Exhibition: 'The View from Here': Contemporary Art from the Middle East and North Africa. Exploring ideas of heritage, memory and identity through digital assemblage and collage, at Leighton House (until 1/3/2026) showcases voices from an array of cultures and landscapes.

Did you guess? This is Nigel! He's not actually a reindeer but the nearly complete skeleton of an extinct Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus). One of the largest species of deer to ever exist!  DURNS.2024.1  #DUCollections

Clue number 4! Can you work out what this item is? We are prepared to admit the festive connection is a little tenuous but if Santa is looking for a backup for Rudolph...  #DUCollections

Clue number 3! Can you work out what this item is and his connection to the festive season? He is very old. If you left a carrot out for him on Christmas Eve, he might not recognise it... #DUCollections #OlderThanCarrots

Clue number 2! Can you work out what this item is and his connection to the festive season? I think you’ve already guessed he is part of the Biosciences collection! Another hint – he is very tall! #DUCollections #biosciences

We are getting into the festive spirit with a seasonal puzzle for you! 🌲🌲🌲A picture a day to work out what this item is. What connection does he have to the festive season? And bonus points for Durham students and staff...what is his name? #DUCollections

StopGap was a Durham Town-Gown student magazine, ‘focusing on local and student issues and Arts with the intention of highlighting the huge GAP which exists between the two communities.’ Although intended to be monthly, only one issue was published.  @durham.ac.uk

Summary lists of all 284 boxes of uncatalogued material in the Sudan Archive have now been made available online for the first time in the Summary Guide! This is a significant milestone to make all our collections as accessible as possible. libguides.durham.ac.uk/asc-sudan-ar...

To celebrate #LumiereDurham, a spectacular Light Art festival we have scoured the collections for images of light. This illustration is titled ‘The City with the Moon and the Tower’, and was created in Japan and printed c. 2011 DUROM.2012.64 #DUCollections

There’s only a few days left to experience the wonder of storytelling through our MA students’ exhibition, Telling Tales, at the Oriental Museum. This family-friendly exhibition will be closing; 9th of November.  Unable to make it? Check out our online exhibition and audio guide. #TellingTales

💀Happy Halloween!💀 This Danse Macabre woodcut by Michael Wolgemut reflects 15th-century Europe's obsession with death and the afterlife. Found in the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle. 📖 Ref: SA 0166 #DanseMacabre #NurembergChronicle #RareBooks #MedievalArt

Friday 7 November our Conservation team will be running an annual takeover of our social media for #AskAConservator day! Conservators around the world will be discussing their work and sharing how they care for collections. Ask us questions and follow the hashtag to see who else is participating.

Only one week left to see ‘Beasts and Legends: Adventures through North East Folklore’ - a great way to get ready for the spooky season! #BeastsandLegends #DUCollections

#NationalCatDay - and we’re remembering one very special feline: Tinkerbelle who lived with the Poor Clares Darlington from 2007-2013.  More than a pet — a quiet companion in the cloister, a curious presence, and a gentle soul who made her mark in quiet ways.  #DUCollections

👻 Ainsley’s Durham Almanac (1887) tells of Flass Well, haunted by Janet Ramshaw’s ghost. Since 1789, locals have spotted her eerie form and heard strange shrieks, keeping people away at night. Would you dare visit? 📖 Ref: XL 059.4281 AIN/15 #DurhamGhosts #DUCollections

Artist Dinah Kelly has created a unique jewellery series inspired by the heritage of the indigenous Berber (Amazigh) people of North Africa. They are on display in Enchanted Objects – Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone at the Oriental Museum until 9th November.

