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Exhibitions at Merseyside Maritime Museum
Hello Sailor! Gay life on the ocean wave16 May 2009 - 23 August 2009This small exhibition takes a light hearted, sensitive look at life on board passenger and merchant ships at a time when homosexuality was illegal, and for gay men there were few places to be safe. Personal stories and mementoes give a glimpse of what life was like for gay men at sea. Find out more about: 'Hello Sailor! Gay life on the ocean wave' |
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100 heads thinking as one22 September 2007 - 28 October 2007Merseyside Maritime Museum hosted ten of the 100 mixed-media portraits that Liverpool artist Anthony Brown has displayed across the city throughout 2007. Brown’s work is a tribute to the many talented people the city has produced from musicians to writers, lawyers to artists. Employing a collage technique, he uses personal information on the subject such as birth and school certificates, family photographs and related news articles to form each image. The display at the Maritime Museum included portraits of Sara Wilde, Joe Ankrah, Wai McWatt, Tom Simpson, Alan Bleasdale, Angela Heslop and Sue Wiliams as well as previously un-seen portraits of George Melly, Gareth Abbott and Bill Citrine. |
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La Bouche du Roi4 August 2007 - 2 September 2007A contemporary art installation by the Benin artist Romuald Hazoumé exploring issues of slavery. The artwork, made from jerry cans designed as masks, mirrors the plan of the slave ship the Brookes and is accompanied by sound effects and audio-visual commentary. The display of La Bouche du Roi coincides with the opening of the International Slavery Museum in August 2007 and a series of events planned around the city's annual Slavery Remembrance Festival. |
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Magical History Tour28 July 2007 - 27 September 2009This major exhibition took visitors on a journey of discovery through 800 years of Liverpool history. The displays told the story of the city's changing fortunes, from medieval 'Lyverpoole' to 21st century 'Livercool', the European Capital of Culture. |
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Slavery and Abolition archive display16 March 2007 - 30 April 200725 March 2007 marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. To commemorates this bicentenary, the Maritime Archives and Library held a small display from their collections, including items relating to the trade, those who profited and suffered due to it, and its eventual abolition. Highlights included letters to and from leading figures in the campaign against the slave trade, including William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, as well as pamphlets and engravings produced as part of the campaign. |
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Ghanian racing surf boat8 March 2007 - 17 August 2007This half size surf boat was built for use in the celebrations marking Ghana’s independence from colonial rule in 1957. Ghana was formed from the former colonies of the Gold Coast and Togoland and became the first African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence. The boat, which was raced by a crew representing Liverpool’s Elder Dempster Shipping Line in the 1957 celebrations, was on display in the entrance of the Maritime Museum to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghanaian independence. |
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Display of Freedom! sculpture26 February 2007 - 18 March 2007The Merseyside Maritime Museum was the first venue to display this original sculpture, representing the continuing struggle for freedom and human rights in Haiti. The Freedom! sculpture, made out of recycled objects found in the dangerous slums of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was created by young Haitians and sculptors Eugène, Céleur and Guyodo from Atis Rezistans in collaboration with internationally renowned Haitian artist Mario Benjamin. It was commissioned by international development charity Christian Aid and National Museums Liverpool to mark 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. |
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Display of proposed developments at Mann Island22 November 2006 - 21 December 2006A small display, organised by Liverpool Vision, about proposed developments around the Mann Island area of Liverpool's waterfront, with information on the new Museum of Liverpool and the British Waterways canal project The display included a model of the new proposals and an audio visual presentaion with images of the new buildings together with a flythrough of the Museum of Liverpool. |
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Hello Sailor! Gay life on the ocean wave25 August 2006 - 25 March 2007This small exhibition took a light hearted, sensitive look at life on board passenger and merchant ships at a time when homosexuality was illegal, and for gay men there were few places to be safe. Personal stories and mementoes gave a glimpse of what life was like for gay men at sea. Originally shown at the Merseyside Maritime Museum, this exhibition has since been on tour around the country. Tour details are on the exhibition homepage. Find out more about: 'Hello Sailor! Gay life on the ocean wave' |
