Channel Title: National Museums Liverpool Channel Description: National Museums Liverpool is a museums and galleries group comprising eight venues,which are based in Liverpool and Wirral, UK. <video> Conversations | Walker Art Gallery | National Museums Liverpool Description: This ambitious exhibition brings together work by nearly 40 leading Black women and non-binary artists who are transforming contemporary British art today. The exhibition will ask poignant questions about the present and aims to provide a moment of celebration and joy centred around artists working in the UK. Conversations will include paintings, sculpture and video from the last ten years, with many works selected for display by the artist themselves. 19 Oct 2024—9 Mar 2025 Free entry, donations welcome </video> <video> Walkthrough with Jareh Das | Conversations | Walker Art Gallery Description: We invited researcher, writer and curator Jareh Das to have a walkthrough of the 'Conversations' exhibition curated by Sumuyya Khader at the Walker Art Gallery, to hear her thoughts on the selected artists and tell us more about some of their careers. Conversations 19 Oct 2024—9 Mar 2025 Free entry. https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/walker-art-gallery/exhibition/conversations Videographer/editor - Gareth Lang Producer/Director - Ellie Field </video> <video> Studio Visit: Karen McLean | National Museums Liverpool Description: We speak to Karen McLean in her home studio about her new work Stitching Souls: Threads of Silence and how she came to learn about the story of the Zong. Stitching Souls is an installation by British Trinidadian artist Karen McLean (born 1959). It comprises of 132 heads created with authentic African fabrics using traditional quilting techniques. Made in partnership with a community of sewers in the artist’s home city of Birmingham, the work honours and memorialises the enslaved African people who lost their lives in the Zong Massacre (1781). The slaving vessel Zong was financed by a group of Liverpool businessmen. The ship made navigational errors during its voyage from the west coast of Africa to Black River, Jamaica. The crew claimed to be running low on water supplies and threw 133 enslaved African people overboard to reduce demand. Of those, 54 are thought to have been women and children. One person is believed to have survived. Enslaved people were routinely insured at sea as ‘cargo’ and treated as non-human objects. Liverpool merchants attempted to claim compensation for their loss of ‘cargo’. In the case of the Zong, the definition was used to legally justify the murder of 132 enslaved African people. Stitching Souls draws inspiration from the Walker’s collection of merchant portraits. It reflects on the origin of Liverpool’s wealth and its direct link to slavery and the cotton trade. McLean's work emphasises how these atrocities have been silenced throughout British history. Through the act of stitching and sewing, she creates a platform for healing to support dialogue, reflection and recovery.  Karen McLean has undertaken an artist residency at the Walker Art Gallery as part of the 20/20 project. The project was led by University of the Arts London (UAL) Decolonising Arts Institute and supported by funding from Arts Council England, the Freelands Foundation and UAL. To find out more about the 20/20 project please visit https://www.arts.ac.uk/ual-decolonising-arts-institute/projects/2020 https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/walker-art-gallery/exhibition/stitching-souls-threads-of-silence Director/Producer - Ellie Field Videographer/Editor - Paul McMullan Twitter - https://twitter.com/walkergallery Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/walkerartgallery Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/walkerartgallery </video> <video> What artists wear...PJ Smith | Fashion Series | National Museums Liverpool Description: In this episode of What artists wear, we speak to Liverpool writer and poet, PJ "Roy" Smith. PJ shares the clothes that he wears to take walks across Merseyside, to embody his stage persona "Roy", and searching for the clothes of his youth. In this new series of What artists wear, we ask creatives in the North of England to show us three different outfits that they would style for different occasions, and we look at how connected these outfits are to the artist's creative identity. Perhaps they are chosen for comfort and practicality, to blend in or stand out, to show off a handmade design, or to revive the trends of their youth. The reasons are endless and all have meaning. Artist - PJ Smith Producers - Ellie Field and Gina Schwarz Graphic Design - Kieran Wilde Videographer and Editor - A Few Good Things </video> <video> The wonderful world of bees | National Museums Liverpool Description: Bees are incredible creatures - and far more diverse than most people realise. There are more than 270 species of bee in the UK and at least 20,000 different kinds of bees worldwide, which have adapted to live in a huge variety of habitats and conditions. Find out more about the wonderful world of bees with our experts. For more fascinating bee experiences, book to see the exhibition 'Bees: A Story of Survival' at World Museum in Liverpool, which is open until 5 May 2025: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/bees </video> <video> Museum Sessions | Lily Almond at the Maritime Museum Description: Watch exclusive performances in iconic Liverpool spaces. Our latest guest on Museum Sessions is soulful songstress Lily Almond performing in the basement of the Maritime Museum. Season three features Disco in Sochi and Ruby J in Walker Art Gallery, KingFast in Museum of Liverpool, Ex-Easter Island Head in the Martin Luther King Jr Building, Edgar Jones on the Edmund Gardner Pilot Ship and this