at St Martins School of Art, London. By 1969 they were reacting against approaches to sculpture then dominant at St Martins, which they regarded as elitist and poor at communicating outside an art context. Their strategy was to make themselves into sculpture, so sacrificing their separate identities to art and turning the notion of creativity on its head.
This exhibition represents major aspects of the artists’ career from 1969 to 1991. RAMM is the first ARTIST ROOMS Associate to hold a Gilbert & George exhibition. It continues RAMM’s tradition of creative programming and desire to work with partners to present the best in contemporary arts to audiences in Exeter and wider Westcountry region.
Gallery interpretation is supported by RAMM’s volunteers.
ARTIST ROOMS On Tour is a partnership with Arts Council England and the Art Fund, making available the ARTIST ROOMS collection of international modern and contemporary art to galleries throughout the UK. ARTIST ROOMS is jointly owned by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland and was established through The d’Offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, and the Scottish and British Governments.
To find out more information about ARTIST ROOMS On Tour please visit www.artfund.org/artistrooms. To see the full ARTIST ROOMS collection please visit www.tate.org.uk/artistrooms and www.nationalgalleries.org/artistrooms
From time to time the galleries will be closed for special events; please check before travelling.
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Saturday 31 May noon to 7pm and Sunday 1 June 11am to 6pm, free, drop in
Belmont Park, Exeter EX1 2DH
Come and see us at Exeter Respect Festival, the city’s annual celebration of cultural diversity. Two days of free live music and performance, and a plethora of stalls offering children’s activities, information on local groups and institutions, fair trade and crafts for sale, food, a licensed bar and invigorating, friendly atmosphere. More information from www.exeter-respect.org
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Tuesday 3 June, 6.30pm, £7.50 from 8 April
RAMM Gallery 20
Throughout his long career spanning over 40 years, Sir Joshua Reynolds regularly painted members of his wide circle of friends, both male and female. Donato Esposito, an art historian specialising in British art from the 18th and 19th centuries, will look at Reynolds’ circle of friends and their portraits, placing into context those of fellow Devonians such as Francis Hayman RA.
Tickets available from 8 April online or from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
The Friends support the museum with financial help towards acquisitions and conservation. Registered charity number 306649. Email: friends@exeter.gov.uk.
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Wednesday 4 June 2014, £18 (£16)
RAMM Gallery 20
Classical music in the setting of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition.
The programme
Museum doors open at 6.30pm. The concert begins at 7.30pm. Drinks will be available prior to concert and during interval.
Tickets available online or from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Jubilee Quartet was formed in 2006 at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where they currently hold a Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship. They are 1st prize winners of the ‘Val Tidone International Chamber Music Competition’, and the Philharmonia Orchestra MMSF ‘Charles Henderson Ensemble Award’. The quartet has performed extensively in the UK and on the continent including performances in the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room.
Sponsored by Rathbone Investment Management Limited.
Organised by The Royal Albert Memorial Museum Development Trust (registered charity number 1038570).
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Thursday 5 June, 11am and noon, free, drop in
RAMM Gallery 21
In the 1960s, Gilbert & George transformed themselves into a living sculpture to portray the issue of homelessness. Students from Exeter’s Royal Academy for Deaf Education experiment with this contemporary art approach to convey issues that concern them today.
Accompanying the RAMM exhibition, Gilbert & George | ARTIST ROOMS.
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Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June, 10am to 5pm
Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AF
This fair, which is run in association with The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, is one of the largest and most prestigious craft and design events in the UK. Find RAMM in the Children’s Craft Marquee and join in with our activities on the theme of contemporary Devon landscapes. The Children’s Craft Tent is supported by The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Devon Guild of Weavers, Exeter Phoenix, Devon Artist Network, RAMM and the Crafts Council’s Crafts Club.
Tickets and information from www.craftsatboveytracey.co.uk or 01626 830612
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Saturday 7 June, 10.15am to 4pm, £10 (£4)
RAMM Gallery 20
Short talks about sex in times past. Covering Ancient Egypt, Roman and Tudor times, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history and an introduction to the Wellcome Collection of ancient sexual artefacts.
Advice: the day will contain images and discussion of a frank sexual nature.
In partnership with the University of Exeter Centre for Medical History and LGBT Health Project Devon. Part of Universities Week 2014.