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Shipwrecked - can you escape the island?15 July 2006 - 20 May 2007Imagine you have been shipwrecked on a desert island! How would you survive and how would you escape? This imaginative interactive exhibition gave young visitors and their families the chance to find out for themselves the survival techniques, boat building and navigation skills needed to escape. There are still fun activities to try and a photo tour of the exhibition on the Shipwrecked website. Find out more about: 'Shipwrecked - can you escape the island? ' |
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Dancing Not Football1 June 2006 - 3 September 2006Liverpool’s famous dance halls are depicted in banners for this colourful community exhibition. The Grafton and The Liverpool Olympia have witnessed many eras of dance over the years. The flappers of the 1920s, the mop-tops of the 1960s and the punks of the late 1970s to early 1980s are some of the periods explored in the display. The banners – created by local youth and community groups - explore the cultural roots of families living around the Grafton and the Liverpool Olympia. They highlight a love of dancing as a link between four generations of residents, proving that present-day Grafton regulars are repeating history without realising it. Dancing Not Football is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The community groups involved in this project are Vernon Sangster Community Centre, L6 Community Centre Streets Project, Edge Hill Youth Club, Central Youth Centre. |
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Dare to Dream8 April 2006 - 21 May 2006This independent 'poem art' exhibition, organised by Liverpool Front House, features the work of 14 artists, all past and present staff of National Museums Liverpool. Each piece has been made in response to a poem, as part of Liverpool's prestigious 2006 Poetry in the City festival. Liverpool Front House is a community based arts project that promotes the creative talents of Liverpool city centre's working community. To millions of visitors these people are the 'face of a city'. Dare to Dream will be touring to cities twinned with Liverpool - Shanghai, Dublin and Cologne - before returning in 2008 with images and critique from the tour. |
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Age of Nelson30 September 2005 - 13 January 2006The Maritime Archives and Library at Merseyside Maritime Museum is commemorating the life and death of Admiral Lord Nelson with a display of archive material from his time, an important age for Liverpool's and Britain's maritime history. The display includes items that relate to Nelson himself and to his famous vessel HMS Victory, such as a paper and cloth cut out figure of the naval hero from c1800. |
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100% Cotton24 September 2005 - 4 June 2006From t-shirts to jeans, to fluffy towels and the sheets we sleep on, cotton is something we take for granted. But have you ever thought about where cotton comes from? That it's not just a plant but a commodity traded around the globe? Liverpool is a city built on cotton and the industry shaped the North West. This exhibition explores how cotton has been grown, used and traded and why a plant from the tropics has played such a significant role in local history. As part of exhibition we have linked with the Jeans for Genes Campaign and will be displaying denim jackets and T-shirts signed by Jeans for Genes’ celebrity supporters. Visit www.jeansforgenes.com for more information. |
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The sinking of MV Derbyshire9 September 2005 - 31 December 2007A display and online feature to mark the 25th anniversary of the sinking of MV Derbyshire, the biggest British registered merchant ship ever to have been lost at sea. |
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Archive photographs of CSS Alabama2 September 2005 - 29 September 2005A display of newly-acquired rare archive photographs taken on board the blockade-runner CSS Alabama in August 1863. |
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Time is running out for elephants22 June 2005 - 25 May 2006Merseyside Maritime Museum and IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, present a special display to highlight the effects of the illegal trade in ivory on the survival of the world's elephants. The centrepiece of the display is a large hourglass filled with crushed ivory; a symbolic reminder that time is running out for elephants. |
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Cruel Sea18 February 2005 - 1 May 2005Cruel Sea is a national touring exhibition from Age Exchange, based on 18-months of reminiscence interviews with veterans from around the country. It commemorates the experiences of Merchant Navy seamen and their comrades who were lost at sea through enemy action. It is illustrated by 3D time-slice portraits, film and sound from award-winning artist, Tim Macmillan. The exhibition is unusual in that its focus is first hand reminiscence of the war at sea and not historical fact. You can learn more here http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/cruelsea [opens new window] |
