insideKENT Magazine Issue 66 - September 2017 | Page 38

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEANEY
IN SEPTEMBER 2012, THE BEANEY HOUSE OF ART & KNOWLEDGE RE-OPENED
ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLIC FOLLOWING AN AMBITIOUS REFURBISHMENT AND
EXTENSION PROJECT. THE STUNNING REDEVELOPMENT WAS MADE POSSIBLE
BY A GENEROUS HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND GRANT OF OVER £7 MILLION.
Since then, The Beaney has welcomed over
two million visitors, brought world-class
exhibitions to Canterbury, shared unique
collections with a variety of audiences and
had a huge impact on the lives of local
residents through its community-based
exhibitions and award-winning health and
wellbeing programme.
A finalist in the Art Fund Museum of the Year
Awards in 2013, The Beaney is now listed as
one of Visit England’s top 5 most visited free
attractions in the South East, providing a
welcoming environment for visitors of all ages
and backgrounds to experience and enjoy
world-class art, heritage and culture.
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A DAY OF FAMILY FUN
To celebrate its fifth birthday, The Beaney will
be holding a special day of free family events
and activities on Saturday 16th September
between 11am and 4pm.
The day will feature a packed programme
including craft workshops, highlights tours,
musical and dance performances and the
return of the hugely popular Stormtroopers
(courtesy of the UK Garrison) who last visited
The Beaney back in December 2015 to
celebrate the opening of May The Toys Be
With You, an exhibition of Star Wars
collectables and memorabilia which attracted
record visitor numbers. There will also be the
chance to purchase a Beaney print, created
specially for The Beaney’s 5th Birthday by artist,
Hugh Ribbans.
The event will also see the launch of the
Beaney Butterfly Machine, a new piece of
technology that allows visitors to explore
objects through music and sound. This
pioneering machine has been developed by
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in
partnership with the Royal National Institute
of Blind People (RNIB) as part of a HLF funded
project.