What's on

Canterbury Children's Festival

Tuesday 28 to Friday 31 May 
Marlowe Studio and The Beaney

An adventure awaits you. With performances in The Marlowe Studio, interactive workshops in The Beaney and free activities, each day there'll be something special to keep your children engaged and entertained.

John Ward

Saturday 13 April to Sunday 2 June
The Drawing Room
Free admission

Selected works from the Beaney’s collections to mark a generous donation to the Beaney by Sir Ronald McIntosh in memory of Lady McIntosh. Sir Ronald and his late wife were friends of John Ward and his family.

Feel Good Fridays: Hatha Yoga

Every Friday between 3 May to 7 June, 2pm to 3pm
Community Room
Free admission, advance booking required

Stretch and relax for well being. Tune into body and mind with tutor Jacqueline Summer. Wear comfortable clothing for gentle exercise.

Feel Good Fridays: Meditation

Every Friday between 3 May and 7 June, 10.00am to 11.30am
The Community Room
Free drop in activity

These introductory meditation classes offer practical meditation instructions and down-to-earth advice drawn from Buddha's teachings. You will learn techniques to develop a calm and peaceful mind. The classes include methods to inspire optimism and increased happiness.

Feel Good Fridays: KCA Move to Improve Health Walk

Fortnightly on Fridays between 10 May and 30 August, 9.45am to 10.45am
The Front Room
Free admission. For more info please contact Walk Leaders: Felicity Caryer and Charlotte Pattenden 01795 590212.

KCA Move to Improve Health Walk caters for various levels of fitness and both experienced and new walkers are welcome. Join us and walk your way to wellbeing! The walk will begin promptly at 9.45am from the Beaney High Street entrance. Walk for 1 hour and then meet for refreshments in The Front Room. 

The Canterbury Jewellers Festival

Saturday 18 May to Monday 27 May
The Front Room
Free admission

Jewellers have been working in Canterbury for nearly 2,000 years and the cathedral is also home to th Patron Saint of gold and silversmiths, St Dunstan who was buried there at the end of the 10th century. To mark this longstanding craft in the city we are celebrating four of our outstanding contemporary designers/makers with a 10-day Festival showcasing their skills.

Far-fetched Treasures: Jewellery, wealth and power in the Kingdom of Kent

Thursday 23 May, 6pm to 7pm
The Learning Lab
Free, advance booking required

The production and use of jewellery played a key role in the expression of power, wealth and kingship in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent. In this lecture Andrew Richardson will outline the origins of this jewellery in Late Roman and Scandinavian metalworking.

Reflexology Workshop

Monday 20 May, 10am to 12pm
The Learning Lab
Free admission. Advance booking required. To book call: 0845 606 5606 or visit www.kentadulteducation.co.uk

The workshop has been created as an introduction to Reflexology classes with Kent Adult Education, and Jacqueline Morris's workshop provides a taste of the Reflexology part of the range of complementary Therapy classes they offer.

Chinese Brush Workshop

Wednesday 22 May, 1pm to 3pm
The Learning Lab
Free admission. Advance booking required. To book call: 0845 606 5606 or visit www.kentadulteducation.co.uk

The workshop has been created as an introduction to Chinese Brush classes with Kent Adult Education, and Ann Fairchild's workshop provides a taste of our Chinese Brush classes for beginners and those with some experience.

Japanese Language Taster Session

Thursday 23 May, 10am to 12pm
The Community Room
Free admission. Advance booking required. To book call: 0845 606 5606 or visit www.kentadulteducation.co.uk

The workshop has been created as an introduction to Japanese Language classes with Kent Adult Education, and Naomi Madeley's workshop provides a taste of our Japanese Language classes for beginners.

Calligraphy Taster Session

Friday 24 May, 10.30am to 12.30pm
The Community Room
Free admission. Advance booking required. To book call: 0845 606 5606 or visit www.kentadulteducation.co.uk

Be inspired by the Calligraphy exhibition at The Beaney. The workshop has been created as an introduction to Calligraphy classes with Kent Adult Education, and Johanna's workshop provides a taste of our Calligraphy classes for beginners and those with some experience.

Towel Day: Vogon Poetry Readings

Saturday 25 May, 2pm to 3pm
The Community Room
Free admission

Don't Panic! The Beaney celebrates the genius of author Douglas Adams on Towel Day. Come along and recite your own poetry or hear classic quotes from Adams' work.

Mad Tom - A Talk by Graham Hudson

Thursday 6 June 2013, 6.30pm to 7pm
The Learning Lab
£3.00 per person, advance booking required

This year sees the 175th anniversary of the tragic Battle of Bosenden, when the deluded followers of Sir William Courtenay, aka Mad Tom, faced British soldiers in woods near Canterbury.

Make Your Own Mark: Confidence through Creativity

Every Friday from 7 June to 12 July, 1.30pm to 3.30pm
The Learning Lab
£20.00 per person

Do you feel you might be a creative person but don't know how to start to be artistic? Challenge yourself to explore a whole range of mark-making techniques through this exciting six week course, and free yourself up in a friendly environment.

