This weekend [Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 March] the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums invite visitors to get to know them better.
The first ever Friends Weekend takes place at Aberdeen Art Gallery on Saturday and Sunday, with free drop-in tote bag screen-printing workshops inspired by the current special exhibitions by sculptor Kenny Hunter and fashion and textile designer Zandra Rhodes, a sculpture walking tour highlighting contemporary artworks in the city centre and music by DJ Nina.
The event celebrates the vital support the Friends provide for the work of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums. It’s also hoped that it will encourage more people to join the Friends and bolster this support. Everyone signing up this weekend will be offered free refreshments and half-price entry to Zandra Rhodes – 50 Years of Fabulous.
Since the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums was founded in 1975, the group has provided financial support for the acquisition of works by leading artists and makers as well as objects relating to Aberdeen’s heritage. Around 60 of the most important are on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery and Aberdeen Maritime Museum.
Every year new objects enter the collection, breathing new life and meaning into them. Recently, the Friends, together with the National Fund for Acquisitions, helped AAGM acquire an outstanding example of North-East silverware: a beautiful 18th century silver spirit kettle by James Gordon. It is currently part of a small temporary display at the Art Gallery highlighting new acquisitions.
To mark the Art Gallery redevelopment (2015-19) the Friends funded James Rigler’s monumental ceramic commission The Collector. The artist’s first permanent site-specific artwork is at the entrance to the Cowdray Hall. In 2021 they supported the redevelopment of the top floor display at Aberdeen Maritime Museum which explores changes in the offshore energy sector over the last 40 years. The Friends also support events and activities, most recently the sell-out ‘Evening with Dame Zandra Rhodes’, as part of the current major special exhibition Zandra Rhodes - 50 Years of Fabulous.
Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming the Friends at the Art Gallery this weekend for some hands-on creativity and much needed in-person contact time after an enforced period away from the building during the redevelopment and pandemic. The Friends are a hugely energetic and committed group of people who provide essential support for many aspects of the work of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. I hope that by spending some time in their company this weekend visitors may be inspired to join them.”
Michael Richardson, Chair of the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums, said: “The Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums are a diverse group of people of different ages and backgrounds. We all share a common interest in supporting our local museums and gallery service. Not only do we help fund acquisitions for the collections, we also volunteer and get hands-on alongside Art Gallery & Museums staff. Most of all, we want to support others to discover the outstanding collection, feel at home in the amazing buildings, and take part in inspiring activities. We cordially extend an invitation to come and say hello, spend some time in our company and enjoy free activities this weekend. You might even end up joining us and getting to know us better as a Friend of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums.”