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“Know this Place for the First Time”, which opens at Newcastle Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday, 13 March, investigates the formation of the area during the last ice age,18,000 years ago.

The exhibition, in the museum's main gallery, presents a series of new artworks by artist Miriam Burke, inspired by the creation of the local landscape under ice, snow and glaciers.

Miriam worked with glacier scientists at Keele University for 18 months to prepare artworks and interactive displays focusing on the local environment and the processes that formed it.

“Miriam's research for this exhibition has taken her from a cold laboratory at Keele to a trip to the glaciers of south-east Iceland,” said borough council Community Arts Development Officer Tina Ball.

“Using scientific data and artistic methods, the exhibition also looks at the effects that a changing climate has on our familiar landscape.”

“Know this Place for the First Time”, on show until 9 May, also features scientific paraphernalia and other interesting curios documenting Miriam's trip to Iceland and work with the Keele scientists.

The title of the exhibition, which has been funded by Arts Council England, is taken from the T. S. Eliot poem, “Little Gidding”.

Children are invited to two free drop-in “rocks rock” workshops at the museum on Tuesday, 6 April and Wednesday, 7 April from 11am to 4pm. Miriam will talk about glaciers, lead drawing exercises and explore the fascination of rocks. 

Miriam and Dr Peter Knight from Keele University will give a free talk at the museum on Saturday, 1 May at 2pm. The experts will discuss local landforms and provide maps and information sheets for short self-guided walks in the local area. To book a place, call the museum on 01782 619705.

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