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Liverpool to New York: The Only Way to Cross28 January 2005 - 14 August 2005A major exhibition celebrating more than 100 years of transatlantic travel and exploring the experiences of passengers and crew. The exhibition that will take visitors away on a journey from Liverpool to New York, discovering life above and below deck on cruise liners that sailed from the 1900s to the present day. The vast scale of ships, the frenzied preparations before setting sail and the wide range of passengers are all brought to life through striking images, artefacts, personal stories and original film footage. Find out more about: 'Liverpool to New York: The Only Way to Cross' |
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Maritime Records for Family Historians1 October 2004 - 31 December 2004Seafaring ancestors can be difficult people to trace since they were often away at sea for long periods. This exhibition includes examples of some of the types of record that can be used when tracing ancestors who worked in the merchant navy. For more information please visit the Maritime Archives and Library searchroom or see our web site. This temporary display is located outside Maritime Archives and Library at the museum. It is part of the Archive Awareness Campaign 2004. More details can be found at http://www.aamsept2003.com/ [opens new window] Find out more about: 'Maritime Records for Family Historians' |
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The Triangle18 September 2004 - 28 November 2004The Maritime Museum hosts one third of this Albert Dock installation. A 50ft floating jigsaw puzzle comprised of 16 unattached pieces is heard plays sounds of random percussion. It is complemented by a sugar sculpture of a black Liverpool personality outside of the venue. |
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Liverpool: World Heritage City5 September 2004 - 30 November 2004A photographic spotlight on Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront. From the grandeur of the Liver Building to the ornate detail on a lamp, evidence of Liverpool's maritime and mercantile history is here to admire. All images are supplied by English Heritage. Right: Image of 'The Three Graces' © English Heritage. NMR. |
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Spirit of the Blitz10 July 2003 - 5 December 2004This major exhibition commemorated a powerful and important subject by recounting the experiences of those who lived and worked through the Second World War in Liverpool, in particular the Blitz bombing of May 1941. The profound effects that the war had on the community of Liverpool will be examined through the personal accounts of people who were there - a disappearing generation. To accompany the exhibition the nearby Museum of Liverpool Life featured a wartime garden and the Piermasters House will be converted into a 1940s house. There will also be a display of wartime vehicles in the Great Western Railway building. |
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Blue Funnel to China6 July 2003 - 31 July 2006The history of the Blue Funnel Line, the premier Liverpool shipping company trading to China for over a century, brought to life with posters, film, ship models and personalised items from the crew. |
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Piermaster's House - 1940s wartime theme24 May 2003 - 31 December 2004To complement the Spirit of the Blitz exhibition the Piermaster's House was transformed into a wartime house, with its taped-up windows and period furnishings. The waterfront house captured the atmosphere of the war years when Liverpool faced daily bombing. Everyday household items ranging from home-preserved food to make-do-and-mend clothes reflected the days of shortages and rationing. The house included original period furniture and evocative possessions like gas-masks, ration books and a radio playing 1940s dance music. The children's bedroom showed the overcrowded nature of many homes when relatives and friends came to stay after being bombed out. One bed was made up so that two children could sleep 'top to tail'. A tiny front garden was filled with freshly-planted vegetables to boost meagre rations. The house was brought to life by role players including an ARP warden, complete with bicycle! |
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Cars & Boats & Bikes & Things25 May 2002 - 8 September 2002Highlights from the land transport and boat collection in the Great Western Railway building, opposite Museum of Liverpool Life. |
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Muck and Brass17 November 2001 - 14 April 2002An exhibition of shipbreaking by Thomas Ward Ltd at Preston, Barrow and Morecambe from 1894, told in 24 panels of texts and photographs. Wards recognised that although shipbreaking was dirty and unglamorous, there was money to be made from it, confirming the old saying "Where's there's muck, there's brass". The exhibition has been produced through collaboration by museums in Lancaster, Barrow and Preston with grant-aid from North West Museum Service. |
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Meccano: Twentieth Century Toys2 June 2001 - 28 October 2001An exhibition in two parts: 1) Museum of Liverpool Life: Trains, cranes and beauty queens, the story of the Liverpool Binns Road factory that exported toys around the world. 2) Merseyside Maritime Museum: A display of kits, models and collectors' tales, including Hornby trains, tracks and accessories, Dinky Toys and Bayko sets, along with guilds, clubs and magazines. |
