National Museums Liverpool Blog - learning

The Telegraph family friendly award 2012 has just been launched by Kids in Museums and the Telegraph newspaper. It's the biggest museum award in Britain and the only one judged by families, so to win would be a huge achievement.

We think that World Museum deserves a family friendly award, because there are so many activities inside for all ages. We hope that you agree - if you do then please send in a nomination! You just need to email award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk before 2 December and say why World Museum is family friendly and deserves to win. Further details about the award are on the Kids in Museums website.

In case you need convincing, visitor host Fred Billingham has described what's on offer for family visitors at World Museum:

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Volunteer supervised craft activities can be found on the 4th floor, linking to our current temporary exhibition, Age of The Dinosaur. These provide an opportunity for youngsters to get creative, making dino masks or colouring in prehistoric scenes, with a little help from our team of volunteers.

In our interactive centres, the Weston Discovery Centre and Clore Natural History Centre, you have to expect the unexpected! You could meet a real life Viking, make a Chinese lantern, come face to face with a hippopotamus skull and learn more fascinating facts about objects in our collections from the friendly demonstrators.

In our community base you can see displays of painting and sculpture produced by local community groups, often influenced by objects or experiences linked to the museum.

We also provide a variety of trails to create a self guided tour around the museum. Kids and grown ups need to work together to answer a series of questions set by our baby iguanadon Iggy, which will help unearth some of the hidden treasures we have on display.

All this is on top of two of our most popular attractions that are open every day. The ever popular planetarium shows a range of presentations aimed at all ages, from the Sunshine show, a fun introduction to astronomy for children, to Magnificent Desolation, focusing on the moon and its exploration. Live rock pool encounters shows are held in the aquarium, where you can learn all about starfish, crabs and other creatures you might find beachcombing.

These are just some examples of the activities available at World Museum recently, with plenty more to come over the future months. Either check the What's on page on our website, or just pop down to the museum. Our friendly staff in the atrium will be happy to greet you and let you know what we have to offer on any given day. And the best part of all is that all these activities, except the current exhibition, are completely free!

Here's a report from Eilish Clarke from the Unity Youth Theatre, on a project she has been involved in connected to the current Toxteth 1981 exhibition, which is building towards a new perfomance on 28 October, as part of the Black History Month events.

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"For the past few months the International Slavery Museum has been working with the Unity Youth Theatre and Clapperboard film project, to help give us a better understanding of the 1981 Toxteth Uprising. As a member of the Unity Youth Theatre, I think it is fair to say we all had very little knowledge of the topic when we first started. However, as the project has progressed we have all become very interested in learning about how the Uprising came about and how it affected the people of Toxteth and Liverpool.

During this project we have been given the opportunity to meet a wide range of fascinating people who have told us their real life stories from the events that took place in July 1981. The first person we met with was Leroy Cooper who used music, dance and photography to show us his interpretation from the Toxteth Uprising. It was brilliant to hear what Leroy Cooper had to say as he was present when the Uprisings started. The next person we met with was John, who was a fire fighter from Toxteth in 1981. He told us what it felt like to be there at the time, especially as he could understand why people were so angry, yet it was important that he was doing his job correctly. This was a really interesting account to listen to.

As well as meeting people who were involved in the Toxteth Uprising, the group also visited the area of Liverpool 8 affected and the Toxteth 1981 exhibition in the museum. Historian Laurence Westgaph took us around Toxteth and told us about the buildings that used to be there before the Uprisings. Laurence also told us accounts he had heard from people he has spoken with through his research. Everyone in the Unity Youth Theatre agreed this was a brilliant session as we were able to put images in our head from the place we have been studying. It was also interesting to learn the history of an area we have all travelled through so many times. Visiting the International Slavery Museum to see the exhibition was also a good session as we were able to read more accounts from people who were involved in the Uprising as well as seeing pictures and newspaper clippings.

Over the next few months we will use the information we have collected to create a performance, which we will show at the International Slavery Museum on 28 October, 7pm. This will hopefully be used to give more people an insight into what happened in Toxteth in July 1981, and also why it happened."

This year we've got our busiest ever programme for Black History Month, with lots of free events taking place across several venues. Here's some information about the subject of one of the first talks, activist Olive Morris, from education manager Vikky Evans-Hubbard:

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"Do you remember Olive Morris? was a community art project seeking to bring to wider public attention the history of Brixton-based activist Olive Morris (1952-1979).

In her short life, Olive Morris co-founded the Brixton Black Women’s Group and the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent (OWAAD) and was part of the British Black Panther Movement. She campaigned for access to education, decent living conditions for Black communities and fought against state and police repression. Despite dying at a young age, she empowered the people who lived and worked around her.
 
At the project’s inception, there were no public records about Olive Morris, and no information about her was available on the internet.
 
This long term project was started in 2006 by Brixton-based artist Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre, when she encountered a photograph of Olive Morris taken by British Black Panthers’ photographer Neil Kenlock. The photo shows Olive Morris standing at a Black Panther Movement demonstration in Coldharbour Lane in 1969, and holding a placard reading: “BLACK SUFFERER FIGHT PIG POLICE BRUTALITY”. Research into this particular moment in local history led to a meeting with community activist Liz Obi, a friend and colleague of Olive Morris, who then become a key collaborator in the project.  
 
