These artworks featured portraits of black sitters, as part of the online #GettyMuseumChallenge to use household objects to restage famous paintings. He called the photographic series Rediscovering Black Portraiture.

Brathwaite’s exhibition at The Higgins Bedford features a collection of his most fascinating images. His works emphasise issues of power, privilege, and identity, as well as the absence or marginalisation of black individuals in European art. This exhibition opens on 18 May.

Suitable for children aged 5-12, child places are £5.50 each, supporting adults do not need to purchase a place.

Always use the promotional code HIGGINS30 to avoid paying a transaction fee.

Tuesday 28 

Let’s go fishing

Catch a Common Carp or Roach, both are found in the Great River Ouse. Decorate your fish in your own style.

Make your own turtle

You and the family are invited to come and create your very own pocket-sized turtles.

Swan sculpture

Have you seen the beautiful swans along the Great River Ouse? Learn how to sculpt a swan, using various papers, tape and glue.

Friday 31

River themed craft, poetry and singing

Come and celebrate the River Great Ouse in an art, poetry and music session. The first part of the session will be to create nature themed craft followed by storytelling and songs to bring the craft to life.

Bedford River Display

The Bedford River project will be showcasing a curated selection of both commissioned and community artworks crafted over the past year.

In a spirited tribute to the river, the project has brought together a diverse array of creative expressions, including music, sculptures, paintings, illustrations, photography, storytelling, and poetry.

Notably, the project team has sparked inspiration among school students, motivating them to craft imaginative responses to the river. Core to the project has been the belief that the river belongs to us all, and this is reflected in the collection.

The project endeavours to inspire all residents of Bedford, irrespective of their backgrounds, to unite in celebration, conservation, and shared responsibility for our cherished River Great Ouse.

The work will be on display in the Entrance Foyer from 21 – 31 May.

Last chance to see….

Sophie Gresswell’s exhibition On the Wings of a Wire Bird closes on 9 June. This culmination of a year-long project to explore interconnected heritage.

Following a residency to reach her roots on the island of Saint Helena for the first time, Sophie Gresswell shares experiences and encourages discussion on the global mix of heritage which defines ‘British’ identity.

The exhibition highlights connections between us, our migration through generations, the borderlessness of Britishness and the people met along our journey.

The work includes contributions by Bedford’s Odissi dancers from Ananda Arts and the Caribbean Senior Citizens group from Queens Park, who worked with Sophie to explore and redefine objects and narratives present within The Higgins Bedford collections.

Chair of The Higgins Board

We are looking for a Chair for our new oversight and advisory group, The Higgins Board.

The Higgins Board has been created to support The Higgins Bedford in developing and delivering against a more ambitious strategy.

We are looking for someone with the right mix of experience, skills and enthusiasm to chair the group and help us to maximise the impact of the museum and art gallery for local residents and visitors to the Borough.

The oversight and advisory group is new and the Chair will pay a key role in helping to set the agenda for its development and in recruitment to the wider membership.