What's On @ Otago Museum | Week of 16 December 2019

Museum of Broken Relationships
Opening Saturday 21 December
 

Otago Museum is extremely excited to announce that from this Saturday, our newest exhibition the Museum of Broken Relationships will be open to the public! The exhibition contains a collection of locally and internationally sourced mementos of people’s intimate history featuring objects and telling stories of Dunedin heartache.

At 11.30am on Saturday we have the Museum of Broken Relationships Artist Talk, an exclusive free public talk (and tour) with the creators of the Museum of Broken Relationships. Croatian artists Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić will discuss their journey throughout the project while sharing staggering stories by contributors.

Welcome to Otago Museum's Summer Reads.

 

For your summer reading, we will be sharing some of our favourite articles from the Otago Museum Blog. They're the perfect accompaniment to a day lazing on the beach or with a glass of wine on the deck – and just as good if you're still at your desk this summer!

Wishing you a restful, merry Christmas,
The Otago Museum Team xx

Ara-moa – A Hidden Pathway of Lost Taoka
Starting with our story of the year, the discovery of moa footprints in the Kyeburn River was a highlight for everyone at Otago Museum. This blog is the story of how the find took place, before the extraction of the prints from the river. For everyone in the team here, it was enormously exciting to be involved in the process.
A World with No Parasites – Sustainable or Not?
If the gift of hundreds of parasitic worms wouldn't excite you this Christmas, you are not one of Otago Museum’s Natural Science team! In celebration of just such an acquisition earlier this year, Anusha Beer wrote a story about how essential parasites are to daily life. If you find the idea of teeny worms a little (or a lot) disgusting, you will still find this is a fascinating piece that sheds a light on a part of the world that most of us never think about.

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Moa Imaginarium Competition
 

What was the moa doing, thinking, feeling, where was it going, and why? Let your imagination run wild and capture your ideas in a picture, poem, or short story, and then upload your entry from December 20.
 

The competition is open to all children aged 5 – 12 who live in the Otago region. Competition entries will be displayed at the Museum and on our website, and the best entries will win some moa-sized Museum prize packs! Enter here!

WHAT'S ON @ OTAGO MUSEUM

Free DIY Keep Cup Workshop


Join us for a FREE DIY Keep Cup Workshop! Using jars and recycled materials provided, make your own Keep Cup. Personalise your DIY Keep Cup with your own style and gift tag using the materials we have available.⁠

10.30am, Tuesday 17 December
Atrium Level 1

Free

Museum of Broken Relationships 
Artist Talk

The masterminds behind this award-winning exhibition discuss their journey and the staggering stories shared by contributors.

11.30am, Saturday 21 December
Barclay Theatre
Free
More information here

Elves' Workshop and Makerspace


Join our merry elves in their workshop on Atrium Level 1 and make some festive decorations for your home or your Christmas tree.
These self-guided, family-friendly activities are a great way to spend an hour (or three!).

All day, Saturday 14 December – Friday 20 December
Atrium Level 1
Free
More information here

Fantastic Fire
Science Demonstration

We harness fire in many ways – fireworks, bonfires, and BBQs! It’s hot, it’s bright and it’s beautiful. But what exactly is it? Is it a solid, a liquid, a gas, or is it something else entirely?

11.30am and 3.30pm, Saturday 14 December – Sunday 26 January
Included with your Tūhura Science Centre admission
More information here

Christmas Mysteries
Planetarium Show


What could the science of astronomy tell us about the Star of Bethlehem? Where did the Mars lander disappear to on Christmas Day? And just how does Santa manage to reach all those good children in one night?

1.30pm daily + 3.30pm weekends
Perpetual Guardian Planetarium
Child $7, Adults $12
Book tickets here