This summer the Sainsbury Centre’s exciting events programme includes lots for free activities for families. The annual Family Fun Day on Sunday 1 August from midday until 4pm, in association with Norwich Evening News, will include live performances, creative activities, fun and games. This year’s theme, Explore the World, links to the Sainsbury Centre’s extraordinary collection of world art, which comprises objects from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. From Tuesday 27 – Sunday 5 September from 11am – 4pm the Sainsbury Centre will be offering artist-designed drop-in activities for families to do together as part of the Centre’s Object of the Holiday series. Family Fun Day, Object of the Holiday activities and admission to the gallery is free. The Centre is closed on Mondays including August Bank Holiday Monday.


Every school holiday the Sainsbury Centre offers Object of the Holiday activities for families. This holiday the activities all link to the Mini Museum, a group of small objects in the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection that were personal favourites of Sir Robert Sainsbury.

“Sir Robert Sainsbury was especially fond of small sculptures, a selection of which he arranged in a special display cabinet in his bedroom. Its composition changed over the years until Sir Robert’s death in 2000.The final version has been recreated in the gallery so visitors may enjoy Sir Robert’s personal choice of fine miniature sculptures from many lands and many periods” – Emma Hazell, Assistant Curator (maternity cover).

Families will be able to spend the day at the Centre and enjoy the host of things on offer. At the activity table, which is kindly sponsored by The Hewett School, there will be artist-designed things to make and do (Tuesday to Sunday each week from 11am to 4pm). Amongst the activities will be the chance to make a Mini Museum. The Object of the Holiday activity booklet designed by artist Sarah Florence with support from the Centre’s guides includes fun facts about the Mini Museum, drawing activities, trails, word games, things to do when you get home and other challenges.
Children can also enjoy stories about Japan and the miniature inspired by the permanent collections and narrated by Sainsbury Centre guides (Tuesday 3 August – Saturday 8 August at 11am).

At Fun Day on Sunday 1 August there will be lots of fun and creative activities suitable for all the family, inspired by countries around the world that are represented in the Sainsbury Centre’s Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection. There will be the chance to make an Alaskan hunter’s hat and drop-in to a workshop with Chie Kutsuwada, one of the UK’s pre-eminent manga artists, and have a go at manga-style drawing. Fun Day will mark the end of a week-long residency at the Sainsbury Centre for Chie, during which she is running workshops and working on art projects in the galleries and Education Studio.

Throughout the event there will be live performances from Norwich-based band Brolly Folk and world dance workshops. There will also be a parade of classic Harley-Davidsons from the Iceni Motorcycle Club. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, or treat themselves to an ice-cream or something from the BBQ. The Sainsbury Centre Gallery Café will also be open serving a range of drinks and light lunches.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming even more families to another great Fun Day this year and are delighted to be able to offer it for free. There’s something to keep everyone entertained so why not drop in and see what we have to offer?” – Emily Ward, Education and Events Officer.

This Fun Day, the Sainsbury Centre is also celebrating its participation in the BBC and British Museum project, A History of the World. The Antler Comb, currently on display in the Living Area gallery, is one of ten objects selected to tell the history of Norfolk and its place in the world. Visitors to the History of the World stand will find creative activities linked to the comb and an artist-designed activity trail to help them explore the Centre and collections.

In addition to the activities outside visitors will be able to enjoy a display of artwork by children from years 4 and 5 at Valley Primary School in Norwich. The work was made on a special visit to the Sainsbury Centre supported by Bayer Crop Science. Amongst the other things to do inside will be tours of the gallery’s permanent collections by the Sainsbury Centre’s guides. Children can also pick up one of our activity booklets, full of puzzles, activities and fun facts, or use one of our gallery trails to explore the Centre’s collections. During Fun Day, there will be free admission to the Sainsbury Centre’s two special exhibitions (usual price £4, concessions £2, family price £8, concessions £6): Henry Moore Textiles is an exhibition of Moore’s fabric designs from the 1940s and 1950s, while unearthed brings together small prehistoric ceramic figurines from the Balkans and Japan for the first time.

Event detail is subject to the weather. The event will take place inside the Sainsbury Centre if it is raining.