An external evaluation has commended the York Museum Trust's Territories project, saying it has "maximised the potential of working with the community," and established York Art Gallery as a "cultural centre of creativity and participation."
The project has run since 2007, offering educational events and workshops. It seeks to engage local people with the art works in the York Museums Trust collection, which is principally funded by the Arts Council.
Course attendees represent a wide cross section of the local community, ranging from young mums, children and the elderly, to those with mental health problems, the blind, homeless people and adults with learning difficulties.
Learning opportunities for all
Project coordinator Gaby Lees says, "The overall aim of Territories is to provide creative learning opportunities for people from the wider community. We set out to reach people who would not otherwise visit the gallery, and provide them with some sense of ownership of the gallery via close working with its collections."
The workshops, held at York Art Gallery's Studio, have resulted in noteworthy pieces of work from participants. A ‘homework' group from the local Traveler community who were inspired by the Stubbs & Whistlejacket in York exhibition produced eye catching paintings and cut-outs of horses.
In another instance, NHS occupational therapy patients, inspired by The Grand Tour exhibition, worked with artist Shirley Hudson to create a large sculpture made of old plastic bottles and bags. Subsequently, two ‘Celebration Events' have been held to display such works, attracting a total of 600 people.
Opportunities for museum staff
As well as being a success for participants, the programme has also provided opportunities for Yorkshire Museum Trust staff to increase their own skills base through training on issues such as accessibility; child and vulnerable-person protection; dealing with inappropriate language and behaviour positively; and participation. As a result, museum staff have reported feeling more confident and comfortable at work.
The Territories project's success is in large part due to the overall coordination of the many parties involved in the project, who range from community groups and artist leaders to gallery staff. While logistical problems were predicted at the project's inception, everything has run to plan. As Gaby Lees enthuses: "Once everyone is together in the gallery, magical things begin to happen!"
The success of Territories has inspired all involved to such an extent that partners are now looking at ways of making the project sustainable within the community once current funding runs out in 2010.
For more detailed information on Territories please visit the case study section on the MLA research website