performance from Lily Almond. Subscribe for all episodes Explore more here https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/museum-sessions 8 Feb Disco in Sochi www.instagram.com/disco.in.sochi/ 14 Mar Ruby J www.instagram.com/rubyjofficial/ 11 Apr Edgar Jones www.instagram.com/edgarsummertimejones/ 9 May Ex-Easter Island Head www.instagram.com/exeih/ 13 June KingFast www.instagram.com/kingfastmusic/ 11 July Lily Almond www.instagram.com/lilyalmond_music/ </video> <video> The Holly Johnson Story | Museum of Liverpool | National Museums Liverpool Description: In the 1980s Britain was changing. Social and political unrest led the way for a cultural revolution, set against a backdrop of synth-pop music and experimental sounds. The ‘80s was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson. The Holly Johnson Story celebrates Holly’s creative genius, and marks the 40th anniversary release of Frankie Goes to Hollywood album, 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome', featuring songs 'Relax', 'Two Tribes' and 'The Power of Love'. This exhibition charts Holly’s early personal life and career, from a young musician to an internationally renowned, openly gay star, living in the public eye. Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV+ diagnosis and unwanted negative press, whilst going it alone as a monumental LGBTQ+ icon. Through polarising emotions of glamour and sexual liberation, alongside fear, loss and stigma, The Holly Johnson Story tells the stories of people who experienced the gay scene in the 1980s, and the devastating impact and legacy of HIV. The Holly Johnson Story has been produced by Homotopia, DuoVision Arts and National Museums Liverpool, in collaboration with Holly Johnson. The Holly Johnson Story 14 Sep 2024 - 27 Jul 2025 Book your tickets liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/hollyjohnson Video by perishfactory. Song: Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, written by Holly Johnson, Mark O'Toole, Peter Gill, produced by Trevor Horn, Source: ZTT Records. Thumbnail photograph: Trevor Leighton courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, London. Twitter - https://x.com/MuseumLiverpool/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/museumofliverpool/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/museumofliverpool/ </video> <video> "Walk up, take a picture of the bottom and then walk off" #contemporaryart #historyofart #venus Description: Meme Gold gets an in-depth tour of the National Treasures: Velázquez in Liverpool from curator Melissa Gustin. Together, they delve into the concept of the gaze and how the perception of nude bodies in art history can be reinterpreted, highlighting remarkable contributions from female and non-binary artists. Watch the full video on our channel </video> <video> Save the bees – but how? | National Museums Liverpool Description: Bees are vital to our survival, but changes to the environment and climate mean their existence is under threat. The good news is that we can all do something to help save the bees. We asked experts from World Museum in Liverpool and from further afield what simple things people can do to help save the bees. Journey into the fascinating world of bees in ways that have never been experienced before in World Museum's immersive exhibition 'Bees: A Story of Survival' until 5 May 2025 - https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/bees </video> <video> Bees: A Story of Survival | National Museums Liverpool Description: Bees: A Story Of Survival is a visually stunning and immersive exhibition that brings together art and science to explore one of nature’s most incredible creatures - the bee. The exhibition is at World Museum in Liverpool until 5 May 2025: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/bees This exhibition is a story of 120 million years of adaptation and survival. Bees have lived on the planet since the time of the dinosaurs. They are vital to our survival, but changes to the environment and climate mean their existence is under threat. Journey into the fascinating world of bees in ways that have never been experienced before. A soundscape connects you to a live beehive, constantly changing in response to the activity of the colony. Discover the wonder of these tiny creatures through interactives, sculpture, projection and light. Bees: A Story of Survival was designed and produced by Wolfgang Buttress Studio and developed in collaboration with National Museums Liverpool. Video by A Few Good Things. This video features the soundscape written specifically for the exhibition Bees: A Story of Survival. Music by Kármán Line Collective. Soundtrack from the album TO BE. </video> <video> Walkthrough with Meme Gold and Melissa Gustin | National Treasures Velázquez in Liverpool Description: Meme Gold gets an in-depth tour of the National Treasures: Velázquez in Liverpool from curator Melissa Gustin. Together, they delve into the concept of the gaze and how the perception of nude bodies in art history can be reinterpreted, highlighting remarkable contributions from female and non-binary artists. London-born and Manchester-based, Meme Gold is a multidisciplinary artist and DJ. Formerly a resident at NTS Radio and SwingTing, she has supported tours for Murkage Dave and Bree Runway, among other accomplishments in her DJ career. Drawing on her West African and Caribbean heritage, Meme Gold embraces a DIY and no-rules philosophy in her work. Dr Melissa Gustin is the curator of British art at the Walker Art Gallery, she specialises in Neoclassicism, Pre-Raphaelites and Sculpture with an interest in women artists and queer and feminist theories. The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) is being loaned as part of the National Treasures programme celebrating the 200th birthday of