KIRKLEATHAM Museum will host the acclaimed 'The Lost Words' exhibition, organised by Compton Verney and on tour from the Compton Verney Art Gallery.
The exhibition has been highly praised for helping reconnect adults and children with the natural world.
It will run from Friday 12 November through to March next year, displaying 'spell-poems' written by Robert Macfarlane and paintings by Jackie Morris from The Lost Words book, published by Hamish Hamilton in 2017.
The book itself has become, in the words of The Guardian, a 'cultural phenomenon', credited with inspiring the nation to look afresh at the wonders of nature.
Each of Macfarlane's poetic spells are based on a word from nature, chosen for its increasing loss of presence in modern, everyday language, such as 'conker', 'dandelion' and 'wren'. Alongside the poems, Jackie Morris's watercolours will be displayed, some of which incorporate gold leaf, making the familiar suddenly appear magical.
On display alongside pieces from the touring exhibition will be work completed by the former pupils of Riverdale Primary School, Redcar. In their final week at primary school, Year 6 children worked with two local artists and a writer to create their own installation, inspired by The Lost Words books.
The Lost Words experience will continue beyond the main exhibition, with a 'Wizarding Way' trail around the museum galleries and an outdoor trail across the grounds. The museum is also planning a number of walks and talks in relation to the exhibition.
Katie Brown, Collections Manager at Kirkleatham Museum, commented: “The Lost Words really is a fantastic exhibition that inspires visitors to stop and think about how magical nature is in today's world."
Councillor Louise Westbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Culture, said:
“We're very much looking forward to welcoming this exhibition to the museum. Lockdown saw many people and families in our area reconnecting with nature and the outdoors on their daily exercise together; these pieces seem an apt and timely reflection of that. The programming of the exhibition is also a wonderful link with this year's opening of the Walled Garden and the museum being reflective of the wider Kirkleatham Estate."
You can visit The Lost Words exhibition from November 12th. Opening times are Tuesday - Sunday from 10am, with the last admission at 4pm. Admissions are free.