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8 - 17 April
April Holiday Events
10 April, 1-3pm Springtime Fun day. Celebrate spring by planting seeds, making fluffy sheep mobiles and much more!
15 April, 1-3pm Moai Man. Learn more about our new Easter Island Moai, or statue, and take part in linked craft sessions.
17 April, 1-3 Sew Much Fun! Sailors, dare you put the last stitch through a dead sailor's nose? A chance to improve your needlework skills and make a keepsake to take home.
All Free drop-in events.
21 - 27 March
The Marton Moai
Thiis a unique project that combines the talents of fully tattooed Maori artist George Nuku and North East carver David Gross in the making of the Museum's very own Easter Island head or moai. Come along and learn about the story of these mysterious giant statues and see the moai's face emerge from the stone.
The Marton Moai Project is generously supported by
 Eskdale Stone, Whitby, who are providing the piece of stone.
Aislaby sandstone from Eskdale Stone, Whitby (large slab bottom foreground) being chosen to make the Marton Moai by (left-right):Jenny Phillips (Museum Education Officer); John Benson (Estimator, Eskdale Stone) and George Nuku (artist)
Scott Wilson, who are providing the design and specifications for the base.
Teesside Beam Mill, Corus, who are providing the transportation and cranage of the stone.
Cleveland Land Services, who are providing the concrete base.
Cleveland Land Services digging out for the concrete base for the stone, Thursday 6th March.
18 March - 1 June
The Pacific Style of George Nuku
New Zealand Maori George Nuku caused a mini-sensation when he first appeared on the UK museum scene nearly three years ago. It wasn’t just because of his striking full facial and body tattoos but also his refreshing approach to the creation of traditional Maori art using modern man-made materials.
His artwork was first displayed in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology exhibition “Pasifika Styles” (2006-Feb 2008). Working in Norwich, during the Sainsbury Centre’s major exhibition “Pacific Encounters”, George came to the attention of the Birthplace Museum and in 2006 visited Middlesbrough for the first time. With visitors and, in particular, the children of Billingham Kids’ Club and their Maori singing group “Aheuri!”, he carved a magnificent Maori meeting house from polystyrene (later to be displayed in London at the British Museum during the exhibition “Power and Taboo”) and taught Maori culture and the famous Haka.
Now George is staging his first solo exhibition in the UK in which he will be showing the whole range of his artwork, from large impressive pieces of carved acrylic and polystyrene, traditional Maori weapons, feather and treasure boxes, to intricate pieces of personal adornment and jewellery, including the only Maori ‘Hei Tiki’ neck ornament made of Whitby jet.
17 June 2008 - January 2009
The Many Faces of Captain Cook
Discover the original portraits of Captain Cook and how they have been used past and present.
March – October
Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm
November – February
Tues-Sun 9am-4pm
(last admission to main displays 45 minutes before closing)
Closed:
Mondays,
24-26 December, 1 January
and first full week
of January for annual maintenance.
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Children must be accompanied by an adult. We regret that we do not have the capacity to accommodate organised groups. Further information contact: 01642 311211.
Moai in the British Museum, London
These mysterious giant statues were seen by Cook and his crew when they visited Easter Island briefly in March 1774. They are described in the journals of the voyage and were painted by the official artist on the ship HMS Resolution, William Hodges.
Easter Island is now part of Chile, South America, and is one of the most remote places on Earth. It was first inhabited by Polynesian people hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years ago. There must have been a very large population to make such a number of stones from the hard volcanic rock using only stone and wooden tools.
Modern archaeological investigations have revealed that there are over eight hundred of these statues, in various stages of completion, scattered across the Island. Some are massive, the largest, called ‘El Gigante’, is 20 metres long and weighs about 270 tons. The largest standing statues are about 10 metres high.
The Marton Moai will be nearly 3 metres high and weigh about 4 tons when finished.
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME
6-7 March Digging of foundation base by Cleveland Land Services.
11 March Pouring of concrete base by Cleveland Land Services in association with Scott Wilson.
19 March (am) Collection of stone from Eskdale Stone and transportation by Corus to the Museum. Put in place and grouted in by Cleveland Land Services in association with Scott Wilson.
21 or 22 March Work starts on the carving of the Moai by George Nuku and David Gross.
21-28 March Public carving and performance - See the Face emerge from the Stone!
28 March Unveiling.
George Nuku, Tattoed Maori artist. Photograph by Kerry Brown.
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