Reconnecting and Re-visiting Blether TayGether!

For this week’s blog post, we’re taking the opportunity to re-visit our recent ‘Reconnect’ work with the Blether TayGether sessions, developed for a group who are supported by Alzheimer Scotland in Dundee.

Throughout the programme the sessions were developed to support engagement with the museum collection and exhibitions and provide a bespoke and personal learning and engagement experience to combat the social isolation that this group, and many of us have experienced over the past year.

Over the 10 project sessions, we explored our current temporary exhibitions Time and Tide: The Transformation of the Tay and A Love Letter to Dundee: Joseph McKenzie Photographs 1964-1987, had two session with our exhibition curators to learn how these exhibitions are developed and curated and worked through the project ‘Memory Journal’, alongside listening to clips from the museum’s oral history collection to support and facilitate discussions and sharing of personal stories and memories.

Screengrab of Blether TayGether session.

Now these sessions have finished, we’re delighted to be able to share some feedback from our participants and project team.

Participant Feedback

Interactive, helped to facilitate conversation.

Jogged my memories and good for sharing experiences and stories.

[I] liked the dancing and social life theme.

 [I enjoyed] the social space. [I was] lovely chatting with people and meeting people. We’ve all been so isolated, in these four walls.

Learning more about Dundee, which we didn’t know about.

Memories, made me think about all the places I’d been, reflected on my own memories.

Interesting listening to other people [and] reflecting on my own memories that related to [each] topic.

Staff Feedback

[The sessions] have changed my perspective on what our tea and blether group can be.

Group enjoyed the curatorial input from Anna Robertson and David Lampard.

We all agreed that there were some challenges when working across digital video platforms. Participants and staff felt that the technical side of working remotely presented some difficulties. We encountered some problems getting into the Microsoft Teams meetings, muting and un-muting microphones, microphone feedback and sound distortion, and some found it difficult to read facial expressions and body language to make sure that people didn’t speak over one another. However in general, participants felt that the social connection and friendships that were developed were more important to support and no-one was put off too much by the technology.

Keep up-to-date with ‘Reconnect’ through our online and social media channels as the project progresses!

The project has been made possible thanks to Art Fund support and additional funding from Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust.

We Got our Pride on at The McManus!

 

Dundee was a sea of rainbows on Saturday 21^st September as an amazing 14,000 people of all ages turned out for the city’s second Pride event.

This is the first Dundee Pride that The McManus had taken part in and there was a real buzz of excitement from staff, volunteers, visitors, members of our choir in residence ‘Loadsaweeminsingin’ and our Youth Action Group.

After weeks of planning and preparations, the day finally arrived and there was already a joyous atmosphere in the City Centre from 10am.

We kick-started the celebrations out on the museum’s terrace inviting people of all ages to make some colourful creations to accessorize themselves ahead of the parade with our freelance artist team. Meanwhile in our café we hosted our first ever ‘Drag Brunch’. Visitors were treated to a hilariously entraining drag performance from the fabulous Buttercup Buffay and Natalie Caramelli!

Our visitors and café regulars enjoyed a slice of rainbow cake before the entire audience rose to their feet to all join Buttercup and Natalie dance to ‘The Macarena’!!

As the parade began to make its way around to the McManus, some of our staff members, visitors and members of our in-house choir ‘Loadsaweeminsingin’ gathered outside the front of the museum to cheer on the parade and show their support. Our Youth Action Group showcased the Pride Banners they had created alongside our partnering young people for the event, ‘LGBT Youth Scotland’. There was a real feeling of joyfulness and positivity as the carnival of colour passed The McManus, many in colourful costumes and holding up homemade placards!

Once the Parade passed The McManus our artist team and The Youth Action group proudly joined the procession as it made its way down to Slessor Gardens. All art supplies were transported in our very own ‘Pridemobile’ (a shopping trolley fully decked out in rainbow attire of course!) We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the ‘Youth Zone’ doing what we do best… Getting Creative!! Throughout the course of the afternoon a whopping 800 people visited the youth zone where young visitors relaxed in the ‘Chill-out’ area, enjoyed using a pop-up make-up and nail bar, and got hands on and imaginative with arts and crafts actives.

 

Following on from our first Dundee Pride event, The McManus is really excited to announce that we are beginning a new venture working in partnership on a Heritage Lottery fund with the incredible ‘Shaper Caper’. ‘Here. Me. Out. is a FREE yearlong project for young people exploring LGBT+ stories through film, dance, audio, make-up, music and oral history.  The project is led by Shaper/Caper in partnership with The McManus and LGBT Youth Scotland.

For more information about how to get involved contact  yolanda@shapercaper.com

 

 

Feedback from visitors to ‘Get Your Pride On at The McManus’

‘I loved the positive energy of pride and it was amazing to see The McManus supporting it!! Can’t wait for next year!’

‘This year’s pride was amazing! The support for the LGBT community is clearly growing and the future is brightly coloured!’

‘What a brilliant day! Had an amazing time at the drag brunch! So well organised and great fun! Well done everyone!’

Feedback from McManus Youth Action Group

‘Pride was very enjoyable and it made me feel part of a community!’

I loved that I could use art with YAG to express my support for people!’