Ancient Greeks Events
Melodramatic Masks
Saturday 5th January
12.30pm – 4.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Become a member of the Greek theatre by making your own mask. Use traditional comic or tragic themes to create your own stereotypical or heroic character. £1.50
Leicester Odyssey
11.00am – 4.30pm
Saturday 12th January
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery and Phoenix Arts
(Meet at New Walk Museum at 11.00am)
Take part in our exciting Greek trail around the museum and Phoenix Arts. Hear tantalising tales of Greek heroes and mythic monsters, make your own Greek armour or theatrical mask then head over to the Phoenix for a screening of the classic film ‘Jason and the Argonauts’. Limited places, booking essential, contact Phoenix Arts on 0116 255 4854 for more information. £5.00 per person, bring a packed lunch.
Creating Monsters and Heroes Workshop - Xanthe Gresham
Saturday 19th January
11.00am, 1.00pm, 2.45pm & 4.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Come along to our storytelling workshops and find yourself wrapped in tales of Greek myths. Tell your own stories and use magical objects to aid you on your way. This fully interactive workshop for ages 7 and above will inspire and amaze! Limited places, advance booking essential. £2.00 per person.
Lighting the Ancient World
Saturday 26th January
11.30am – 1.00pm, 2.00pm – 3.30pm
Jewry Wall Museum
Make your own ornamental Greek oil lamp to take home in this clay-based workshop. Suitable for age 5 years and above. Booking essential. £1.50 for materials.
Heroes and Monsters from Ancient Greece
Saturday 2nd February
11.00am – 3.30pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Be inspired by the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. Listen to the story then transform yourself into the Ancient Greek hero Perseus or the terrible Medusa with snakes for hair! Listen to the stories then make swords and shields or a headband with snakes then add face paint to complete the picture. Booking essential, suitable for ages 6-13 years. £1.50 for activities.
Moaning Medusas, Silly Satyrs
Sunday 3rd February
12.30pm – 4.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Find out about some of the craziest mythical monsters then make up your own! Turn your wild creation into a puppet and make up your own myth to go with it. £1.50 per person.
Join the March on New Walk Museum!
Friday 8th February
1.00pm – 5.30pm
Jewry Wall Museum
On 9th February, a ‘Greek army’ will march on New Walk Museum. Be a part of this momentous day; create Greek armour and costume and be part of our parade. We also need your help to decorate our special procession centrepiece! £1.50
The Greeks Are Coming!
Saturday 9th February
10.30am – 5.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
(Meet at Town Hall Square at 10.30am for the procession)
The Greek armies are marching to New Walk Museum! Join our procession from Town Hall Square to the museum or simply pop along later to enjoy regular demonstrations of hoplite and Trojan weaponry, armour and way of life. Handle replica objects and find out more about the warlike Greeks – straight from the Trojan horse’s mouth!
Freeze a Frieze
Tuesday 12th February
10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Put yourself in the picture with our giant cartoon-style Greek frieze in this drop-in art session. Suitable for all ages. £1.50 for activities.
Ancient Glass Painting
Thursday 14th February
11.00am – 3.00pm
Jewry Wall Museum
Spend anything from a few minutes to four hours drawing inspiration from the beautiful Greek vases displayed at New Walk Museum and create your own stunning glass painted scene. Suitable for age 7 years and above; adults welcome. £1.50
Ancient Vogue
Friday 15th February
11.00am – 1.30pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
See how our ancient female counterparts chose to wear their hair, as determined by the Greek goddesses themselves, and learn about why different styles were fashionable. You can wear your hair like an ancient lady with the help of our curatorial hairdressers!
Hero or Hydra?
Friday 15th February
10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
See some of the great heroes and monsters of Greek legend and create your own models in this drop-in workshop. Suitable for all ages. £1.50 for activities.
Ancient Greek Clay Pot Modelling
Saturday 1st March
11.00am – 3.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Look at the amazing pots from Ancient Greece in our exhibition, then model your own masterpiece in red clay and paint it with black designs or scenes of heroes and gods. £1.50 for activities.
Special Guest Speakers
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
To mark the visit of Ancient Greece: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes to Leicester, New Walk Museum will hold a series of talks by leading Greek experts that explore the exhibition's themes in more detail. The talks are suitable for all and background knowledge of the Greeks is not necessary, but enthusiasm and interest is welcomed! There will be time for questions at the end of each talk. £1.50 per talk.
8th January, 2.00pm - Dr Patrick Finglass, Lecturer in Classical Studies at the University of Nottingham
Topic: Ancient Greek poetry as competitive sport
17th January, 7.30pm – Dr Peter Higgs, Curator Greek & Roman Antiquities, The British Museum
Topic: Herakles: From Hero to God in Twelve Easy Steps
29th January, 2.00pm - Dr Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge
Topic: The Ancient Greeks R Us - or Not?
5th February, 2.00pm - Bettany Hughes. historian, author, broadcaster; her presenting work includes Seven Ages of Britain, Athens and the Spartans for Channel 4
Topic: The Age of Heroes and The Most Beautiful Woman In The World
12th February, 2.00pm - Prof Lin Foxhall, Professor of Greek Archaeology and History for the University of Leicester
Topic: The Heroic Male Body; Representations and Imaginations
All images © Trustees of the British Museum