MUSEUMS HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY CHILDREN
On Friday 11 November, Britain’s museums were part of a youth revolution. From Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall to Manchester Art Gallery, young people wore their ‘I’m Taking Over’ stickers to let everyone know who was in charge.
It was Takeover Day 2011 in museums, the day on which young people are given a meaningful role in museums, galleries, heritage sites and historic homes. The day is organised by Kids in Museums, in partnership with the Children’s Commissioner. For a full list of who took part, scroll to the bottom of the page.
At the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, 12 ten-year-olds chose WW1 objects from the collection, put up a display and even launched it with a press release. ‘My favourite part was placing the objects into the case. I had so much fun. It was really fun wearing the white gloves so we could pick things up,’ said one Year 6 participant.
At the Galleries of Justice, Nottingham, sixth formers were let loose on the archive. ‘It smells so good in here, like an old book,’ said one. A ten-year-old worked with the Marketing Officer, attending a meeting at a local hotel to explore how the museum could work more closely with them.
At Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Museum, 13 young people provided feedback on what they thought worked – and what didn’t. ‘We want more activities for our age group – not under fives, not OAP – but teenagers!’ they said. They also asked for better advertising of what the Gallery does already, so more of their friends know about it. The kids were so inspired by the day they even asked about internships and work placement. ‘We would definitely visit the museum again – due to Takeover,’ they said.
‘The young people brought a real buzz to the Gallery,. It was delightful talking to them and hearing about what they were doing both at school and in the sessions. They filled lots of flip chart paper and had some great ideas which we look forward to realising in the coming programme. I really hope that we shall be able to repeat this event and well done to Kids in Museums for suggesting it – a great idea.’
Corinne Miller, Head of Arts and Heritage, Wolverhampton
Make Takeover Day last all year round!
Putting young people at the heart of a museum is something we at Kids in Museums believe in and work towards. It not only opens new opportunities to children, it enormously benefits museums too, energizing and enlivening them with new ideas and audiences.
Here are some ideas and resources to help young people and museums work together year round:
If you’re a young person, youth organization or work with young people and would like help to be put in touch with your local museum, just email us at takeoverday@kidsinmuseums.org.uk.
If you’re a museum, here’s what you can do to involve young people in your future:
- Download our All You Need to Know About Takeover Day information sheet – as an A3 poster to display or as A4 pages. The information sheet includes sections on how to Recruit Young People and Six Simple Ways to include them.
- For ideas and inspiration, download Case Studies from Takeover Day in Museums 2010:
- Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford
- Woodhorn Museum and Archive, Northumberland
- Chelmsford Museum, Essex
- The Wallace Collection, London
- Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax
- V&A Museum, London
- Download our Kids in Museums Fact Sheet, giving a list of organizations to approach to help recruit young people.
Why don’t you take part in Takeover Day 2012?
Just email takeoverday@kidsinmuseums.org.uk with any queries and to keep in touch about your plans.
To read the full report on Takeover Day 2010 click here.
For more guidance and resources for Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day visit the Children’s Commissioner for England’s website.
Museums that took part in Takeover Day 2011
Tate Liverpool, Royal Airforce Museum Cosford, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, London Transport Museum, North Lincolnshire Museums, Museum of London, People’s History Museum, National Museums Liverpool, Woodhorn Museum & Archive, Tullie House Museums & Art Gallery, Eureka!, Falmouth Art Gallery, River and Rowing Museum, Horniman Museum, Wallace Collection, Bradford Museums, Chase Canvas, Museum Wales, Royal Artillery Museum, National Museum of the Royal Navy, Imperial War Museum North, Pitt Rivers Museum, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lewes Priory Trust, Blisthills, Tyne & Wear Museums, Florence Nightingale Museum, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, Penlee House Gallery, Galleries of Justice, Hampton Court Palace, Lacock Abbey, The Deep, National Space Centre
