Scotland National Museum Announces Listings

The National Museum of Scotland has announced it's exhibits for the 2016-2017 year. Check out below!

Celts

10 Mar-25 Sep 2016

Adult £10, concession £8, child (12-15) £6.50. Members and under 12s go free.

Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3

This major exhibition, organised in partnership with the British Museum, unravels the complex story of the different groups who have used or been given the name 'Celts' through the extraordinary art objects they made and used. Spanning more than 2,500 years, the exhibition explores history through these powerful decorated objects and examines how art styles have changed considerably over time, often flourishing during periods when different cultures came into contact.

Sponsored by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers.

Organised in partnership with the British Museum.

Reflecting Telescopes

25 Mar-28 Aug 2016

Three display cases, Grand Gallery, Level 1

Free

This small display reveals the work of pioneering Scots in the development of the reflective telescope. The work of James Gregory (1638?75) is highlighted, a contemporary of Isaac Newton he was Professor of Mathematics at St Andrews then Edinburgh University. A predecessor of the modern telescope, Gregory's 'reflecting' telescope used mirrors, rather than glass lenses, to create a more compact instrument and sharper images. The display will also touch upon astronomy in Edinburgh, a city that has remained at the forefront of astronomical research and discovery for more than four centuries.

Stone Age Jade from the Alps

20 May-30 Oct 2016

Grand Gallery, Level 1

Free

This small display showcases National Museums Scotland's rarely seen collection of Stone Age jade axeheads, alongside Tim Pomeroy's contemporary sculpture, Axehead. These rare and exquisite objects found around the Scottish countryside have long puzzled archaeologists. How did these beautiful Neolithic axeheads end up in Scotland, so far from their origins in the North Italian Alps around 6,000 years ago? Now, thanks to a French-led project involving National Museums Scotland - Projet Jade - the fascinating story of their creation, use and astonishing 1,500 km journey has been revealed.

BUILD IT! A museum made from LEGO®

1 Jun-1 Dec 2016

Info Zone, Level 3

Free

A beautiful three-metre LEGO® model of the National Museum of Scotland is now on display. Renowned brick artist Warren Elsmore and his team took over 350 hours and almost 90,000 bricks to build this exquisite model of the museum. Using scale-plans and elevation drawings, the miniature model depicts gallery details and a number of exhibition objects with thousands of tiny bricks.

Showing as part of the Festival of Architecture 2016, which will celebrate Scotland's fantastic built environment, as a key part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrations. #IAD2016.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

16 Sep 2016-19 Feb 2017

Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3

Free

This world-renowned exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behaviour to breath-taking wild landscapes. The most prestigious photography event of its kind, Wildlife Photographer of the Year has provided a global platform to showcase the natural world's most astonishing and challenging sights for over 50 years.

Sponsored by Morton Fraser and Arts & Business Scotland New Arts Sponsorship Grant

National War Museum

Edinburgh Castle, EH1 2NG

Open 09:45-17:45 daily

Life Support: Stories from The Royal Regiment of Scotland

25 Apr 2016-29 Jan 2017

Free with admission to Edinburgh Castle

Marking The Royal Regiment of Scotland's first decade of operations, this exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the combat and peacekeeping work of Scotland's infantry soldiers as well as the people, military and civilian, who make up their vital support network at home and on the frontline.

Life Support: Stories from The Royal Regiment of Scotland is created in association with the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Events/Activities

National Museum of Scotland

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

Open 10:00-17:00 daily

For everyone

Gilded Balloon at the Museum

3 Aug-29 Aug 2016

Various times

Auditorium, Level 1

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.gildedballoon.co.uk

National Museums Scotland and Gilded Balloon have joined forces to present an exciting array of shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 18 productions covering adult and children's theatre, comedy and music will make up the programme in the Auditorium at the National Museum of Scotland.

Janis Claxton Dance presents POP-UP Duets (fragments of love)

17-21 & 24-28 Aug 2016

15:30-16:20

Free (drop-in)

Award-winning choreographer Janis Claxton will bring her latest work POP-UP Duets (fragments of love) to the Museum. Created with composer Pippa Murphy and four world-class dancers, James Southward, Christina Liddell, Carlos J. Martinez and Adrienne O'Leary, these free performances are designed to emerge unexpectedly from public situations. Exploring the theme of love, each five minute duet will ?pop up? throughout the National Museum of Scotland, to surprise and delight unsuspecting audiences.

