Service update – early closure 19th March
We will be closing at 4pm today (Wednesday 19th March) to attend a staff meeting.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause. We will be back open as usual on Thursday morning at 10am.
High Street road closure Monday 10th March – Wednesday 12th March
Planning on visiting us on Wednesday 12th March? We’ll be open as usual with pedestrian access but please be aware that the road outside the museum will be closed for most of the day. More information can be found here: https://tellmescotland.gov.uk/tellmescot/pages/notices/detail?uuid=07a12d3a-fddc-3e81-b5b2-c4c710fc75b3.
A Stitch in Time
We’ve got a gorgeous new exhibition installed at John Muir’s Birthplace. It’s family friendly and explores creatively reusing and recycling materials. It features a mixture of stained glass, hoops, paintings and craft ideas from Hannah and Pamela Foster. Free to visit as always!
Saturday 1st February – Sunday 9th March
Wed-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm
John Muir’s Birthplace
Building closure Friday 24th January – red weather warning
Due to the red weather warning issued by the Met Office for Friday 24th January 2025, John Muir’s Birthplace will be closed on essential safety grounds.
Please contact 01620 827827 if you have an urgent enquiry.
We will reopen at 10am on Saturday 25th January (weather permitting). Take care out there everyone!
For further information/latest updates on local impacts, see the East Lothian Council website: https://orlo.uk/c0xy0.
We are hiring!
East Lothian Council Museums Service are looking for seasonal Museum Assistants to support the service across a range of museums (including here at John Muir’s Birthplace).
We are looking for people with with:
- enthusiasm
- flexibility
- great communication skills
- great organisation skills
- and a passion for delivering excellent customer service
If you think you have the skills to help visitors get the most from their visit take a look at the full job advert on MyJobScotland at Seasonal Museum Assistants – Various Positions/Locations – EAL10768 | East Lothian Council | myjobscotland.
The deadline for applications is 26th January 2025.
The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry: East Lothian Safari
10th Anniversary Celebration!
The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry’s world premiere exhibition was held in Prestonpans ten years ago this June.
To celebrate this milestone, they have partnered with East Lothian Council’s museums and libraries to present a special multi-venue exhibition which embeds the tapestry into the communities of its home county.
Selections of panels, in country groupings, will be displayed at 17 venues around East Lothian, including John Muir’s Birthplace.
Where the Light Enters You
Where The Light Enters You: exploring loss and longing in local landscape, with words and images by Vicky Allen
Wednesday 1st May – Sunday 2nd June
Wed-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm John Muir’s BirthplaceThis exhibition is a search for hope amidst the lament around our changing climate and how it is impacting us. From contemplating a changing landscape to noticing the small beauties found all around us, art and words combine to invite us to be attentive to our shared environment with a particular and very local focus.
The title of the exhibition is drawn from Rumi’s famous poem:
“I said: what about my eyes?
He said: Keep them on the road.
I said: What about my passion?
He said: Keep it burning.
I said: What about my heart?
He said: Tell me what you hold inside it?
I said: Pain and sorrow.
He said: Stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
City Slickers in a Smart Countryside
We are opening back up for the summer with a photography exhibition of images taken along the John Muir Way by Sharon McMenemy Khan/4 Pegs Gallery. Celebrating 10 years of the John Muir Way.
“When you’re preparing for the John Muir Way, you focus on navigating: distances, signposts, gradients. Once you start riding along the path, you begin to relax and enjoy the countryside. You disconnect from everyday life and connect with the history of the people and the place. It’s a heart-warming journey that connects you to nature.”
The photographs are taken at different viewpoints from Falkirk to Dunbar.
Nature writing workshop
We are really excited to be hosting a workshop with experienced writer and facilitator Elspeth Wilson. Join Elspeth for a relaxed, creative session on writing about the natural world. This will be a supportive space where all abilities and confidence levels are welcome!
- 2-4pm (including a break)
- Thursday 28th March
- Dunbar Town House
- Free to attend
To book please contact John Muir’s Birthplace at museumseast@eastlothian.gov.uk or on 01368 865899. Booking is essential as places are limited. Do feel free to get in touch or pop in if you have any questions.
Elspeth Wilson is a writer and poet who is interested in exploring the limitations and possibilities of the body through writing, as well as writing about joy and happiness from a marginalised perspective. Her nature writing has been shortlisted for Canongate’s Nan Shepherd Prize and Penguin’s Write Now scheme. Her debut poetry pamphlet, Too Hot to Sleep, is published by Written Off Publishing and was shortlisted for the Saltire Society’s 2023 Poetry Book of the Year Award. Her debut novel, These Mortal Bodies, is forthcoming with Simon and Schuster in 2025. She can usually be found in or near the sea.
The workshop is part of the Scottish Library and Information Council‘s ‘Shelf Life’ project promoting climate engagement across libraries – we’re happy to be sharing it with East Lothian Library Services!
