On Sunday 20 March the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, is celebrating World Storytelling Day. The event is the Centre’s spring Sunday Special for families and runs from 12.30pm – 4pm. Admission is free and pre-booking is not available – families can sign up for storytelling sessions on the day.

“We are delighted to be celebrating World Storytelling Day this year. We hope families will enjoy hearing stories narrated by two acclaimed storytellers, Hugh Lupton and Teddy Akrofi, in the unique setting of the Sainsbury Centre, which houses an outstanding collection of world and modern European art” – Nell Croose-Myhill, event organiser and MA museology fellow.

World Storytelling Day takes place in over 25 countries and across 5 continents every year on the spring equinox. It is the first global celebration of storytelling. Around the world people tell and listen to stories in different languages and in as many places as possible. Storytellers Hugh Lupton and Teddy Akrofi will be narrating stories from across the globe in the Living Area gallery where the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection of world art is displayed. There will also be creative activities for children in the galleries and Education Studio.

Hugh Lupton has been working as a professional storyteller since 1981. As one of Britain’s leading storytellers he has performed at The British Museum, for BBC radio and at The Edinburgh Festival. His interest in myth, street theatre and music inform his performances and guarantee unpredictable, magical and engaging stories.

Suffolk-based storyteller Teddy Akrofi’s renditions of Ghanaian folktales are often witty and meaningful. His storytelling explores the richness of African cultures through the adventures of the main character, Kwaku Ananse. Drawing on traditional Ghanaian proverbs, Teddy’s performance will be thought provoking and exciting.

Spring Sunday Special, World Storytelling Day
Sunday 20 March, 12.30pm – 4pm
Sign up for story sessions on the day
Admission free
For more information visit www.scva.ac.uk or call 01603 593199


World Storytelling Day
For more information visit http://www.freewebs.com/worldstorytellingday/


Sainsbury Centre opening times, bookings and information
Open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays), 10am to 5pm
Tel 01603 593199 www.scva.ac.uk
Admission to the gallery and permanent collections is free
Special exhibitions are charged – see below

Basketry: making human nature opened on Tuesday 8 February and runs until Sunday 22 May. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays), 10am to 5pm.
Admission £4, concessions £2
Family admission (up to 2 adults and 3 children) £8, concessions £6
www.basketry.ac.uk

A major new exhibition featuring basketry from the ancient world to the present day, which opened at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, on Tuesday 8 February and runs until Sunday 22 May 2011. It comprises world art objects and contemporary art (including a number of new works and commissions) from Western Amazonia, North America, Oceania, Africa, Japan, South-East Asia and Europe. The exhibition, which includes practical items such as a reed boat, a donkey saddle bag and a suit of armour together with art and design pieces, challenges our notions of basketry and explores ideas about the place of basketry in human culture. Amongst the contemporary art in the exhibition are works by Laura Ellen Bacon, Wilfried Popp and Lois Walpole, with new commissions from Mary Butcher and Ueno Masao. The exhibition also includes three works from the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection of world art, which is permanently displayed at the Centre. Basketry: Making Human Nature is curated by Professor Sandy Heslop at the University of East Anglia, and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the Beyond Text programme. The exhibition is in association with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival (6 – 21 May) and is a British Museum Partnership Project.