MICROSCOPY

 June – 7 September 2025 Northampton Museum & Art Gallery £25 per team Step into the role of a detective and solve a series of curious and whimsical mysteries in your local museum. Using our companion app, you'll explore the museum to uncover hidden clues and encounter life-sized cardboard characters—each one a possible suspect, witness, or victim. Work together to connect the dots, follow the twists in each story, and put your problem-solving skills to the test. It’s the perfect activity for families, friends, or anyone with a curious mind looking for a fun and unique experience. What to Expect A Unique Blend of Games Enjoy a one-of-a-kind adventure that combines elements of a murder mystery, escape room, scavenger hunt, and even a touch of Where’s Wally. Team up and see if you can crack the case. An Immersive Museum Adventure Watch the museum transform into a crime-solving playground. Track down cardboard clues, solve puzzles, and interact with quirky characters—surprises await around every corner. Three Curious Cases to Solve Your adventure lasts between 1 to 2 hours and includes three entertaining cases, from a vandalized moustache to a victim flattened by an ancient sarcophagus. Ready to solve the mystery? Gather...

Get ready for a showcase of the most hilariously bad album art ever created! The Worst Record Covers in the World exhibition features collector Steve Goldman’s unique selection of over 500 unintentionally awful record sleeves. From bizarre design choices to laugh-out-loud concepts gone wrong, this exhibition celebrates creative risk and the joy of failure in art. Visitors can even listen to tracks from these records and vote for their favourite “worst” cover. Admission is free — come for the cringe, stay for the comedy!

Explore the history of gladiatorial fights in Britain.   The events of the amphitheatre – its wild beasts and enslaved fighters – are one of the most enduring aspects of Roman culture that still capture the public imagination today. This touring exhibition brings together some of the country's most important objects to tell the story of Britain's entertainment venues and the people who died to the roar of the crowd. It will reveal the violence of the arena, and the importance of spectacle within Roman culture. Highlights include the Colchester Vase loaned by Colchester Museums, which records an actual battle between two real gladiators, and the Hawkedon Helmet, the only confirmed piece of gladiatorial armour from Roman Britain. These iconic loans will be supported by a selection of other items that reveal the popularity of gladiators throughout Roman society. This tour is in partnership with Colchester and Ipswich Museums and is inspired by the recent exhibition at Colchester Castle, Gladiators: A Day at the Roman Games which featured British Museum loans. It will explore Roman spectacle in the local region, following in the footsteps of the gladiators who fought in the amphitheatres of Britain.

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery Saturday 17 May - Sunday 28 June 2025 The exhibition F332 illustrates the work of 14 photographers who find themselves at a personal crossroads; as they move on to the next phase of their career they share with us an eclectic mix of photographs and projects that explore their unique experiences.  

For centuries, landscape was considered an unworthy subject for serious artistic exploration. Northampton Museum & Art Gallery Until Sunday 4 October When landscape did appear in paintings, it was often relegated to the background—merely a setting for religious or historical scenes. This perception began to shift in the 17th century with the work of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain. These pioneering artists crafted idealised rural vistas to illustrate the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome, imbuing natural elements with metaphorical meaning. Through their romantic and structured visions of the countryside, landscape painting began to gain recognition as a meaningful art form. It was not until the 19th century, however, that landscape truly came into its own. Artists such as J.M.W. Turner and John Constable redefined the genre, capturing the drama, emotion, and grandeur of the natural world. Their work affirmed landscape as a powerful subject in its own right—one that continues to inspire artists to this day. Drawing from the museum collections, this exhibition explores the evolution of landscape painting, where nature takes centre stage.