Gallery Activities
Special Events
Ashmolean
We have a range of special events this spring.
PLEASE NOTE: BOOKING OPENS MON 17 JUNE for July events
Ashmolean LiveFridays
On the last Friday of each month, the Museum will open its doors from 7.00–10.30 pm. Interactive events, creative workshops and lively talks will be on offer, with drinks and tapas in the rooftop Dining Room and a bar in the vaulted Café. Visit ashmolean.org/livefriday to read about this month's event.
MAY
Why Philosophy Matters
Why Hume Matters
Tuesday 21 May, 10am-4.30pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
This day-long conference will explore aspects of David Hume's thoughts and writing, from ethics and religion to epistemology and metaphysics. Speakers include Jaqueline Taylor, San Francisco University and Elijah Millgram, University of Utah.
In partnership with the Royal Institute of Philosophers, Oxford Brookes, free, no booking required but places limited, evening entry via St Giles's.
LiveFriday
Wilderness in the City
Friday 31 May, 7-10.30pm
The award-winning Wilderness Festiwal will be stepping out of the wilds to create an enchanting evening of musical performances, theatrical spectacles, literary symposiums, workshops, magic and games at the Ashmolean. With ancient arts inspired by nature and love of adventure central to Wilderness' ethos, this will be an unforgettable journey through the arts in one of the oldest museums in the world. Immense yourself in the barefoot freedom of Wilderness in the heart of Oxford. Entry is free but some events will be ticketed. For more information and booking visit: www.ashmolean.org/LiveFriday
JUNE
Master Drawings Exhibition Lecture
The Invention of Drawing
With Dr Jon Whiteley, Exhibition Curator
Saturday 1st June, 11am-12pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
In the 15th century the art of drawing became the foundation of all other arts. The uses of drawing in this period explain much about the momentous changes that we associate with painting in Renaissance Italy. This lecture will describe the new approach to drawing and how it has affected the practice of painting from then until the present day. Bbooking essential. Click here to book online now.
OSJ Proms
Wednesday 5 June
Holst
St Pauls Suite, Op. 29 No. 2
Brook Green Suite: conducted by Martin Smith
Warlock
Capriol Suite
Quilter
Songs arranged by John Lubbock
Britten
Simple Symphony Op. 4
Doors Open: 7pm; Concert Starts: 7.30pm; Museum Closes: 9pm
Tickets £25 chair, £10 cushion, Season ticket £125
T 0845 680 1926 www.osj.org.uk
Performance
Gilgamesh Rising
Sat 8 Jun, 3–3.30pm & 4.30–5pm
An OxFringe Event with the Proverbial Theatre Company
Experience a funny and moving dramatisation of the epic Gilgamesh, narrated by the ordinary people of Mesopotamia and the eponymous hero himself. Ashmolean Atrium. Free, no booking required.
Stradivarius Exhibition Concert
The Dawn of the Stradivarius - with James Ehnes
Friday 14 June 2013, 7.30pm, Sheldonian Theatre
To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, Canadian virtuoso and Stradivarius player James Ehnes will perform unaccompanied music by Bach and Paganini on a number of Stradivarius violins- the first time one player has ever had the opportunity to do so in a concert setting. He will also discuss the unique qualities of Stradivarius violins and the sound the produce. Of playing a Stradivarius violin James Ehnes says: “Performing on a Stradivarius is a dream come true for a string player. The beauty of tone, range of dynamics, and possibilities for tonal nuance one finds in a great Stradivarius is unsurpassed, and the inspiration one receives from working day-in and day-out with one of these marvelous instruments cannot be overstated”. Tickets £5–£42. Click here to book online now or phone 01865 244806.
Ashmolean Director’s Lecture Series
Dr Genevieve Warwick: Bernini: Art and Theatre
Saturday 15 June 2013, 11am–12pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
The Ashmolean Director’s Lectures programme brings you a line-up of speakers who are leading experts in art, history and cultural studies. Dr Genevieve Warwick will speak on the beauty and brilliance of Bernini. Booking essential. Click here to book online now.
Poetry
Poetry in the Galleries
Sat 15 Jun: 12.30–1.30pm & 2.30–3.30pm
Oxfordshire poets share new work, written in response to the Ashmolean’s collections. Gallery 21. Free, no booking required.
Sunday Lunchtime Concerts
A Step Back in Time
Sunday 16 June, 12-1pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
Be entertained with the costumes, words and music of 18th-century Oxford. With presenter Tim Healey and Arne Richards on harpsichord. £6/£5 booking essential. Click here to book online now
Why Art Matters
In Conversation: Cornelia Parker and Iwona Blazwick
Friday 21 June, 2-3.30pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
Iwona Blazwick, Director of the Whitechapel Gallery and author of a new monograph talks to Cornelia Parker about her work as a sculptor and installation artist. They will discuss Parker's career from her early small-scale sculptures to the huge installations for which she is well-known. In partnership with 'artisjustaword' £15/£12, booking essential. Click here to book online now
Stradivarius Exhibition Lecture
Playing a Strad - Copying Stradivarius - with Prof Sir Curtis Price
Saturday 22 June, 11am, Headley Lecture Theatre
Prof Sir Curtis Price explores the importance of Stradivari’s instruments to the artists who play them. Why are they considered superior, and what is it like to play one? The second part considers the practice of copying Stradivari’s work, both as a way of learning the art of violin making and, on the other side of a very thin line, intending to deceive. Tickets £4/£3, booking essential. Click here to book online now.
LiveFriday
Come Draw with Me!
Friday 28 June, 7-10.30pm
During the "Master Drawings" exhibition, for one night only the galleries at the Ashmolean will become drawing studios filled with artists ready to help you start drawing or develop your skills. Workshops and demonstrations will give you the opportunity to take up drawing or perfect a technique. With some of the greatest names in the history of art on the walls in the museum, this is the opportunity to learn from Old Masters and contemporary artists. Entry is free but some events will be ticketed. For more information and booking visit: www.ashmolean.org/LiveFriday
Stradivarius Exhibition Lecture
The Secrets of Stradivarius - with Dr Jon Whiteley
Saturday 29 June, 11am, Headley Lecture Theatre
What makes the violins of Stradivarius better than any other, and why have they stood the test of time? This lecture will cast a light on the mysteries surrounding his instruments. Tickets £4/£3, booking essential. Click here to book online now.
JULY
OSJ Proms
Tuesday 2 July
Brahms
4 Songs for female voices, 2 horns and harp, Op. 17
Schubert
Auf dem Strom, D. 943 – Orchestrated by John Lubbock
Brahms
12 Songs for femal voices, Op. 44
Brahms
Serenade No. 2 Op. 16
Doors Open: 7pm; Concert Starts: 7.30pm; Museum Closes: 9pm
Tickets £25 chair, £10 cushion, Season ticket £125
T 0845 680 1926 www.osj.org.uk
Stradivarius Exhibition Lecture
Making a Violin - with Bruno Guastalla, Oxford Violins
Saturday 6 July, 11am, Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum.
Please telephone 01865 278015 to book.
Stradivarius Exhibition Lecture
Lecture by Tony Faber
Sunday 14 July 2013, 11am, Headley Lecture Theatre
This lecture will explore the mystery of Stradivari's inimitability by following several of his instruments from his workshop in Cremona to the present day. Toby Faber's book on the subject, Stradivarius, was described in the New York Times as 'more enthralling, earthy and illuminating than any fiction could be.’ The lecture will be accompanied by solo violinist Thomas Bowes, founding leader of the Maggini Quartet. Please telephone 01865 278015 to book tickets.