Why take part?
As an organisation we are committed to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As Takeover Day 2021 coincided with the COP26 Conference, it was the perfect opportunity to bring in younger voices into the museum to raise the issues of climate change and other problems we are facing as a global community.
We heard about the Takeover Day through emails from Kids in Museums and we have taken part in previous years.
Who took part?
We worked with a group of 15 Year 9 pupils from Calder High School from Hebden Bridge. We also worked with local artist Alison Cooper on the creative elements of the project.
What did they do on the day?
The group curated a fabulous cabinet for our visitors to enjoy.
“This was an amazing experience for all the staff at the museum. Our Creative Director officially opened the cabinet and stated how she was inspired by their enthusiasm and how proud she was that these young people represented our voices of the future.”
On the day, the pupils took over the role of exhibition managers, curators and display design teams. They worked with the artist and museum team throughout the morning, planning the themes of the display, working with museum objects, creating posters and labels, and laying out how the cabinet would look.
In the afternoon the group organised their display in the museum cabinet. It was a busy day but they successfully co-curated a museum cabinet in around five hours!
The group posed questions in our Reflect and Respond room for visitors to feed back on relating to climate change and other issues we face as a planet. They also created the Wings of The Whitaker, inviting visitors to add their aspirations and dreams for a better world.
What happened next?
The cabinet display and the Wings of The Whitaker remained in the museum for several weeks after Takeover Day. All the visitor feedback was given to the pupils to use in their work back at school.
We are planning to work with the school again to co-curate a gallery trial linking to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as our museum exhibitions.
Tell us about your planning and budget for Takeover Day.
We started planning around four weeks before the day as the school group could only come to the museum on the actual Takeover Day. We had several email conversations and the teacher Scott Coles met with the group a number of times to discuss themes, ideas and objects they would like to include on the day.
I worked on the project for approximately three days, our collections curator for one day and our artist for two days. The artist costs were £200 for the day. We were able to use art materials from the museum stock.
Any learnings or top tips to share?
It is hard for secondary school pupils to get permission to come out of school! The teacher originally planned to visit the museum for two or three days as part of the project so we could do more for the day. In the end he could only get permission for one day.
The pupils have a lot to say so it maybe next time we would go into the school and work with the group if they cannot come to us.
Tags: Climate Emergency, North West
Categories: Climate, Takeover Day Case Studies
Audience: Secondary school, Young people