Tickets are available online or from the museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Accompanying the RAMM exhibition, Intimate Worlds: Exploring Sexuality through the Wellcome Collection.
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Tuesday 10 June, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm, £12 (£10). Patrons two for the price of one.
RAMM Gallery 20
With NADFAS lecturer David Phillips. Fake scientific and documentary evidence can play as big a role in forgery scandals as clever fabrication of the artwork itself, as we discover in a ‘ripping yarns’ survey featuring the familiar Tom Keating and Van Meegeren amongst a supporting cast of exotic rogues. Drinks £2 donation.
Tickets available online or from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Organised by RAMM Development Trust, registered charity number 1038570. The trust raises money for the improvement and refurbishment of the museum with a lively programme of lectures and special events and with grant applications.
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Thursday 12 June, 11am to 4pm, free, drop in
RAMM’s In Fine Feather gallery
Free Wildlife Tours 11am and 2pm
Meeting and talk with local bird experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Join them for a 20 to 30 minute walk around the museum to see the wildlife on display. Discover underwater wonders around Devon’s shores, learn how bees are saving the UK millions of pounds a year, which piece of clothing inspired the RSPB’s origins and how everything from tigers to sparrows are being protected by local conservationists.
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Thursday 12 June, 11.30am to 12.30pm, £6 (£4)
RAMM Gallery 20
One is a creature of the night, the others are all about sunshine. Author and Guardian writer Patrick Barkham has been fascinated by both since childhood. He will talk about their magical and mysterious lives and share his discoveries during the writing of The Butterfly Isles, the story of his journey around Britain in search of all 59 butterfly species, and his new book, Badgerlands. Patrick will be available to sign books.
Tickets are available online or from the museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Accompanying the RAMM exhibition, British Wildlife Photographer Award 2013.
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Saturday 14 June, 10.30am and noon, £7 (£5)
More in Store - Meet in RAMM’s Courtyard
Take a 40-minute behind the scenes tour. See some of the reserve collections and find out more about the conservation, display and storage of objects.
Tickets are available online or from the museum reception in person or by phone using a credit or debit card on 01392 265858 during opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
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1 April to 22 June
Finders Keepers? gallery, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter
Showcasing one woman’s passion for compacts. Convenience, portability and a desire to be glamorous at all times prompted the invention of the compact. They came in many forms, designs and materials; from gold to bakelite and decorated with motifs ranging from birds to cruise liners.
Display your collection
Do you have a collection that you would like to exhibit? We are particularly interested in collections that relate to the First World War. Email ramm@exeter.gov.uk.
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Until 8 June 2014
World Cultures display case
Aotearoa (New Zealand) was one of the last land masses to be discovered by humans. People first arrived there by boat 1,500 years ago and they soon found that they had access to an abundance of resources from three sacred worlds: the land, the sea and the sky.
This display takes a look at a small collection of Maori objects and specimens from the museum’s ethnography and natural history collections and explores how the Maori used these resources in daily life, battle and ceremony.
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17 June to December
World Cultures display case
A display of RAMM’s Fijian objects with new interpretation by the Fijian Art Research Project. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and developed with Pacific specialists based at the University of East Anglia.
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Ends
For more information contact Rob Mackenzie, Marketing Assistant, on 01392 265317 or robert.mackenzie@exeter.gov.uk, Steve Upsher, Media Relations Officer, on 01392 265103, or Ruth Randall, Audience Development Lead on 01392 265955.
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) is one of Exeter City Council’s flagship services. RAMM is also supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Awards and standards include Museum of the Year 2012, the Arts Council Designation Scheme, VAQAS (Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service), Devon Visitor Attraction of the Year 2012, Collections Trust Best Practice Award 2013, RIBA South West Special Award for Conservation and Building of the Year 2013, the Accreditation Scheme for Museums in the United Kingdom, Inspiring Learning for All, 2012 Silver Tourist Attraction Award in the South West and Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2013.
Stunning displays reveal Devon and Exeter’s rich history and global connections. Exotic animals, birds and insects delight children and a changing programme of exhibitions and events means there is likely to be something different to see on every visit. Free entry gives everyone the freedom to visit many times and to stay any length of time.
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum &Art Gallery is in Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3RX. Phone 01392 265858. Web: www.exeter.gov.uk/RAMM Email: ramm@exeter.gov.uk
