If you’ve been following what we’ve been up to this year, you will know we kicked off the year with an ambitious remote learning and engagement project!
‘Reconnect’ has enabled the museum to continue to provide valuable cultural engagements, resources and experiences for community groups and families with long term health conditions. The project was designed to enhance positive participation and ensure that isolated and shielding participants could still benefit from the everything the museum has to offer! With the help and support of museum educators, curators, cultural partners and freelance artists the project was created to bring people together and support those most in need in the local community. All project activities are designed to spark imagination and support shared remote learning experiences.
We drew creative inspiration from the museum’s new temporary exhibitions ‘Time and Tide: The Transformation of the Tay’ and ‘A Love Letter to Dundee: Joseph McKenzie Photographs 1964-1987’. Throughout the year we provided participants from the local community to engage with a variety of Activities! The sessions included digital reminiscence sessions and tutor led zoom sessions to develop skills in photography, a wide range of family friendly digital activities, free art kits, artist-led art activities as well as specially choreographed museum themed online dance sessions!
Back in January of this year when we began our exciting partnership journey with Home-Start Dundee on ‘Reconnect’. Due to their local premises being closed because of Covid-19 restrictions, we delivered a series of weekly sessions digitally to keep the group connected with the museum and each other. These sessions included weekly art activity demonstrations and the delivery of art materials so the families could have the opportunity to get creative at home. It was important that each participant was given an opportunity to share their own stories and co-produce final project artworks and publications. Throughout each weekly session we spoke about the museum and which objects they were must excited to learn about. We encouraged the families to visit the museum independently when the restrictions had been lifted and they felt safe to do so.
Throughout the online sessions the families expressed the negative impacts of isolation and loneliness the pandemic has had on their mental health and confidence. It became very apparent that both adults and their children’s confidence had been badly affected as a result of being restricted to the house. The expressed the children’s lack of socialisation with others their own age, (some of which were born in the pandemic). In the height of lockdown, all public spaces and organisations such play parks, soft play and nurseries were shut down resulting in feeling of separation, disruptiveness and low mood in the children and their families.
Once the restrictions had lifted in August we felt it was important to mark the end of the project by coming together safely in person and meet one another for the first time! The purpose of the morning was to celebrate the end of such a successful and ambitious project delivery and reflect on the positive outcomes. Lastly and most importantly finally have some long-awaited fun together in person, bringing people together!
On Wednesday 25th August the great Scottish weather gifted us some sunshine! The event was delivered outdoors in the safe and spacious setting of Baxter’s Park Dundee. We worked in partnership with local dance company Shaper/Caper to provide the families with a selection of interactive activities including dance, theater and art. We created a balance of performance and audience participation. The families were invited to explore, play and discover all of the fun possibilities’ creativity has to offer. It was important to offer a combination of exploratory play to spark different emotions, and aid the children’s personal development and confidence. The morning vibes were relaxed, wonderous and fun, as families and staff enjoyed snacks on picnic blankets, socialising and crafting together in person at last! A personal highlight for the Creative Learning team was when our Alzheimer’s Scotland group (who happened to be out walking in the park that morning) joined us to say hello and meet some of our young home-start families! A perfect end to a perfect project!
McManus Creative Learning 