It’s LGBTQIA+ History Month 🏳️‍🌈 Explore The Bowes Museum through a different lens with our LGBTQIA+ Trail, sharing the stories and emotions held in objects through LGBTQIA+ lived experiences. Pick up a trail at the Welcome Desk or learn more here: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/lgb...

🎨 Brand new trail launching this weekend! This weekend, families with children aged 9+ can explore The Bowes Museum in a new way with Art School… in a trail! A free spotter trail packed with creative missions 👀✨

Anna in Paris for #PalacesAndGardens theme of #TimePassages (Anna wasn't in Paris!) #EastCoastKin #photography #clock #antique #C18th #CountyDurham #TheBowesMuseum @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social (Android phone camera)

🌟 Volunteer Opportunity at The Bowes Museum 🌟 We’re looking for local volunteers to join us as Gallery Storytellers in our newly reimagined Founders’ Galleries.

Great gig by the unique Fyfe Dangerfield in the grand setting of the @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social last night. Honoured that he played ‘Birdwatcher’ for @yolobirder.bsky.social and I!

✨ Coming up in 2026… ✨ We’re so pleased to share our exhibition line-up for next year; three must-see shows celebrating creativity, cultural exchange and heritage. 🖼️

Moonlight & bonfires 🌙🔥 Aert van der Neer (18th century) captures the magic of night and the cold glow of the moon against the warmth of a bonfire. A perfect scene to share this Bonfire Night ✨ Will you be enjoying fireworks tonight?

‘In Concert @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social transforms the museum’s elegant Jubilee Room into an intimate venue for unforgettable evenings with internationally acclaimed musicians. thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/

Join The Bowes Museum, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, and Watts Gallery as part of the Founding the Future network. The role involves researching works across all three collections to shape the content and narrative of a new touring exhibition.

The Museum Renewal Fund is live 🏛️ From Trowbridge to Tyneside, the £20 million DCMS fund will support museums in stabilising their financial situation and building towards sustainable and thriving futures. Read our full news story 👇

Join @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social on Sat 11th Oct for an intimate evening In Conversation with Nathan Coley, the internationally renowned & Turner Prize-nominated artist. Find out about his career & explore the themes behind his installations. thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/in-...

🦢 Today The Silver Swan had her health check, thanks to The Cumbria Clock Company. Regular care keeps her magic alive for future generations. ✨ #SilverSwan #TheBowesMuseum

Join Turner Prize–nominated artist Nathan Coley at The Bowes Museum for an evening in conversation about his powerful installations & creative practice. 📅 Sat 11 Oct | 🎟️ £18 | 🔗 thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/in-...

🎄The Bowes Museum Winter Market returns 12–14 Dec 2025! Explore 100+ stalls with unique gifts, food & drink, enjoy festive workshops, carollers & free entry to exhibitions. Tickets £7 before 8 Dec / £8 after. Under-18s go free. 🎟️ Book: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/win...

There is a fab resource room (The Hive) @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social and it’s the perfect place to sit and #sketch the amazing ceiling.

Stopped off @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social for a scone and some art. Perfect

🐱🐶 Ever wondered what inspired the giant squishee Cat and Dog in Pippa Hale: Pet Project?

Pippa Hale: Pet Project opens TOMORROW. Join us for a summer of play and creativity with squishee sculptures based on our ceramic collection. Fun for all the family → thebowesmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/...

After an 11-month tour of Japan, Regatta on the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy by Canaletto (c.1730–1739) is back at The Bowes Museum. This 18th-century masterpiece has returned from top museums in Shizuoka, Tokyo, Kyoto and Yamaguchi and is now on display daily, 10am–5pm.

🗓️ Save the date. Dressed for Departure: Fashion in the Age of Rail Opens 27 September at The Bowes Museum.

Opening 26 July: Pippa Hale: Pet Project 🐾 This fun, interactive exhibition invites you to play with art. From giant ceramic-inspired beanbags to community displays, this is one for all ages — turning the idea of fragile art on its head.

Now on view: Tate Modern on Fire (2017) by Nathan Coley. A powerful abstract model of the London museum that explores the fragile relationship between art, institutions and society. See it in the Blue Picture Gallery until 1 March 2026.

Our Young Curators created a mural for the S&DR200 bicentenary.🚂🎨 It’s now on display at Locomotion. A brilliant creative celebration of local history.

Now in the Blue Picture Gallery: Nude Pop-Up, a new intervention by our LGBTQIA+ working group Be You at The Bowes. This installation asks visitors to reflect on the collection and their place in it. Hear more from Co-Production Curator Eleanor Thirlway.

Just installed: You Create What You Will (2014) by Nathan Coley, now on display outside The Bowes Museum. A striking 5.5-metre structure reflecting on the nature of art. See it until February 2026.

Final chance to apply for a fully funded PhD with The Bowes Museum + Northumbria University, studying the Blackborne Lace Collection. Open to UK & international applicants, full or part-time. Starts Oct 2025. 🔗 thebowesmuseum.org.uk/jobs-and-opp...

For our BFFs @romanpalace.bsky.social. ❤️ The head of a Roman soldier. 🏛️ But look closer…it’s embroidered! 🤯 What’s more it was made in the 18th century by textile artist Mary Linwood. 🪡 In the collection @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social. 😍

The Silver Swan performs twice a day this week—at 11:45am and 2:00pm. Don’t miss this incredible 18th-century automaton in motion, only at The Bowes Museum.

