Access to Heritage
Access to heritage news update July 2010
Get Closer To Wildflower Seeds
Managed by the Access to heritage project in partnership with The National Wildflower Centre.
Funded by The Arts Council and Knowsley Partnership board.
The Seed Handling Collection will be an interactive multisensory resource housed at The National wildflower Centre, adding to their existing interpretation but also available as a mobile resource for schools, day centres and other organisations.
The seed Handling collection will bring the other wise hidden world of wildflower seeds alive for all visitors and will be invaluable for visitors with visual impairments or learning disabilities.
Artists and selected groups will make the Seed Handling Collection through extensive consultation workshops from schools and day centres who would benefit from a hands on collection.
Lead Artist and project manager Ticky Lowe
Artist/workshop facilitators Mai Thomas, Naomi Kendrick.
Sound Artist Ross Daziel –
The project will have a strong focus on research and experimentation with texture and sound.
We have successfully completed the initial workshop phase of the project and our artists Mai, Ross, Naomi and Ticky have worked with 18 different groups of adults and children and have run 25 sessions.
It’s all documented via the blog
http://getclosertowildflowerseeds.blogspot.com/
The next phase is for the artists to use their experience of the workshop sessions to come up with a multi sensory piece of interpretation about seeds close up through a microscope that will be accessible to everyone.
We are planning to produce something that will combine texture, colour, sound and smell and that will invite interaction.
Prototype testing will be in January next year – but their will be a launch and a chance to see the work produced in the workshops in September – at the National Wildflower Centre.
Hands On
Is our new project funded by Knowsely council, and now going ahead at a slightly reduced scale.
The project focuses on day centres for people with learning disabilities aims to introduce support staff and their “clients” to new creative activities and give them the confidence and inspiration to continue using their new found skills them selves.
3 Artists will be chosen to lead the workshops and co-run the training for support staff with the Access to Heritage forum.
The interview date for the artists is 30th July 2010.
Museum of Liverpool
The forum continues to work with National Museums Liverpool to help them create an accessible brand new museum.
We have worked with them to create a symbol to tell people when it’s ok to touch parts of the collection and also on creating tactile maps.
The “museum of Liverpool” is due to open in spring 2011.
This project is also followed by a blog.
http://accesstoheritage-ticky.blogspot.com/
Documents:
Guidance for Heritage Sites | Access to Heritage Report Executive Summary | Access to Heritage Project Report | Access to Heritage Easy Read Guidance
