FREE FAMILY WEEKEND EVENT
Sat 13 July & Sun 14 July 2024, 11am–4pm
FREE drop-in activities for all ages
Join our Festival of Art & Archaeology weekend event for all the family to take part in a range of exciting, free activities and tours across the Museum and its galleries.
Drop in to enjoy a huge variety of medieval arts and crafts, demonstrations, music and storytelling. You'll be able to make your own medieval diptych and crowns, meet archaeologists and get to explore objects in the Museum and behind the scenes.
This year's festival explores 'The Medieval World of the Wilton Diptych'. The 14th-century Wilton Diptych made for King Richard II is on show at the Museum this summer as part of the National Treasures touring exhibition.
For Museum access information, please see our Access page. Please note that the Family Lunch Room, downstairs in the Learning Studio, will only be open on Sat 13 Jul.
Medieval Music and Stories: 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm, Atrium
Listen to medieval music and stories in the Atrium.
Sketch!: 11am-4pm, Gallery 21
Unleash your inner artist and sketch our statues in Gallery 21.
Islamic Calligraphy Craft: 11am-4pm, Gallery 31
Create a beautiful Islamic Calligraphy inspired craft to take home.
Medieval Crafts: 11am-4pm, Learning Studio
Create a medieval tile and reimagine the past as a phone case based on our collections and the Wilton Diptych. Make a beautiful piece of art to take away with you!
Shapes and Colours & Story Time: 11am-4pm, Gallery 62. Story times: 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
Explore the shapes and colours of the Modern Art Gallery and listen to the story of 'Matisse’s Garden'.
FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY – SUN 14 JUL
Opening Lecture 'All That Glitters: The Archaeology of Later Medieval Jewellery and Devotional Objects':11am-12pm, Headley Lecture Theatre
With Eleanor Standley Associate Professor of Later Medieval Archaeology in the School of Archaeology and Curator of Medieval Archaeology in the Ashmolean Museum.
Medieval Music and Stories: 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, Atrium
Listen to medieval music and stories in the Atrium with Dave Tong the Yarnsmith of Norwich and Trevor James, historical music performer.
Make a Medieval Ring: 11am-4pm, Gallery 21
Become a medieval jeweller and make your own medieval-style ring using wire.
Medieval Amusements: 11am-4pm, Gallery 31
Have fun playing medieval board games such as Nine Men’s Morris.
Medieval Messages: 11am-4pm, Learning Studio
Write your own medieval message and keep it secret with a medieval-style wax seal. Families can make a quill pencil, write a secret message, 'lock' the letter and seal it closed with wax.
Medieval Crafts: 11am-4pm, Learning Studio
Decorate an illuminated letter inspired by those found in medieval manuscripts embellished with gold
Making a Diptych and Medieval Book Binding Demonstration: 11am-4pm, Gallery 35
Join a demonstration of how the wooden boards would be prepared for a diptych, and discover the types of tools used to prepare diptychs for painting and gilding.
Also enjoy a demonstration of medieval bookbinding where similar painting and gilding techniques were used to diptych decoration.
Families can have a go at gilding on card and making a mini diptych to colour in.
Making a Medieval Crown: 11am-4pm, Gallery 41
Make your own medieval crown like those worn by King Richard II and the royal saints depicted in the Wilton Diptych. We will have three medieval-style crown designs to make, decorate and wear.
Our weekend festival is in partnership with Oxford Festival of Arts, which runs from April–July.
The event is also part of the UK's annual Festival of Archaeology with UK events running from 13–28 July 2024. Find out more about other national events on the CBA's Festival of Archaeology website
