Exciting things have been happening at the Museum over the winter as we prepare to welcome visitors from 15th February. The opening weekend will be a big milestone for us as we present three new material culture exhibitions as well as live music from Falle Nioke and children’s craft activities.

After years of hard work, research, engagement and community-led curation we are excited to unveil the newly interpreted Eastern African collections as they’ve never been seen before. Visit Gallery 2 to learn about cultural heritage materials from South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, including jewellery, clothing and musical instruments. Exploring themes such as adornment and ceremony, the new display provides an insight into the lives and traditions of people and communities from which items came. This project was funded by a National Lottery project grant administered by Arts Council England. Further research to support this project was funded by Art Fund and Museum Development South East.

The Ethiopian collections have also been redisplayed, led by an internship programme to research the art, religion and diverse cultures of the country. This new exhibition will be the first phase of works to learn more about this collection and the people and communities who crafted and used the collections.

There will be beautiful religious artefacts on display giving visitors the opportunity to learn about the ceremony, artistry and historic significance of the Orthodox religion in the country. There is still more work to be done on researching the Ethiopian collection and we welcome anyone with cultural connections to the country to share their insights with us.

We are well-known for our natural history dioramas. Now visitors can learn more with refreshed interpretation which not only tells the story of the animals and their habitats but also about those who collected, created and researched them over the years. Learn about the life of an elephant, satisfy your curiosity about how taxidermy is created and find out about the specialists who made Percy’s expeditions possible.

Visit us Friday to Sunday and on bank holidays from 15th February – 31st October.