Milton Keynes Birthday Activities
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This year Milton Keynes turned 54 and as part of the celebrations, MK’s arts and heritage organisations launched a series of online, fun activities, challenges and events for everyone to enjoy.
Culture MK
Watch our 60 second activity videos and create your own versions of Milton Keynes. The best get selected for our online exhibition.
New Town Heritage Explorers: Make a 45 second Film! – WATCH VIDEO
New Town Heritage Explorers: Draw your favorite MK Place – WATCH VIDEO
New Town Heritage Explorers: Write an MK Story – WATCH VIDEO
New Town Heritage Explorers: Make your ‘MK in a Box’ – WATCH VIDEO
New Town Heritage Explorers: Photo Trail from your own photographs – WATCH VIDEO
New Town Heritage Explorers: The Making of the No Corners Here Exhibition Video with Global Outreach Federation: MK
An intergenerational and multicultural project filmed at the MK Central Library – WATCH VIDEO
MK Skate: The History of Skateboarding in MK with 3 short films
See how the unique heritage of skateboarding has been brought to life and find out how you can purchase the MK Skate book – https://mkskate.org/
Find out how an enigma works
Have you ever wondered how an Enigma machine works? Lift the lid on Enigma with Erica Munro, Exhibitions Manager and Andrew Fryer, Learning Officer at Bletchley Park.
WATCH VIDEO
Google Cultural Institute and Bletchley Park
Google has long been keen to help preserve and promote the importance of Bletchley Park. As part of their ongoing support of the work of the Bletchley Park Trust, Google helps to bring its story to a wider online audience. Visit the Bletchley Park gallery on Google Cultural Institute, you’ll also find a digital tour of some areas of Bletchley Park:
CLICK HERE
MKCDC Archive Catalogue Guide
Interested in delving deeper into the history of MK? Watch our handy guide to searching and browsing our online archive catalogue. Learn how to make the most of our useful resource and find what you need – WATCH VIDEO
The Andrew Mahaddie Collection
How do cities get designed? What do planners think about when dreaming up liveable spaces? Find out as our Archivist introduces you to the archive collection of Andrew Mahaddie, urban designer with Milton Keynes Development Corporation in the 1970s – WATCH VIDEO
Gathering Place: The Story of the Agora
Our Archivist tells us what the archives reveal about the story behind one of the most controversial buildings in Milton Keynes. Covering the planning, design, construction and opening of the Agora in Wolverton, here you can find out its hidden history
WATCH VIDEO
New Town Map GIF
We have an almost complete set of city maps from the first publication in 1975 up to the present day. Our GIF shows the development of the city and tell us a huge amount about what was built and when, and also what has disappeared.
WATCH FACEBOOK VIDEO
An Introduction to the Cowper & Newton Museum – Milton Keynes oldest museum, which opened in 1900 welcomes you!
WATCH VIDEO
A Virtual Walk to William Cowper’s Alcove at Weston Underwood – join us on a walk across country from Olney to Weston Underwood – WATCH VIDEO
A Virtual Walk The Poplar Field by William Cowper – The Poplar Field is one of Cowper’s most famous poems. Museum Trustee, Tom Jones, travelled to the site of Cowper’s Poplars to tell us more about it – WATCH VIDEO
Cowper, Newton and the Abolition Movement: a film with the Royal Holloway, University of London
Meet John Newton, William Cowper and both men’s contribution to the abolition movement that sought to end the slave trade in the last decades of the 18th century – WATCH VIDEO
Global Outreach Federation Milton Keynes
An interview with the organisers of the African Carnival 2021 – WATCH VIDEO
Junior Filmmakers
Junior Filmakers – The Lewis Initiative – February Half Term
This half term, learn film making skills and create films that educate young people about the dangers of knife crime. Find out more at www.juniorfilmmakers.co.uk
Junior Filmmakers celebrates 7 years in MK
A short 5min film looks back at its journey, its projects, the young people who have been through its programme, its current projects with emphasis on its flagship programme ‘The Lewis Initiative’ dedicated to the memory of 17 year old Lewis Robers who died in Springfield in November – VISIT WEBSITE
Junior Filmmakers ‘The Professor and I’
Short video introducing the book ‘The Professor and I’ launched in the summer of 2020 on zoom about one of MK’s leading gynaecologists. There will be a link to purchase a signed copy of the book – VISIT WEBSITE
Short video introducing the book ‘Mine to Give’
