Friday 15th April 2022
Venue: Chawton House
Join conservator Victoria Stevens for a hands-on creative workshop, inspired by Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, an 18th century book of medicinal plants that is currently on display in our exhibition Botanical Women.
Manuscript pigments are easy to make and fun to use, traditionally coming from natural resources. In this workshop, children can grind and mix the sort of pigments that Elizabeth Blackwell would have used to create her colourful drawings of plants. Children can mix up their own natural pigments, even using materials that can be found in the grounds of Chawton House!
This workshop will introduce children to some of the exciting things that we find in older manuscripts, like animals drawn on the margins of the pages! These colourful and often chaotic creatures will be reproduced as colouring sheets for children to paint with their pigments, creating a fantastic artwork for them to take home with them.
This workshop is suitable for children aged 2-5.
An accompanying adult must be present for the duration of the workshop.
All workshops have been subject to health and safety and risk assessment for all substances used. 
Why not pre-book a Picnic Bag for you and your child to enjoy after the Colourful Creatures workshop?
Please click here to pre-order your Picnic Bags.
About Victoria Stevens ACR:
Victoria Stevens ACR is a library and archive conservator accredited by the Institute of Conservation (Icon) with over 25 years’ experience.
As well as conserving physical collections, she is particularly involved in engagement, interpretation and outreach: through her bolt-on business, offering highly tactile sensory workshops which aim to enable everyone to understand and enjoy the material qualities of archives and their conservation.
To find out more about her work click here.