What's on at East Lothian Museums
Happy New Year from all our museums. We are very excited about our programme of exhibitions and events. In Dunbar we have secured funding from Museums Galleries Scotland for a project around John Muir’s Writings which will include the display of three first edition books by John Muir in the permanent exhibition at John Muir’s Birthplace, a temporary exhibition and writing competition for East Lothian Secondary Schools. Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery will be hosting the Bodies of Evidence exhibition from Durham University about the Scottish Soldiers who were marched to Durham after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. Staff coordinating exhibitions at John Gray Centre are currently working on a top-secret idea. We hope to bring you good news about this shortly!
All our museums have FREE ADMISSION and lots of drop-in crafts and activities that are perfect if you are looking for something to do at the weekend. See www.eastlothian.gov.uk/museums for details.
Regular Activities
Fun & Crafty Drop-in Activities in January
Join us for fun drop-in crafts from Friday lunchtime to Sunday! Suggested donation £1 per craft. Follow us on Facebook at East Lothian Council Museums Service, John Muir’s Birthplace or John Gray Centre to find out more.
Good Memories Café Friday 25 January in the Star Room at John Gray Centre from 2pm till 4pm. A friendly & informal drop-in café for people with dementia and their carers. Join us for tea and cake! The café has a lovely atmosphere and often includes singing, music, crafts and museum objects.
Exhibitions:
FLORA: Saturday 5 January to Saturday 16 February at John Muir’s Birthplace.
In her exhibition of artwork and photography Cathy Bell is concerned with capturing a personal connection with the natural world of "flora". For paintings she has chosen to depict plants. Flowers and trees which mean something to her personally and also for their shape, line and colour. She is not interested in rendering a realistic likeness, however, she does endeavour to capture an image which is true to the essence and spirit of the subject. Her photographs are similar in that they are not created with technical merit in mind. Rather, they are derived from an instinctive connection with the subject, some of the photographs are enhance to heighten the mood, thereby, altering the aesthetic. In all of the work on display she tries to follow John Muir's advice to "keep close to nature's heart".
Up Our Street features some of the shops which were on Dunbar High Street at the time of Frederick George Sanson. Open weekends 2-4pm at Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery courtesy of Dunbar & District History Society.
Street, Shore and Sea… Photography by Frederick George Sanson (1874-1965) is on display until mid March 2019, open weekends 2-4pm at Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery courtesy of Dunbar & District History Society.
Amateur photographer Frederick Sanson capitalised on his hobby to produce postcards of local sights. They were retailed through the family drapery at the height of the Edwardian postcard boom. Our selection is drawn from private collections and East Lothian Council Local History Collections. Hands-on activities for families. 
Can you help us? We have photos of two fishermen that are part of the Sanson Collection, but as yet we have been unable to identify them. Do you recognise a relative? Can you help us solve this mystery?
Raise Your Glass! Celebrating Haddington's Brewing Heritage
Explore the story of the breweries of Haddington and of the people who built, owned and worked in them as well as the malting and distilling that took place in the town. Bottles, barrels, coopering tools and photographs explore the production of beers and ales from the early days of very small-scale production to a thriving and well-developed industry employing many at four major breweries in the town. The essential raw material, high quality barley, was readily available from the farms of East Lothian and well-established markets for ale both locally and further afield made brewing commonplace in the town.
19 January to 23 April. Organised by Brewing Heritage Scotland in partnership with East Lothian Council.
Exciting opportunities to use our exhibition spaces:
John Gray Centre Museum is looking for artists, historians, photographers, community groups, researchers and anyone with a story to tell or a discovery to unveil to apply for exhibition space in the museum from April 2019 to March 2020. To find out more email jgc@eastlothian.gov.uk or phone 01620 820690
Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery is looking for artists, makers, crafters, photographers or anyone with a story to tell in the first floor gallery. To find out more email museumseast@eastlothian.gov.uk or call 01620 820699