In addition to Manchester Museum’s array of treasures including a T.Rex, fossils, ancient Egyptian artefacts, amphibians and reptiles, there are a number of free exhibitions running and coming up in August:

Romuald Hazoumè: Dance of the Butterflies
14 February 2015-September 2015
Dance of the Butterflies is a stunning new art work by one of Africa’s foremost contemporary artists Romuald Hazoumè, featuring swarms of multicoloured ‘butterflies’ have taken over the Museum’s Living Worlds gallery, interacting with the Museum’s own collections.  The hundreds of butterflies are made from off-cuts of vibrant African wax-print fabrics from the artist’s home country of Benin.  Dance of the Butterflies represents a very African take on politics, exploitation and the ‘butterfly effect’- the way in which tiny impulses within chaotic systems can lead to unexpectedly serious effects.  The display opened to coincide with the reopening of the Whitworth, following a £15million redevelopment.

Making Monuments on Rapa Nui
The Statues from Easter Island
1 April-6 September 2015
The monumental stone statues of the island of Rapa Nui in the Pacific Ocean (named Easter Island by European explorers) are some of the most widely recognised archaeological objects in the world. Based on fieldwork on the island by Professor Colin Richards, an archaeologist at The University of Manchester, the exhibition takes a fresh look at these impressive statues, or ‘moai’.  Making Monuments considers how the statues were made, the role they played in the lives of the islanders, how they were quarried and transported across the island, and what they mean, whilst debunking some of the myths about the island, and discussing current theories about the decline of this astonishing culture. As part of the exhibition, Manchester Museum will show one of the statues, Moai Hava, which was collected from Rapa Nui in 1868, and is on loan from the British Museum.  More details about the Making Monuments on Rapa Nui exhibition here.

Family events and activities:
Summer holidays

Summer Holiday Activities: Treasure
Mon 20 July – Sun 30 Aug, 11am-4pm
Drop in, families
Discover something new this summer at Manchester Museum.
Collect a map as your explore the Museum’s collections, visit the object handling tables, and create some treasure of your very own.

Treasure Big Saturday
Sat 1 Aug, 11am-4pm
Drop in, families
Get your treasure hunting kit and discover and find out more about some of the museum’s treasures; from under the sea treasures to gems.  Create some treasure of your very own.

Baby Explorers
Tues 4 Aug, 10.30-11.15am & 11.30am-12.15pm
Bookings will be taken a week in advance from 2pm on 0161 275 2648, free
Sensory play and interactive story sessions for babies who aren’t walking yet.  Every other Tuesday (except Feb & Oct half term school holidays when there are drop-in sensory play sessions 11am-2.30pm).

Baby Explorers Drop In
Tues 4 Aug, 1-2pm
Drop in, free
Sensory play and music for babies who aren’t walking yet.  Every other Tuesday.

Baby Explorers
Tues 18 Aug, 10.30-11.15am & 11.30am-12.15pm
Bookings will be taken a week in advance from 2pm on 0161 275 2648, free
Sensory play and interactive story sessions for babies who aren’t walking yet. Every other Tuesday (except Feb & Oct half term school holidays when there are drop-in sensory play sessions 11am-2.30pm).

Baby Explorers Drop In
Tues 18 Aug, 1-2pm
Drop in, free
Sensory play and music for babies who aren’t walking yet. Every other Tuesday.

Magic Carpet
Fri 28 Aug, 10.30-11.30am & 11.30am-12.30pm
Book on 0161 275 2648 (from a week before from 2pm), free, under 5s and their families/carers
Story making and activity sessions.  For toddlers up to 5yrs and their families/carers (Young babies welcome with older siblings).

Hands-on
Drop-in, free, all ages
Throughout the week visit one of the handling tables and get hands-on with objects from the collection, such as an Alexander the Great coin, an urban fox and an ancient Egyptian scarab beetle.

Talks, tours and workshops for adults:

English Corner
Tues 4 Aug, 1-2.30pm
Drop-in, free, adults
Free English conversation classes using the Museum’s collection as inspiration for discussion.

Rock Drop: Geology Identification Sessions
Thurs 27 Aug, 2-3pm
Drop-in, free
Curator of Earth Sciences, David Gelsthorpe, will be available once a month to answer your questions and identify your rocks and fossils.

Taster tours
Every Tues & Thurs, 1pm. Every Wed, 2pm
Drop-in (no need to book), free, meet at the Information Desk (Floor G)
Come and join one of the Visitor Team for a tour and learn more about some of the fascinating objects on display at the Museum.  Tours are drop-in and focus on different aspects of the Museum and its collections each time.

Vivarium tours
Every Thurs, 12pm
Book on 0161 275 2648, free
Take a tour of one of the most popular and distinctive galleries at Manchester Museum. Explore the comprehensive collection of live reptiles and understand how the Museum is taking a leading role in the conservation of some of the world’s most endangered amphibians.

You may also be interested in:

Manchester Museum holding butterfly release on Election Day
Manchester Art Gallery to host ‘An Exhibition for Modern Living’
Play It! at MOSI – festival of computer games