The Beacon is bringing a swashbuckling exhibition to our shores
The Beacon is bringing a swashbuckling exhibition to our shores
The exhibition, ‘Hero or Villain?: Mythbusting piracy’ which runs from 8 April – 2 July, features an exclusive loan from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
The bust of a North African seafarer, with an ambiguous history, will be on display in the museum, however, it is not known whether he was a pirate, sailor or even based on a real person or just an idea.
The piracy theme is in keeping with Whitehaven’s own interesting history. John Paul Jones, whose bust will feature alongside the exhibit, is often thought of as a pirate for invading our ships in the revolutionary war, however the Americans see him as a hero, partaking in a fair act of war.
Museum curator, Nicola Lawson said: “The exhibition asks a lot of questions that we don’t actually know the answers to, which is really interesting for us because we don’t get to do that very often.”
The bust is hoped to be the first of many partnerships with the national museums, in a bid to give people in Cumbria the chance to see something on their doorstep that they would otherwise have to travel to London for.
Nicola explained: “We are trying to build on the reputation that we already have, of being a local museum which is what we are at the core, but it’s nice to bring something to people rather than us always having to go to it. For a small museum such as ourselves it’s a lot of prestige.”
Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum is also able to offer adult workshops to run alongside the exhibition. Glass-making workshops, based on North African designs that influenced the bust, will be held every Sunday in May.
Nicola said: “We have been given the funding to engage and work with adults, something we don’t usually get to do here. It will give people in the area the chance to learn a new artistic skill that they wouldn’t usually get the opportunity to.”
‘Hero or Villain?: Mythbusting piracy’ 8 April – 2 July is funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, in partnership with the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
For more information visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk
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