2016 was the 75th anniversary of the death of Amy Johnson, Hull’s flying heroine. Born in Hull in 1903, Amy Johnson CBE was one of the most influential and inspirational women of the twentieth century. She was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia and set a string of other records throughout her career.
During the 1920s and 1930s aviation was dominated by the rich and famous and most female pilots were titled women such as Lady Heath, the Duchess of Bedford and Lady Bailey. But Amy was the first woman to gain a ground engineer’s “C” licence and, whilst working as a secretary, she took flying lessons. In 1929 she was awarded her pilot’s licence and just a year later set of solo for Australia!
Amy Johnson Festival marked this anniversary and celebrated Amy’s life, achievements and legacy with an ambitious programme of the arts and engineering sciences appealing to all interests and ages. You can see what went on in the downloadable programme.
There is quite a legacy from the Festival. A Moth for Amy comes to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday 6 May when many of the artist decorated giant moths will be auctioned for charity. Many of the Living Amy commissions and the award winning 75 Second Films can be accessed through this website, and we also have a range of Festival items for sale through our on-line shop. You can see our range of educational resources on our website too.
Following the Moth for Amy auction we will be announcing our future plans for sustaining awareness of and interest in Amy Johnson.
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that Ensemble 52‘s stunning multimedia theatre piece Aviatrix is heading to Paris in July! It will form part of Dreams Before Dawn Festival, curated by Bred in the Bone. The festival presents emerging theatre made in the UK, celebrating the UK’s ability to absorb influences from all around Europe. Aviatrix is a collaboration between award-winning, […]
It’s Bank Holiday Monday, which means it must be time for our Big Moth Treasure Hunt – here’s hoping you strike gold and find what you’re searching for… There are seven pieces of treasure scattered across Hull. Just to help you out a little, four are around the city centre (ish), and three are in […]
We’re absolutely delighted to welcome four of our national Moths back onto home soil. Australian Tiger Moth, Geoffrey, Flight Over Thailand and I Believe I Can Fly, previously at Sheffield University, Science Museum London, Croydon and Herne Bay respectively, are now back in Hull, ensconced at Hull Paragon for all Moth app collectors and enthusiasts […]