the National Gallery in London. The programme will see twelve institutions across the UK loaned a different work from the National Gallery. For the duration of the displays, 35 million people - more than half the UK population - will be within an hour’s journey of a National Gallery masterpiece. Videographer/Editor - A Few Good Things Director/Producer - Ellie Field </video> <video> What artists wear...Mickey Callisto | Fashion Series | National Museums Liverpool Description: In this episode, we speak to outgoing singer, Mickey Callisto. He tells us about how what he wears on stage gives him the confidence to give it everything he's got and how the stage is a liberating space. He also talks about the many tracksuits that he owns and how they are the best raving outfit. In this new series of What artists wear, we ask creatives in the North of England to show us three different outfits that they would style for different occasions, and we look at how connected these outfits are to the artist's creative identity. Perhaps they are chosen for comfort and practicality, to blend in or stand out, to show off a self-made design, or to bring inner joy. The reasons are endless and all have meaning. Artist - Mickey Callisto Producers - Ellie Field and Gina Schwarz Graphic Design - Kieran Wilde Videographer and Editor - A Few Good Things </video> <video> Metamorphosis | Johnny Vegas and Emma Rodgers at the Walker Art Gallery | National Museums Liverpool Description: Comedian Johnny Vegas rediscovers his artistic talent in this new collaboration with internationally recognised sculptor Emma Rodgers. Actor and comedian Johnny Vegas has a degree in Art and Ceramics. Three decades after he graduated, he returned to the studio after a chance meeting with local sculptor Emma Rodgers. They have made new work with bronze, clay and 3D printing, shown alongside the historic objects that inspired them. Their display explores the idea of metamorphosis, meaning a mental or physical transformation. A common theme is transformation through flight. In Emma’s work, tragic mythical figure Icarus is transformed through the wings his father made for him. Johnny shows a fragile female figure breaking free from her fears through flight. Emma Rodgers is known world-wide for sculptures that capture the essence of the subject. Among her public commissions in Liverpool, she made the statue of Cilla Black in Matthew Street and created the world’s largest Liver Bird. After training in ceramics, St Helens based Johnny Vegas found that “life got in the way” and art became “an unfinished part of my story”. He recently rediscovered his artistic talent, saying that flight, faith and fear of failure are subjects currently most fluent in his work. </video> <video> Museum Sessions | KingFast at the Museum of Liverpool Description: Watch exclusive performances in iconic Liverpool spaces. Our latest guest on Museum Sessions is genre-hopping singer-songwriter KingFast performing in the The People's Republic gallery at the Museum of Liverpool. Season three features Disco in Sochi and Ruby J in Walker Art Gallery, Lily Almond in Maritime Museum, Ex-Easter Island Head in the Martin Luther King Jr Building, Edgar Jones on the Edmund Gardner Pilot Ship and this performance from KingFast. Subscribe for all episodes Explore more here https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/museumsessions 8 Feb Disco in Sochi www.instagram.com/disco.in.sochi/ 14 Mar Ruby J www.instagram.com/rubyjofficial/ 11 Apr Edgar Jones www.instagram.com/edgarsummertimejones/ 9 May Ex-Easter Island Head www.instagram.com/exeih/ 13 June KingFast www.instagram.com/kingfastmusic/ 11 July Lily Almond www.instagram.com/lilyalmond_music/ </video> <video> Walkthrough with Kathleen Soriano and Jessie Petheram | Another View: Landscapes by Women Artists Description: Kathleen Soriano is given an in depth tour of Another View: Landscapes by Women Artists by the show's co-curator Jessie Petheram. They go into depth on a number of works in the exhibition, learning more about the artists lives as well as questioning what actually qualifies as a landscape. Kathleen Soriano is an independent curator, art historian and broadcaster. With over 35 years' experience in the art world she has been responsible for collections, contemporary and historical exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Royal Academy of Arts, where she was Artistic Director (2009–2014), as well as at Compton Verney Art Gallery, where she was Director (2005–2009). In 2004 she became one of the first cohort of Clore Leadership Fellows. As well as curating many successful exhibitions she has lectured and written extensively and her book Madam and Eve, on women artists, was published in April 2018. Her broadcast activities include the nine series of Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year for Sky Arts. She is Chair of the Liverpool Biennial, specialist advisor to the National Trust and on the Advisory Board of 2 Temple Place, and the visual arts committee of St Paul's Cathedral. Jessie Petheram is Assistant Curator (Art) at West Cheshire Museums. Her current research interests include Georgian regional art networks, early 19th century etching, and landscape photography. Jessie was previously Tomlinson Assistant Curator of Fine Art at National Museums Liverpool, where she was instrumental in the creation of the Walker Art Gallery’s first dedicated prints and drawings gallery. She is co-curator of Another View: Women Landscape Artists (Lady Lever Art Gallery, 2024) and has curated multiple displays of works on paper. </video>

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National Museums Liverpool is a museums and galleries group comprising eight venues,which are based in Liverpool and Wirral, UK.

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