The museum is excited to announce another new and unique project that will be taking place from Tuesday 9th July: Heart of Stone-A Writing Residency at Portland Museum. The museum is working with poet, writer and creative facilitator, Sarah Acton, to bring to life the heritage of Portland’s stone quarries, including real and imagined lives shaped by Portland Stone past, present and future, through creative writing, poetry and performance.
The project, in partnership with Jurassic Coast Trust Volunteer Network, takes inspiration from Portland’s local poet and stone mason, Cecil ‘Skylark’ Durston, and his observational poems about working the stone, and life on the Island before the mechanisation of the quarries. His reflections were recorded as part of the Look Stranger! TV series in an episode called Heart of Stone (1971), from which the project takes its name.
Sarah will be based in the museum once a week from July to mid October. There will be a table put by in the Stone Room throughout the duration of the residency where museum visitors will be invited to see and experience the museum in new ways and encouraged to write and create their own responses to leave and display as part of the project.
Everyone is welcome to come and participate in residency events including Discussion Cafes: time to sit and share memories and stories of stone, quarries and Portland; or, bring your favourite poems on any subject to read aloud and share at the Poetry in the Garden Afternoons. The events are free, and should it rain, will move indoors.
Come and enjoy a tea or coffee and some delicious homemade scones whilst browsing for summer bargains in our wonderfully varied tabletop sale.
Join us in our our beautiful garden on Bank holiday Monday 26th August 10:30 am – 3:30 pm Free entry to event and garden.
The museum is excited to announce another new and unique project that will be taking place from Tuesday 9th July: Heart of Stone-A Writing Residency at Portland Museum. The museum is working with poet, writer and creative facilitator, Sarah Acton, to bring to life the heritage of Portland’s stone quarries, including real and imagined lives shaped by Portland Stone past, present and future, through creative writing, poetry and performance.
The project, in partnership with Jurassic Coast Trust Volunteer Network, takes inspiration from Portland’s local poet and stone mason, Cecil ‘Skylark’ Durston, and his observational poems about working the stone, and life on the Island before the mechanisation of the quarries. His reflections were recorded as part of the Look Stranger! TV series in an episode called Heart of Stone (1971), from which the project takes its name.
You can meet Sarah and listen to readings from her new work-in-development at the end of the residency today from 2 – 3 pm in the Stone Room of the Museum.