On Monday 3 October the International Slavery Museum is pleased to welcome Nadja Middleton, from the Remembering Olive Collective, who will tell us more about this inspirational young woman's life and the project that has preserved her memory.
 
During October, Olive Morris will be added to the Black achievers wall in the Legacy gallery.
 
To reserve a place for this free event, please call 0151 478 4432."

At this time of year, I am always envious of my colleagues working in schools because of the long summer holidays they enjoy. However, in reality I realise that throughout the year teachers invest a lot of additional time planning lessons and working out creative ways to help children enjoy learning.

At the Walker Art Gallery this month we have an exhibition of work by 16 schools. It is well worth a look if you are a teacher looking for new ideas to use in the classroom, or if you are curious to see artworks from the next generation of ‘Picassos’ and ‘Monets’.  

Each class has taken inspiration from a pre-determined picture in the Walker’s collection. The 'Take One Picture' scheme is part of an annual collaboration with Edge Hill University and the National Gallery, London. Through a placement at the gallery, teachers develop the skills to use a painting as a basis for a cross- curricular project. Later in the year, they return to the gallery with their class and do follow-up activities at school. We run an evening event where the teachers can share their learning and the work their classes have produced. Finally, a showcase of the work produced by the children goes on display in the gallery, for everyone to enjoy. This is a great opportunity for both the children and the trainee teachers – not many people get a chance to have work on display in a national gallery!

The amazing thing about the work that the children produce is just how different each classes approach can be. From a shared starting point, like this year’s choice of 'Springtime in Eskdale' by James McIntosh Patrick and Waterhouse's Echo & Narcissus, you get incredible variety of subject areas covered. Some use the art work to inspire creative writing, poetry or music while others focus on science and geography. A child being taught by a trainee teacher on this years’ scheme actually visited Eskdalemuir in Scotland to bring back photos for her class to use in the display, such was her enthusiasm!

If you are a teacher and would like to find out more about our galleries and museums, or how you can use our collections as a springboard for creative learning, please call us on 0151 478 4788. You can also visit the Education pages of the website, where you can browse a database of free learning sessions and resources.

'Take One Picture' is on display at the Walker Art Gallery from 3 August until 22 September.

The Museum of Liverpool education team is currently trying to track down a number of objects they can use as handling resources for learning sessions when the new museum opens.

Being able to touch and feel an object is a great way of bringing history to life for visitors, and if you think you can help provide us with any of the objects listed below, then please get in touch.

The list of objects required is as follows:
• Liverpool-made toys
• Victorian metal bucket and spade set
• Vintage Union Jack flag
• Opera glasses
• Top hat
• Items linked to imports and exports from Liverpool history - clay pipes, locally made clocks and watches, Herculaneum pottery, tea chests with Liverpool links.
• First World War or home front items linked to Liverpool such as postcards, mementos or photographs
• Carpet bag
• 19th Century Italian lire
• Victorian Knife sharpening equipment or tailoring equipment
• Items related to the Liverpool Overhead Railway
• Docker’s Hook
• Original Beatles records
• 1950s or 1960s transistor radio and TV
• 1960s primary or secondary school text books
• Old-style school desk  - wooden with inkwell
• 1960s Afghan coat

All you have to do is email our assistant curator of urban history Katie Brown on katie.brown@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk with the words handling items in the subject line. Donors must be based in the Liverpool area for ease of collection.

Did you know that today is International Mother Language Day? UNESCO set up the date to help safeguard and promote languages and linguistic diversity.

The date is significant as it is the anniversary of a student demonstration in 1952 for the recognition of their language Bangla as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan. Some of the students were shot and killed by police in the demonstration in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.

Find out more in a free talk 'Why mother tongues matter' at the International Slavery Museum at 2pm on Wednesday 23 February. Further details are on the International Slavery museum website.

This Saturday you can make a stand for love at the International Slavery Museum, at a free workshop making Valentines' Day cards with a difference. Our cards are designed to support the anti-trafficking campaign and raise awareness about modern day slavery.

Everyone deserves to be treated as special someone - not as a commodity to be brought and sold. So make a Valentines' Day card with an anti-trafficking message to send to someone, to support the Stop the Traffik campaign.

More information is on the Special Someone campaign website.

There are also some interesting free lectures coming up as part of Centre for the Study of International Slavery (CSIS) programme. The CSIS is a partnership between the International Slavery Museum and the University of Liverpool, where the lectures take place.

• Tuesday 15 February: 'Kara Walker's vision of American slavery', Michael Bibler (University of Manchester)

• Tuesday 29 March: Delia's Tears: Race, Science and Photography in 19th Century America,  Molly Rogers (University of Warwick) 

Both seminars take place at 5.15pm in Room 401 in the Cypress Building - number 108 on the campus map, available on the university website.

There's a very exciting year ahead at the International Slavery Museum and yesterday I got to meet the women behind the venue's latest project with the working title 'The woman I am'.