Part of www.madeinscotlandshowcase.com

Free Fringe Music

6-28 Aug 2016

14:00-14:40

Grand Gallery, Level 1

Free (drop-in)

Festival favourite, Free Fringe Music will return with performances inspired by the Museum's major exhibition, Celts. From bold brass and fabulous fiddlers, to soprano soloists and traditional Welsh clog dancing, the free daily performances will showcase the very best in contemporary musical talents from across Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales and France.

In partnership with Live Music Now Scotland.

For families

Make it at the Museum: Cardboard Machines

18 Sep 2016

10:30-12:00

Learning centre, Level 4

Cost: £10/£8. Call 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/scotland, suitable for children aged 7-12 years.

Cut, fold, punch and glue to create a marvellous mechanism then use cams, cranks and levers to bring your machine to life. Older children and their families can come together in these new workshops to learn a practical skill or a creative technique and to make something together.

For adults

Museum After Hours: Friday Fringe Takeover

19 & 26 Aug 2016

19:30-22:30

Cost: £18/£16, price includes admission to Celts. Book online at www.nms.ac.uk/afterhours or call 0300 123 6789.

Enjoy a unique flavour of the Fringe and explore the museum after hours across three exhilarating nights, each with hand-picked performers, music, comedy, bars and entry to our exhibition Celts, organised with the British Museum.

Ten innovative new galleries will set a dramatic scene to complement this year's performances, showcasing over 3,000 extraordinary objects from the worlds of fashion, applied arts, design, science and technology.

Guest-programmed by the festival gurus at The List, each night of this adults-only extravaganza offers an unmissable take on the Fringe.

Museum Socials: Scots Abroad

Fri 19 Aug 2016

10:30-12:00

Free, call 0300 123 6789 to book your place

No matter where you are in the world, you will find some evidence that the Scots have been there! We look at Scots Abroad - past and present - and invite you to share your own stories too. One of our series of monthly relaxed and informal sessions offering anyone living with Dementia, along with their relatives, friends and supporters, an opportunity to explore a different part of the museum each month with our learning staff. Sessions are free and include a cup of tea.

Scotland and Celtic Identity

10 Sep 2016

14:00-16:30 (doors open 13:45)

Auditorium, Level 1

Cost: £10, £8 members and concessions. Book online at www.nms.ac.uk/Scotland or call 0300 123 6789.

Can we say that Scotland is a Celtic nation? Join us for an engaging panel discussion on Scotland and Celtic identity chaired by Scottish journalist and author Neal Ascherson. This event will explore the history of our national, cultural and linguistic identities and their resonance for those in Britain, Ireland and the global Celtic diaspora.

In association with The University of Edinburgh's Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies.

Glenmorangie Annual Lecture: Mouthpiece of the Gods

12 Sep 2016

19:00-20:15, doors open 18:15 for a complimentary glass of Glenmorangie Original, courtesy of our partner.

Cost: £6, £5 Members and Concessions. Call 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/Scotland, age 18+.

Join musician John Kenny, alongside silversmith John Creed and curator Dr Fraser Hunter as they discuss the Carnyx. Discover how this animal-headed Celtic horn was discovered, forgotten and eventually reconstructed in an event that is part recital, part lecture and part detective story.

Supported by The Glenmorangie Company.

Museum Socials: The Duke of Hamilton's Lost Palace

Fri 16 Sep 2016

10:30-12:00

Free, call 0300 123 6789 to book your place

Visit our new Art of Living gallery on level 5 to discover objects from Duke of Hamilton's 'lost palace'. One of our series of monthly relaxed and informal sessions offering anyone living with Dementia, along with their relatives, friends and supporters, an opportunity to explore a different part of the museum each month with our learning staff. Sessions are free and include a cup of tea.

Make it at the Museum: Animal Automatons

18 Sep 2016

13:00-16:00

Learning Centre, Level 1

Cost: £20/£15. Call 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/scotland, age 16+

A new series of hands-on workshops just for adults. Our makers will take you through step by step instructions to make your own kinetic sculpture. All material and tools supplied. No experience necessary.