Join artist Charlotte Hodes on 24 May, 2:30pm at The Bowes Museum to explore how archives inspire her ceramic and papercut art. Part of From Joséphine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers. 🎟️ Book: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/exh...

Two weeks until Volunteer Open Day at The Bowes Museum – join us on 3 June. No experience needed—just a positive attitude. 👉 Read Event Volunteer Beverley’s story: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/meet-event-v... 📧 Book now by emailing: [email protected]

Coming soon…Pippa Hale: Pet Project Opening 26 July, this joyful and immersive exhibition sees artist Pippa Hale reimagine the museum’s renowned ceramic collection. Expect playful interpretation, bold colours, and interactive elements designed to spark curiosity in visitors of all ages.

Join us on 15 May for Paintings Collected by Madame Bowes, a talk by John Findlay exploring how Joséphine Bowes built a remarkable art collection. Using purchase records and archival materials, John will share stories behind key acquisitions and reveal how the founders shaped the collection.

Looking forward to representing @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social #CountyDurham #NorthEastEngland speaking at the #AAM2025 conference in #LosAngeles today about purpose-led and people-centred museums. The last few days full of fantastic conversations based on this year’s vital theme of Museums + Trust.

Only 5 days left to submit your ceramic pets for Pippa Hale: Pet Project! We’re showing quirky, handmade, or heirloom ceramics alongside our collection. Email a photo, your name, address + 100 words answering: What is it? Why is it important to you? [email protected] (Deadline: 13 May)

🌈 If you're 13+, join OUT LOUD this Saturday 10th May, from 5 - 8pm at TCR The Hub for a FREE night of pride, pizza, rainbow sushi, karaoke, silent disco & more! All LGBTQ+ young people and allies are welcome 💖 #PrideInTeesdale #LGBTQIA #FreeEvent #Community @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social

🎨Try life drawing like never before at The Bowes Museum. Artist Daisy Collingridge leads a surreal workshop with a model in one of her sculptural textile suits. Ages 16+, all skill levels welcome. Booking essential: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/sur...

🎨 Artist call. The Bowes Museum is seeking 2 artists for The Reimagine Project — to co-create gallery content with local communities. Apply by 9 May, interviews 16 May. Shape stories & spaces with us! 🔗 More info: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/jobs-and-vol...

Paint with nature at The Bowes Museum! 🌿 Join artist Jane Young for a creative session using botanical inks, inspired by From Joséphine. Explore art, nature, and mindfulness. Book now: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/min...

Today @thebowesmuseum.bsky.social we’ve celebrated our co-founder, Joséphine Bowes’ 200th birthday with cake, snowdrop planting, tours, and free entry to anyone whose name is a variation of Joséphine, Joe, Jo... etc. I think she would have loved it. #museums #philanthropy #visionary #womeninart

Celebrate Joséphine Bowes’ 200th year with an outdoor guided tour. Volunteer Guide Kathy will lead a 30-minute walk around the museum (weather permitting), sharing stories of its architecture, symbolism, and gardens. Booking recommended: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/out...

Celebrate Joséphine Bowes' 200th year this Saturday. From 11am to 2pm, drop by and plant a snowdrop bulb in her honour — no museum admission needed. A simple way to support biodiversity and mark her love of nature. Suggested (but optional) donation: £1.00.

Happy #WorldArtDay. Joséphine & John Bowes built The Bowes Museum to bring global art to Teesdale. Joséphine wasn’t just a collector—she was also an artist and arts patron, honoured in our two exhibitions: ✨Trendsetters and Trailblazers 👗A Woman of Taste and Fashion

Experience Phoebe Cummings’ stunning site-specific ceramic installation in From Joséphine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers at The Bowes Museum. Blending sculpture, performance & mysticism, her work explores fragility, time & decay.

Experience From Joséphine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers all over again—virtually. Now you can explore Joséphine’s fascinating world from anywhere with our brand-new virtual tour. Take a look: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/...

Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion opens at The Bowes Museum, showcasing Joséphine Bowes’ personal items and impeccable style. See it for FREE tomorrow with a National Lottery ticket, scratchcard, or Instant Win Game as part of National Lottery Open Week.

We’re busy behind the scenes, preparing for Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, opening later this week. Fashion & Textiles Curator Rachel Whitworth and freelance conservator Sophie Lane are carefully mounting objects—here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming soon.

We’re thrilled to be shortlisted for Permanent Exhibition of the Year in the Museum + Heritage Awards for The Curiosity Project. This project transformed five previously unused spaces into vibrant new galleries & collection vaults, co-produced with our community. Fingers crossed for May!

We’re hiring! Exciting opportunities at The Bowes Museum: Catering Assistant Catering Supervisor Freelance Artist Looking for a role in a vibrant, creative environment? Apply now: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/jobs-and-vol...

Today is #WorldWildlifeDay If you’re visiting The Bowes Museum, take a peaceful walk through the wildflower meadow. Spot our bug hotels, built to support local wildlife and experience Kinetic Arboretum by Martin Smith—a sculpture that moves with the wind.

Coming Soon: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion. Opening 22 March at The Bowes Museum, this exhibition showcases historic textiles, Joséphine Bowes’ personal fashion, and couture from YSL, Schiaparelli & more. Don’t miss this glimpse into the timeless world of fashion.