The project is led by photo journalist Lee Karen Stow, whose exhibition '42' Women of Sierra Leone opens at the museum in March, to coincide with International Women's Day. In addition to taking photographs herself, Lee has run a number of workshops in Sierra Leone and the UK, teaching women digital photography skills.

This week she has been working with the Liverpool Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) group on the photography workshops for 'The woman I am'. The group have are hoping to exhibit the photographs they have taken in the new centre for the Women's Organisation, which opens soon in the city. A selection of their photographs will also be featured on the '42' exhibition website.

When I caught up with them they were taking portrait photographs and had brought in some fabulous colourful clothes from their home countries to wear - and dress Lee and volunteer Abi in! Some photos from the day are in the WAST photography workshop set on Flickr.

Update 02/03/2011: You can now see the online exhibition of 'The Woman I am' on the website.

Lee told me that it had been a very successful week:

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"This week about sixteen women from all parts of the world have taken part - from Tibet, the Congo, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana. Women who maybe have done a little bit of photography before, snapshots, but they’ve never really focussed on using the camera to explore the things they like and things about themselves.

I have to give enormous thanks and credit to these women because they’ve come here this week, many of them are going through horrendous difficulties either with red tape, forms or legal implications; or stress or worries about back home or their future here.

And yet they’ve come in, picked up the cameras, listened to a few basic instructions and they’ve gone out and they’ve taken some really good pictures. Their energy has just been a complete overwhelming buzz to the class, so it's been a great experience, I’ve really enjoyed it and I think they have too.

There is a stereotypical view of asylum seekers. But if people look beyond the stereotype they will see women just like us with problems and dreams, wanting to make a better life for themselves."

On Monday Vikky Evans-Hubbard from the International Slavery Museum is giving what promises to be a fascinating free talk about some of the heroines of the civil rights movement. She told me why this is such an important subject:

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"When talking about the American Civil Rights Movement, the first names that spring to mind are Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X.

But what do we know about the women that worked alongside them?

Rosa Parks' act of defiance sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and laid the platform for the then young and inexperienced Dr King to rise to prominence. Parks was actually a civil rights activist of many years standing, when she refused to give up her seat, and had been a guide a mentor to Luther King during that time. Though hailed as the great civil rights heroine she undoubtedly is, Parks was not allowed to speak at the March on Washington in 1964, she was merely told "You have done enough".

In fact there was no female speaker on that momentous day (the entertainer Josephine Baker said a few words) though there were many powerful women working in the movement who could have spoken. It is apparent that female members of the civil rights movement had not just the evil of racism and segregation to contend with, but sexism as well, often from Brothers within the movement. Women were expected to step aside and let a few charismatic male leaders do the talking and be the public face of their hard work and dedication.

This Monday, 17 January, is Martin Luther King Day. At 2pm in the Campaign Zone, the talk 'Not just Rosa Parks' focuses on three heroines of the civil rights movement who you may not have heard of and definitely haven't heard enough about; Septima Clark, Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer.

These women worked tirelessly to make landmark strides in their areas of activism: equality of education, creation of the SNCC (protest group for students/young people) and voter registration rights. Their vital contributions to the movement remain largely unknown, (though Mrs Hamer has a place on the International Slavery Museum's Black Achievers Wall!) but cannot be underestimated. Landmark victories of the movement at this time would not have been won without their selfless work and dedication given, in the case of Fannie Lou Hamer, at immense personal cost.

Come along to the Campaign Zone on Monday and find out more...

Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman!"

The partnership between National Museums Liverpool, Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) and mental health centre Mary Seacole House has been recognised for the Gateway to Active Living project at this year's Guardian Public Services Awards.

National Museums Liverpool won the Care Of Older People award for our work in making culture accessible to older people in the city. At the ceremony in London, host Jeremy Vine said: “The judges were impressed with the project for encouraging community engagement and for giving the 260 older people who visited the museum a sense of empowerment, confidence, new skills and pride.”

David Brindle, The Guardian’s Public Services Editor, said: “The Gateway to Active Living project was an innovative partnership which explored how culture could be used to improve the health and wellbeing of older people using reminiscence art and cultural references, and it is a very worthy winner.”

Gateway to Active Living ran from April 2009 to March 2010 and was set up to support the PCT's Healthy Living agenda. It delivered weekly events, using reminiscence art and cultural activities, to vulnerable people from Black Minority Ethnic communities aged 50 to 65. Members of the project were introduced to National Museums Liverpool sites through behind-the-scenes tours and talks from curators. The time and attention given to the group during these visits helped build their confidence and break down barriers. As one participant said: "I'd never gone to school so I'd never learned about museums. It was fabulous to go."

As part of the project some of the older people become so actively involved that they even donated their own possessions to our museum collections. Head of Communities Claire Benjamin hopes the impact of the project will last: "The legacy of the project for the museum is having a better understanding of how to engage with vulnerable older people. Sharing our learning with experienced healthcare and support workers who understand some of those issues has been beneficial for the museum, and equally the health workers can gain an insight into the therapeutic impact of culture."