A book on sexual violence against women launched in November on zoom during the premiere of the documentary of the same name and attended by 2 African first ladies, the Mayor of MK, global organisations and other guests. There will be a link to purchase a signed copy of the book – VISIT WEBSITE
DIY Signmaking with Juneau Projects
Take part in a workshop with Juneau Projects. Book your free tickets HERE
How to write your poem with Ngoma Bishop
Complexity of Heritage invites young people to explore their identity and heritage through creative spoken-word workshops
VISIT WEBSITE
Saturday Arts Studio; bitesize guides and how-to’s from our artist tutors
Fantastic programme of Saturday Arts Studio sessions now available in miniature with these super bitesize activities for children to practice their creative skills
VISIT WEBSITE
Online Creative Courses; video tutorials on various techniques from our artist tutors
Expert workshops, tutorials, techniques and demonstrations – something for all ages and abilities – VISIT WEBSITE
How to improve inclusivity and diversity in MK
This was a very interesting discussion hosted by our director Anthony Spira and our trustee Fidele Mutwarasibo. Recording of event which took place on Zoom, Thursday 22 October 2020. Key thinkers from a range of industries discuss the complex subject of inclusion and diversity, especially in relation to racial and ethnic issues – WATCH VIDEO
Guy Ortolano: Brasília in North Bucks: The Unlikely Origins of Milton Keynes
The impact of Covid-19 is making us all think about organising events in new and different ways. In this talk, where our speaker will join us live from New York via Zoom, StonyWords (www.stonywords.org.uk) and MK Gallery have joined forces to help uncover other aspects of the story of Milton Keynes – WATCH VIDEO
The Open University
OU Campus Tour
The Open University purchased the site at Walton Hall in 1969 from the Milton Keynes Development Corporation. Building began in April of that year. Since then many campus buildings have been erected, refurbished, extended, demolished and/or renamed across the site. This virtual tour will take you around The Open University campus, pointing out all of the main buildings and revealing the people behind the names given to many of them, including Wilson, Jennie Lee, Christodoulou, Gardiner, Crowther and Briggs
MORE INFORMATION
OU and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes was just two years old when The Open University was created. This exhibition was launched to coincide with Milton Keynes’ 50th anniversary in 2017. It focuses on the relationship between The Open University and Milton Keynes and looks at why Walton Hall was chosen to house the university, features interviews and writings of some of the people involved in the creation of both and investigates how Milton Keynes has been used in the teachings of The Open University over the years
MORE INFORMATION
Make no Little Plans
Make No little Plans is a story of Milton Keynes’ early years, told by those who were part of the Development Corporation, tasked with its planning and development. The film features extracts from interviews of 35 of the staff who worked in different disciplines. It’s a story of audacity and brashness, of teamwork and tussles, of utopian dreams and a bold vision.
WATCH VIDEO
Channel 40 Revisited
This film tells the story of Milton Keynes’ Community Access TV station, Channel 40, and features clips of recently digitised tapes. Milton Keynes Channel 40, went on air in December 1976 and was funded by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation. It was hoped it would foster a sense of community in a new town full of displaced families. It was piped into all new houses in Milton Keynes for free, four hours per week. Competing against Crossroads and Nationwide in the almost primetime hours between 18.00 and 19.30, it pulled in 16% of the audience. But it ceased in 1979 when its funding came to an end.
WATCH VIDEO
MK Islamic Arts Heritage and Culture events
Art in the Park Annual Festival
This inclusive Arts and Culture festival attracts diverse communities from MK and neighbouring towns and cities. This festival showcases how diverse communities working and contributing culturally together, and sharing their heritage.
WATCH VIDEO
Embacing Diversity and Inclusivity Zoom seminar
This symposium brought great speakers from all forms of arts and culture sectors together, sharing and learning best practices. This session led by Award Winning Author and Human Value Optimisation Specialist Susan Popola attending among many were Kate Bashford Head of Arts & Media from MK College, Anthony Spira the CEO of MK Gallery, Nick Mann, CEO of interdirect.co.uk, Urja Desai Thakore, the CEO of Pargra Dance Group, Internation Disable Artits artist Rachel Gadstone.
WATCH VIDEO
Image – credit Charlotte Levy