Architects' Conversations: John McAslan in conversation with Pedro de la Rocha

21 Sep 2016

18:45-18:00 (doors open 18:00, this event includes a drinks reception from 18:00)

Auditorium, Level 1. Entry via Lothian Street.

Cost: £6/£5. Call 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/scotland, age 18+

Join John McAslan RSA and Brazilian architect Pedro de la Rocha as they discuss architecture's relationship with engineering, art and technique. This event is part of the Architects' Conversations series, leading Scottish architects in conversation with their peers, discussing their own practice, themes and inspirations

Architects' Conversations is part of the Festival of Architecture 2016, which will celebrate Scotland's fantastic built environment, as a key part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrations. #IAD2016

Neu! Reekie! Celts

23 Sep 2016

19:30-22:30

Cost: £18/£20. Call 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/neureekie, age 18+

Charlotte Church will headline an evening of Celtic-influenced music, poetry, film, animation, drama and dance at the National Museum of Scotland. Devised by 'Scotland's favourite avant-garde noisemakers' Neu! Reekie! with much loved poet Liz Lochhead and Scots indie popsters Ette, this unmissable one-off event will bring the Museum's much acclaimed Celts exhibition to a close.

Doors Open Day at the National Museums Collection Centre

24-25 Sep 2016

National Museums Collection Centre, 242 West Granton Road, Granton

Free

For times and booking details visit www.nms.ac.uk/doorsopenday

Go behind the scenes on a tour of our state-of-the-art collections research centre for Scottish History and Archaeology and Natural Sciences at Granton, Edinburgh. On this guided tour you'll visit the new research facility for our Natural Sciences collection, home to over 10 million specimens, and learn about how we care for our internationally important collections.

Part of Edinburgh Doors Open Day, organised by The Cockburn Association.

Daily tours

Join one of our free daily tours and spend an hour exploring some of the highlights of the National Museum of Scotland.

Themed Tours

Daily at 15:00 (1 hr), free.

Venue: Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0

Free

Our free guided themed tours at National Museum of Scotland explore everything from Scotland's history to the supernatural.

Discover the National Museum

Daily at 11:00 (1 hr)

Venue: Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0

Free

From stunning Victorian architecture to the Lewis Chessmen, this tour will give you a flavour of all the National Museum of Scotland has to offer.

Scottish Galleries Highlights Tour

Daily at 13:00 (1 hr)

Free

Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0

Follow the story of Scotland through fascinating objects on this highlights tour.

National Museum of Flight

East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF

Kite Festival

3-4 Sep 2016

10:00-17:00

Free with museum admission

Join us for a spectacular celebration of kites at the National Museum of Flight. Discover a multitude of inflatable kite creatures, stunt kites and kites from all over the world.

The Wheels and Wings Show

25 Sep 2016

10:00-17:00

Cost: Adult £14/£12, child £9, family (2 adults , 2 children) £37. National Museums Scotland members and children under 5 go free.

Join us for this ever-popular event at the National Museum of Flight featuring cars, vintage vehicles and diggers. Watch stunt shows, have a go on a Segway or a mountain bike track and find out about flight of a different kind with our bird of prey show. There's also the opportunity to discover the stories behind one of Europe's best collections of aircraft in our New Hangars

National Museum of Rural Life

Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride G76 9HR

Farm matters

30 Mar-31 Dec 2016

10:00 onwards

Free with museum admission

Discover the everyday activities on the Wester Kittochside farm at National Museum of Rural Life and join us for seasonal agricultural demonstrations with the animals and crops.

Country Fair

Sun 4 Sep 2016

10:00-17:00

Cost: £10/ £9, child £6, family (2 adults, 2 children) £27. National Museums Scotland members and children under 5 go free. For more details and to book, please call 0300 123 6789.

Join us for a celebration of all things rural. Get up close to farmyard favourites in the Dog and Duck Show, test your skills on a real digger and experience a variety of country crafts and skills.

Museum addresses:
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian EH39 5LF
National Museum of Rural Life, Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR

For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789/www.nms.ac.uk

For images or any further information please contact the press office on 0131 247 4391 or email media@nms.ac.uk