Banksy v Bristol Museum

I finally made it to the Banksy v Bristol Museum last week. It’s the last week and I’ve been intending to get there ever since it opened. I thought I’d let the initial surge of interest, and consequent queues, die down before, but they have just got longer. We waited for three hours yesterday (having tried a try late after noon when no one will be going strategy and not getting in the day before). It was worth the wait – I thought some of the exhibits were brilliant and pretty much all of them thought provoking. What is staggering is the amount of interest – some people waited for six hours yesterday and every day, to be sure of getting in at opening, the queues are starting at 7am, which is a three hour wait. Yesterday we heard they opened early at 8.30 just to get more folk through. Whilst all ages are represented there is loads of young people waiting for hours to see an art exhibition – I realise for some people that will be a controversial claim, but frankly this guy is a terrifically talented artist. I say guy and use it in the generic sense, of course, no one knows who Banksy actually is. Inspiring, brilliant, funny, wonderful, ingenious, were all words used yesterday – just by me. One thing for sure is whilst I spoke to people in the queue who’d travelled some distances, Bristolians are proud of their street artist. How come on sabbatical it took till a few days before the end? … don’t ask.