Photo Phinish

Saturday 8 June to Sunday 7 July
The Front Room
Free Admission

The Photo Phinish photography group from Canterbury Day Services have been active for five years. This exhibition will showcase the work of this talented group.

Read Aloud for Make a Noise in Libraries

Thursday 13 June, 11am to 12noon
The Community Room
Free Admission

As part of the national celebration of library services to the blind and visually impaired. Come along to hear a story specially chosen from 'A Little, Aloud: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose' for reading aloud.

Meet the Author: Salley Vickers

Thursday 13 June, 6.30pm
Canterbury Cathedral Archives
£2.00 on the door, advance booking required

Come along and meet Salley Vickers, best selling author of “Miss Garnet’s Angel” who will talk about her new book, “The Cleaner of Chartres”, her inspiration and her writing.

War in the Wilderness

Thursday 20 June, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
The Learning Lab
Free admission, advance booking required

This lectre by author Tony Redding records the comradeship, horror and extraordinary physical and mental demands of Chindit warfare in the jungles of North Burma. Tony's father was a Chindit with the 2nd King's Own, 111 Brigade.

Jumping Beaneys: Jack and the Beaneystalk

Friday 21 June, 10.30am to 11.30am
The Learning Lab
£3.50 per child, accompanying adult free. Advance booking required

Climb the Beaneystalk with Jack and find out what happens when you get to the top on a fun, interactive museum adventure! Enjoy songs and stories, investigate amazing objects and create your very own Beaneystalk to take home. For children age 2-5 and their carers.

Eclipse

Saturday 22 June to Sunday 8 September
The Drawing Room
Free Admission

Come and see a showcase of silhouette images of local plant forms by artist Edward Chell.

Jack and the Beaneystalk

Tuesday 25 June, 11am to 11.45am
The Library
Free Admission, Ages 2-5 and their parents or carers.

Celebrate National Bookstart Week 2013 with a fairytale and craft session. Hear Jack and the Beanstalk and join in creating a beanstalk for the children's library.

Meet the Artist: Edward Chell

Saturday 6 July, 11am and 2.30pm
The Learning Lab
Free Admission, advance booking required

Meet the creator of the beautiful silhouette images of plant forms on display in 'Eclipse', in the Drawing Room, and find out their context and the ideas behind Edward Chell's work.

Total Pap Quips and Cranks and Wanton Wiles

Saturday 13 July to Sunday 28 July
The Front Room
Free Admission

Totalpap are Emily Firmin and Justin Mitchell. Since 1990 they have been making three dimensional papier-mache pictures and sculptures with a myriad of themes, often humorous and always colourful.

Creepy Mask Papier Mache Workshops with Total Pap

Saturday 13 July and Saturday 20 July, 2pm to 4pm
The Learning Lab
£4.00 per child for two workshops. For ages 5 to 7 with parents or carers. Advance booking required.

Spook your friends and family with a chilling mask made over two workshop sessions. Bring it along to a special story telling session on Thursday 21 August - we need your help to tell a dark tale.

An Illustrated History of Canterbury

Thursday 18 July, 6pm to 7.30pm
The Learning Lab
£6.00 per person. Advance booking required

A colourful, light-hearted romp through the history of Canterbury, illustrated with stories of objects from Canterbury Museums collections.

Jumping Beaneys: Make a colourful window

Friday 19 July, 10.30am to 11.30am
The Learning Lab
For children age 2 to 5 and their carers. Accompanying adults free

Enjoy stories and songs about colour, explore a rainbow of colourful animals and be inspired by the Beaney's colourful windows before creating your own to take home.

Creepy Tales

Thursday 1 August, 2pm to 2.45pm
The Library
Free Admission

An interactive storytelling event launching the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge. Bring a creepy mask if you have one!

East Kent Art Society Annual Exhibition

Saturday 3 August to Sunday 18 August

The Front Room

Free admission

One of Kent's foremost art societies presents its Annual exhibition of work by talented and professional and amateur artists.

Jumping Beaneys: Beautiful Birds

Tuesday 16 August, 10.30am to 11.30am
The Learning Lab
£3.50 per child, accompanying adult free. For children age 2 to 5 and their carers. Advance booking required.

Enjoy the story of Pinny and the Bird. Join in fun bird songs and action rhymes. Discover some exotic birds on display, and create a flying feathery friend to take home!

Earthbound Women

Saturday 24 August to Thursday 5 September
The Front Room
Free Admission

Earthbound Women are six female artists who met when studying for an MA in Fine Art at Canterbury Christ Church University. This exhibition will feature ceramics, sculpture painting, drawing and printmaking and is a record of their dreams, annotations, poems, observations, aspirations and life in Kent.

Putting Print on the Map

Saturday 31 August, 11am to 3pm
Meet outside the Beaney
Free Drop-in activity

An open air introduction to printmaking session by Earthbound Women featuring screen printing, lino cut and mono-printing. Screens and lino will be pre-cut with interesting images of Canterbury.