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Misericord or mercy seat from the Tunstall Chapel featuring a pig playing the Northumbrian pipes.

MA students launch two new storytelling exhibitions for the summer 

13 June 2025
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title of exhibition and drawings of range of Asian objects

Two new, major exhibitions curated by MA Museum and Artefact Studies students exploring the art and history of storytelling, are now open and free to attend all summer. Visitors can discover ‘Beasts and Legends’ at Palace Green Library and ‘Telling Tales’ at the Oriental Museum.

Students have worked alongside staff from University Library and Collections and the Archaeology Department to produce the exhibitions. They have been involved in everything from selecting fascinating objects and designing the exhibitions, to creating eye-catching posters and accompanying materials.  It is this ‘hands on’ element of the course and the opportunity to curate professional exhibitions in high profile venues, that makes it so popular with students.

Beasts and Legends: Adventures Through North East Folklore, Palace Green Library 

This exhibition explores the development of storytelling throughout historic County Durham and delves into local tales, including ‘The Lambton Worm’ and ‘Cauld Lad of Hylton’.

Featuring a selection of artefacts from across the Durham University collections, the exhibition poses the opportunity for visitors to connect with folktales through objects and interactive elements. The collections on display also include objects on loan from Durham Cathedral, in addition to artworks created by collaborative work with local artist Ruth Flowers. 

Visitors are also invited to join the selection of public activities including an afternoon lecture series and story-telling workshops, relating to the exhibits.

Beasts and legends exhibition at Palace Green Library 2025, knight and dragon drawing  

Telling Tales: Making stories come to life at the Oriental Museum.  

This exhibition explores the wonder of how stories are told. Through theatre, film, dance, music and books, the exhibition showcases the universality and versatility of storytelling and its ability to captivate, educate, and inspire.  

Visitors can see artefacts such as a Chinese theatre robe, a range of traditional shadow puppets and more recent posters advertising films such as Star Wars and the 1932 film The Mummy.

Young visitors can also follow children’s trails, to explore how storytelling features across the rest of the museum’s exhibitions.  

Online exhibition

For anyone who can’t make it to Durham to see the exhibitions in person, there is also an online exhibition, ‘Show and Tell: Stories That Connect Us’, jointly curated by students from both groups.

Summer events and activities

Both exhibitions will be accompanied by a series of free, family-friendly events taking place throughout the summer, all based on the theme of storytelling. These will  include craft activities, Twilight Talks and a music event at the Oriental Museum on 28 June.

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