Discover MK
The Discover MK Showcase area is on the first floor at Central Library. It is the primary showcase for the archive, museum and heritage of Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. It has a regularly changing series of exhibitions throughout the year and more information can be found on the Discover MK website.
Ultimate 80s MK - 16 July to 5 September 2024
As Milton Keynes entered its teenage years, the eighties became the decade for live music. The City blossomed with new bands along with an array of music venues to host them. The punk ethic of “anyone can be in a band” spilled over from the 1970s and youth clubs in particular became a breeding ground for young musical talent.
The eighties also saw Milton Keynes put on the map by the biggest acts in the world visiting the National Bowl. David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Queen – to name but a few – brought a buzz to the City that inspired local bands to raise their game and shoot for the stars.
This is another fantastic exhibition brought to you by Living Archive MK.
QUEEN OF QUEENS - Central Library 1-30 August 2024
To commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022
This exhibition celebrates International Women's Day and focuses on 3 different segments:
- Queen Elizabeth II and her achievements during the seven decades of her reign.
- Ancient and modern Queens from the Middle East starting with Queen Kubaba of Sumeria – Mesopotamia, and Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Ancient Egypt all the way to current queens like Queen Rania of Jordan.
- Queens of their professions - this segment is about women from the different parts of the Middle East who excelled in their field of profession, during the 20th century until today. This part includes poets, writers, professors, architects and Nobel Prize winners.
Each of the second and third segments are done as a timeline to demonstrate the different personalities in order of their existence and activity.
The work was done by a group of members from the Middle Eastern Cultural Group:
- Rena Al-Jawad – fashion designer.
- Nuha AL Hashimi – research and content collection.
- Rula Al-Jawad – Graphic designer.
- Miryam Jalal – Translation Arabic to English.
- Nura Al Hasani – English Proof reading.
- Ayser Al-Jawad – project management.
KALEIDOSCOPE - Central Library 1-31 August 2024
An exhibition by the South Asian Artists' Community
Visit the ground floor Event Space for this fantastic exhibition of artwork by SAAC.
JOIN ME: Our 2020 Events - Memorial Quilt at Stony Stratford Library
Visit Stony Stratford Library to see this lockdown memorial quilt on display. It’s a community quilt project by Thread Thread Wine to memorialise the events that we most missed in 2020, whether cancelled, lost or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soraya Tate, founder of Thread Thread Wine
At Christmas 2020 I decided to make a memorial quilt, dedicated to acknowledging the events and opportunities that we lost in 2020.
- I would create a quilt square about my own losses.
- I would invite others to do the same about their losses.
- I would join the pieces to make a quilt.
- I would display the quilt in December 2021 at an event for the makers.
This is the project so far; I hope you enjoy viewing it and reading about it. We have 42 submissions and the quilt is 3m long.
We have made some of the squares into cards for sale, to raise money for the mental health charity MIND.
If you would like to contribute your artwork to this project, please email Soraya or visit the Thread Thread Wine (TTW) Facebook page.
Read more about the background to this project, the inspiration and the artists who have contributed by visiting the Memorial quilt project page.
