The ‘First Museum’ room at Market Hall Museum has been a hive of activity over the last week as it is redisplayed in collaboration with a group of volunteer co-curators.
The new displays explore stories of the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ of antiquarian collecting traditions of the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeology Society of the 19th century. Themes include the beginnings of the Society, collecting contexts, the role of women within the Society, the Society’s hidden voices, and collecting today.
The group of co-curators had been meeting up regularly since October 2024 to design, write text and select the objects which you can see in the display cases. Inspired by research undertaken by our project Researcher and Tour Guide volunteers, the group picked out themes and individuals identified within the research.
Claudia Davies, Collections Assistant for the Unlocking Collections project says ‘This is the first time we have co-curated an exhibition at Heritage & Culture Warwickshire. It has been a massive learning curve but a very rewarding experience. This exhibition would not have been possible without the support and contributions of our volunteers.’
Are you a collector? What do you collect? The new display in the First Museum gives you the chance to tell us about your collections and who knows - we may be seeing your objects and stories in the Museum!’
The Unlocking Collections project is funded by Arts Council England.
Lucy Tibbles, Volunteer Co Ordinator says ‘This project has been a unique opportunity to engage our community. We are proud of what the team of Volunteers have achieved. Working with our Curators to “Co-Curate” the story of our founding collection, they have brough new perspectives and skills to the team. Many of the Volunteers have discovered a passion for local history and we are delighted to find them new Volunteers roles within Heritage & Culture Warwickshire.’
The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday 1st May, with a VIP launch event that evening to celebrate the work of the project staff and volunteers.
Pop into Market Hall Museum to take a look at the new displays. The Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, FREE entry.