Leicester City Council - Arts and Museums Outreach

Leicester Arts and Museums Outreach

The role of the Community Outreach Team is to bring the arts and museums experience out to the people and communities of Leicester. We aim to overcome any barriers which might prevent people from visiting museums and galleries, and to show them that Arts and Museums are for them; interesting and relevant to their lives. To contact us please call 0116 252 4929 or email museums@leicester.gov.uk

The Engaging Refugees & Asylum Seekers (ERAS) Project

The Engaging Refugees & Asylum Seekers (ERAS) Project is a national project involving World Museum Liverpool, Tyne & Wear Museums and Salford Museum & Art Gallery and is funded by the Department of Culture Media and Sport. The project has two purposes to raise awareness of issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers and to use innovative methods to bring refugees and asylum seekers into Museums.

During a three week period in June 2007 the project engaged with over 5000 primary school pupils, with one saying, “We in class 5LW would like to say thank you for everything. We also thank you for inviting us to the Guildhall, we had so much fun. Thank you for telling us what an asylum seeker is and what a refugee is.”

Also in June a number of events, from family learning events, musical performances, exhibitions and cooking demonstrations were organised in partnership with a various Refugee Community Organisations to celebrate Refugee Week attracting another 5000 individuals.

For more information about the ERAS Project, contact museums@leicester.gov.uk

Travelling Exhibitions

‘Our Story, Our Leicester’ is a community travelling exhibition on the theme of festivals and celebrations which tours community venues such as libraries, leisure centres and community centres across the city. Alongside this vibrant exhibition we work with community groups to explore their heritage and help them to create their own community exhibitions.

‘Moving Here’ is a newly developed touring exhibition which explores the experiences of Leicester’s Ugandan Asian community, from their expulsion from Uganda, to making Leicester their home.

If you would like either of these exhibitions in your venue, please contact us on 0116 252 4929 or museums@leicester.gov.uk

Community Events and Workshops

The Outreach Team works with a wide range of community groups including youth, the elderly, those with disabilities, schools and many more. Sessions include exploring handling objects and using these objects to inspire craft activities, poetry and the creation of community exhibitions. We also invite groups to tour and explore our museums and galleries with us, to gain a special insight into our venues and collections. We also hold family friendly events and celebrations of community festivals both in community venues and at our galleries and museums.

Community Galleries

The Outreach Team work closely with individuals and communities to collect objects and stories to display in our exhibitions. The community galleries at Newarke Houses Museum and Belgrave Hall capture and reflect the changing face of Leicester and its people by displaying these objects. This ensures that the stories of Leicester’s communities are shared and valued.