Can you spot the skeleton? 💀 Skeletons appear in resurrection imagery, like in Elementa Philosophica de Cive (1647). This volume has pencil marks in the religious section, possibly by Bishop John Cosin! 📚 Ref: Cosin T.5.57 #HiddenSkeletons #RareBooks

Happy #NationalFetchDay!  Even in the peaceful world of the Poor Clares, Darlington, dogs brought joy and companionship.  These archival photos show nuns sharing quiet moments with a furry friend—perhaps after a game of fetch?  Poor Clares, Darlington Collection, MISC.2024/25:34  #DUCollections

Step into the spooky past with The Haunted Library (1880)! 👻 John F. Layson shares ghostly tales from a Newcastle library. Have you ever seen a ghost in ours? 👀📚 Explore the mystery! 📖 Ref: SC 10874 #HauntedLibrary #GhostStories #NewcastleHistory #DUCollections

💀 Discover a skeleton working a printing press in the Peter Isaac Collection! Peter Isaac, an engineer turned printing enthusiast, focused on the English provincial book trade. The collection is being catalogued — more surprises to come! #RareBooks #PrintingHistory #Archives

We’re kicking off the spooky season with an unexpected discovery - Bram Stoker’s signature in Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (Vol. 1), part of the Virginia Surtees Collection. Not Dracula — but a glimpse into the world that helped inspire it. 🖋️📖 #BramStoker #ArchivesUncovered #Dracula

Back to school or uni (or very nearly!) The change in the weather has got us thinking about what we did on our summer holidays! In partnership with @rabycastleofficial we introduced local garden enthusiasts to gardening history resources and celebrated the famous ‘Raby Redcurrant’. #RabyCastle

Look👀what is on at The Oriental Museum-a new exhibition ‘Journey of a Century:From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum’opening Friday 26 September. This photography exhibition takes you for a journey to the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing-from imperial residence to global cultural icon.

We’re excited to announce the addition of a new collection! The Graham Noble collection includes materials from legendary figures and moments from the history of Martial Arts! It offers a unique look into martial arts and its cultural influence.  #DUCollections #MartialArtsArchives

Artist Dinah Kelly uses found paper to make collages like this atmospheric example created during a trip to Morocco.   You can see this in Dinah’s installation Enchanted Objects – Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone at the Oriental Museum until 9th November

On 9th September Japan celebrates National Chrysanthemum Day. The flower is the official crest of the Japanese imperial family, seen on the passport and 50 yen coin. This chrysanthemum shaped tea caddy by artist Kosaka Susumu is made up of over 1,000 layers of lacquer and took 3 years to make.

Hi! We’re Poppy & Izzy from Archaeology. Over 3 weeks on placement at the #DUMuseumofArchaeology, we explored collections care & curation. We repacked & updated records for the Greek collection and helped design a coin map showing ancient city-states through mythology & trade #DUCollections

Artist Dinah Kelly's work is inspired by amulets, charms and talismans. She is interested in how in the 21st century we continue to place power in symbols and everyday objects, particularly the importance placed on mobile phones as tools of connection and security.     #textileart #recycled

Unable to visit us? You can still visit our free online exhibition Show and Tell: Stories That Connect Us and be guided by John and Mei as they share stories together. You can also listen to our free audio guide on our website. stories.durham.ac.uk/show-and-tell #TellingTales #BeastsandLegends

Is KPop Demon Hunters the soundtrack to your summer? Then come and see our new K-Pop display curated by our talented work experience students! The students were given items from #DUOrinentalMuseum K-Pop collection and worked hard to research their chosen objects, write labels, and plan the display.

At 8.15am 6th August 1945 an atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima. In 2023 the exhibition 'Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki' in partnership with Hiroshima Peace Memorial & Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museums held @ Oriental Museum, including this watch. The force of the blast stopped the watch at 8.15am.

While traveling contemporary artist Dinah Kelly always carries a sketch book and pencils. After creating preliminary sketches of the people and places she visits, she uses different found and collected paper to produce vivid collages like this example produced during a trip to Morocco in 2014.

