News - John Muir's Birthplace

April at John Muir’s Birthplace

10 Apr 2025

We’ve got an exciting programme of events lined up to celebrate John Muir’s birthday month.

Firstly, there will be a new exhibition from East Lothian Climate Hub opening on Wednesday 23rd April.

East Lothian Vision 2040: Climate Creativity is an exhibition of inspiring artwork, stories and poems on climate and nature by secondary school students.

Wednesday 23rd April – Sunday 1st June

Wednesday – Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1-5pm

Free entry

As part of this exhibition there will be a spoken word event on Saturday 26th April with students doing live readings of their stories and poetry.

Saturday 26th April

2.30-3.30pm

Free entry

Finally, Friends of John Muir’s Birthplace are gathering at St. Anne’s Dunbar for a rehearsed reading of ‘The John Muir Way,’ a new play about the women in John Muir’s life. Written by the award winning Rebekah King and performed by Battery Theatre Company, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate John Muir’s birthday!

Monday 21st April

7.30-9pm

St Anne’s, Dunbar

Refreshments provided. Free entry with cash donations welcome on the night.

Service update – early closure 19th March

19 Mar 2025

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

07 Mar 2025

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

05 Feb 2025

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

You can find Hannah on Instagram, Facebook and Etsy.

Building closure Friday 24th January – red weather warning

23 Jan 2025

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!

10 Jan 2025

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

09 Jul 2024

10^th 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

01 May 2024

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 Birthplace

This 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

02 Apr 2024

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.

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