2008 AT IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM NORTH
Open daily. Admission free.

Having marked our fifth anniversary in 2007 with a UK Large Visitor Attraction Silver Award, we are looking forward to 2008’s rich mix of exhibitions and programmes designed to keep visitors thinking and talking about war and conflict. George Rodger’s sensitive and telling pictures of the Second World War will be followed by a major exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War in partnership with Terry Deary and Scholastic Children’s Books, the publishers of the  Horrible Histories series. In line with our inclusive approach, smaller exhibitions will look at the experiences of a wide range of people from a family from Kabul to families living with those returning from wars, and for the first time, we will be creating a small exhibition to run alongside the Pride Festival entitled ‘Military Pride’. I hope it will be another full and surprising year at IWM North with something for everyone in our programme.
Jim Forrester, Director Imperial War Museum North

FROM FEBRUARY …

NEW MAJOR PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION:
CONTACT: George Rodger’s war photographs
Special Exhibitions Gallery 9 February – 27 April 2008

To celebrate the centenary of George Rodger’s birth, Imperial War Museum North presents a major photographic exhibition of the life and wartime work of this extraordinary photographer. 

Born in Hale, Cheshire, George Rodger (1908 – 1995) was a largely self-taught and uniquely gifted photographer and pioneering photojournalist who never lost his concern and sympathy for the victims of conflict.  As a photographer for Life Magazine during the Second World War, George Rodger travelled to most major war zones, photographing what he saw for a distant audience in America.  Starting in wartime London, George Rodger’s photographs record his personal journey and growing horror of war as much as the course of the war itself.   After his experiences, especially at Belsen concentration camp, George Rodger sought to abandon war photography.  However he could not escape the conflicts of the post war era entirely.  His coverage of Palestinian refugees and the Mau Mau in Kenya is as poignant and powerful as that of the London Blitz.
 
Contact reveals how the challenges and changing nature of photojournalism in wartime shaped George Rodger’s work and experience.  It examines his lasting legacy both as a photographer and as co-founder, together with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and David (Chim) Seymour, of the legendary Magnum photographic cooperative agency 60 years ago.  

FROM MARCH …

SMALL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION:
Fathers, Brothers, Sons: Photographs by Seamus Murphy

The WaterWay, 15 March – 6 July 2008
Seamus Murphy has received six World Press Photo awards and won widespread acclaim for his work in Afghanistan and the Middle East.  This small but powerful display illustrates the moving story of the Ba Deli family of Kabul's Old City in Afghanistan as they live their lives through civil war, the Taliban regime, the arrival of Coalition Forces and subsequent attempts to build a stable democracy. The exhibition has been specially developed for Imperial War Museum North and the majority of images are on public display for the very first time.

FROM MAY …

NEW MAJOR EXHIBITION: 

Horrible Histories: the Frightful First World War – the exhibition
A partnership between Imperial War Museum North, Terry Deary and Scholastic Children's Books
Special Exhibitions Gallery 24 May 2008 – January 2009

This exhibition, based on one of the most popular books in the Horrible Histories series (The Frightful First World War published by Scholastic Children’s Books), is specially designed for younger visitors and commemorates the 90th Anniversary of the end of the First World War. 

“Of all the history in the world”, says Horrible Histories author Terry Deary, ”the story of the Great War is perhaps the most horrible.  It is a story of what happens when machines go to war and human beings get in the way” and the exhibition will focus on the men and women, servicemen and civilians, who shaped and endured what was described as the war to end all wars.

The exhibition will feature Terry Deary’s powerful words and artist Martin Brown’s acerbic illustrations alongside sounds, art, film, photographs and objects from Imperial War Museum’s unrivalled collections, to tell the tales of the key battles and landmarks of the First World War. 

Visitors will learn about Maconochie hotpot; find out who DORA was; follow the exciting sport of beetle racing; smell a battlefield latrine; and learn why the words ‘never again’ must never be forgotten.

Lisa Edwards, publisher of the Horrible Histories series at Scholastic Children’s Books said “We are delighted that Imperial War Museum North have given us this opportunity to see our World War One title brought to life with artefacts from their incredible collection, bringing the human story of the War to a wider audience”.

For further information and press contact details for Horrible Histories and Scholastic see notes to editors.

FROM JULY …
NEW SMALL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION:
Military Pride
The WaterWay, 12 July – 12 October 2008
This small but powerful display reveals via portrait photography and personal testimony the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people within the context of conflict, war and military service. Military Pride will also detail historical context and a timeline of post 1945 legislature and policies within the Armed Forces. Military Pride is timed to connect with the Manchester Pride Festival.

FROM OCTOBER …
NEW SMALL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION:
Stranger In The House
The WaterWay, November 2008 – February 2009
What happens when a soldier returns home to his family, after years away?  Told from the women's perspective, this small display brings together personal stories from new research and existing unpublished testimony, revealing the moving experiences of families readjusting to life after husbands, fathers and sons return home. An accompanying book, by curator and writer Julie Summers, is published by Simon & Schuster in September 2008.

NEW TO THE PERMANENT DISPLAYS IN 2008
A new exhibition “silo” dedicated to the Legacy of War will explore the physical and emotional impacts of war and conflict on individuals, and the inter-relationships between damaged landscapes and communities.  Through powerful personal stories (from Imperial War Museum’s rich collections and from partnerships with local community groups and Veterans from the North of England), this new interactive space will reveal how the experiences of war and conflict leave a long-term legacy on people’s lives from the First World War to the present day.

Notes to editors

Horrible Histories and Scholastic
Horrible Histories is the world’s best-selling history series for children. The first books were published in 1993 and the series has gone on to sell over 20 million copies globally, in 37 countries and 31 languages. By focusing on the “nasty bits” of history, author Terry Deary’s irreverent humour and Martin Brown’s witty cartoons have made history accessible and entertaining for children of all ages.
www.horrible-histories.co.uk

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children’s books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company’s internet site www.scholastic.co.uk.

For further press information contact Alyx Price, Group PR Director, Scholastic UK Ltd 020 7756 7777 aprice@scholastic.co.uk