OPPORTUNITY 📯 Applications are now open for the @ducollections.bsky.social Collections Fellowships and Visiting Fellowships, enabling research across the historic collections of Durham! Deadline: 3 September 2025 More details at durhamcollections.org.uk

We are looking forward to welcoming over 300 delegates in person and online, as we host the international ‘Discovering Collections Discovering Communities’ Conference from tomorrow/this week.

Drop in to the Palace Green Library for an adventure this week! ‘Beasts and Legends: Adventures through North East Folklore’ is open all summer! #BeastsandLegends #studentexhibition #DUCollections

Enchanted Objects – Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone has opened at #DUOrientalMuseum. Created by contemporary artist Dinah Kelly the installation highlights our ongoing interest in the power of charms, talismans and amulets. #contemporaryart #talismans

Archives are never dull!  Check out a puzzle from the archives of Kenneth David Druitt Henderson—scholar and colonial officer.   Curious what else might reside in our archive? Start exploring yourself:     n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/s...  #EYAFunandGames #DUCollections

Want to experience more stories? Check out our accompanying online exhibition, Show and Tell: Stories that Connect Us, a collaboration between Telling Tales at the Oriental Museum and Beasts and Legends at Palace Green Library. stories.durham.ac.uk/show-and-tell #TellingTales #BeastsandLegends

Now graduation is over peak behind the scenes! Given to Durham University by an anonymous donor in 1911, the University Mace is carried by the Bedel at every congregation ceremony. For most of the year, it is stored in its own bespoke wooden case in an archive strongroom in Palace Green Library!

Want to experience more stories? Check out our accompanying online exhibition, Show and Tell: Stories that Connect Us, a collaboration between Telling Tales at the Oriental Museum and Beasts and Legends at Palace Green Library. #TellingTales

The CCS’ @eilishgregory.bsky.social has worked with colleagues in @ducollections.bsky.social to launch a pop-up exhibition showcasing the collections of the Little Company of Mary, and welcomed their international leadership team to see its opening #nuntastic #skystorians @durhamtheology.bsky.social

Twilight Talks - ‘Beasts and Legends: Adventures through North East Folklore’, Curating the Exhibition. Book on Eventbrite. Join the team at Palace Green Library share experiences of curating the exhibition. Discover artefacts from collections, and collaborative artworks by Ruth Flowers.

Don’t miss any of the amazing objects on display! Come check out a real Roman Altar made to honour fallen soldiers. If you look closely, you can see the wild boar. Come see this object and many others at Palace Green Library. #beastsandlegends #DUcollections #adventure #exhibition

We’re now open! Thank you to everyone who came last night to celebrate the launch night of Telling Tales. Catch the exhibition from now until the 9th of November. We hope to see you soon! #TellingTales #DUOrientalMuseum #StudentExhibition

This week we have been installing 'Enchanted Objects: Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone' with the artist Dinah Kelly who shines a light on the protective powers and symbolism of charms, talismans and amulets. dinahkelly.com

The MA Museum and Artefact Studies students are hard at work installing their summer exhibition, Telling Tales, ready for opening on 13th June. #TellingTales

Yesterday at the Oriental Museum we spent the day deep cleaning our beautiful Chinese bed. Rebecca, a conservation student, Ishita a placement student and FOH staff, James & Tracy, worked with Kel and Carolyn to clean the bed, dusting and hoovering. Here they are hard at work.

Experience the wonder of storytelling across cultures in our upcoming summer exhibition, Telling Tales: Making Stories Come to Life. This family-friendly exhibition will be opening on 13th June 2025 at the Oriental Museum. #TellingTales #studentexhibition

Meet the team!   The MA Musuem and Artefact Studies students are hard at work behind the scenes, preparing to install their upcoming exhibition ‘Beasts and Legends: Adventures through North East folklore’.   The adventure begins 14 June at Palace Green Library. #beastsandlegends #studentexhibition

Dictionaries, spring-back bindings and Shakespeare's First Folio! Check out this blogpost on by our outgoing Lendrum Book Conservation Intern! @du_lib dulib.blog/2025/05/21/t...