A day at an exhibition

As part of an initiative to empower young people and encourage them to visit museums and galleries, year 13 students from Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford, London were given the responsibility of taking over major aspects of running the Victorians Decoded: Art and Telegraphy exhibition at Guildhall Art Gallery for a day in November.

“They shouldered the responsibilities of dealing with the public, taking on challenges with informed confidence, visibly growing in stature throughout the day”

Despite the fact that many of the sixth-form students had never been to an art gallery before, the day was about trusting and encouraging them to take on meaningful jobs at the exhibition. The day was organised by King’s College London and was part of Takeover Day, a national scheme initiated by the Kids in Museums charity.

Guides and educators

During the morning, the students looked at readings of the Victorian figurative paintings before acting as exhibition guides, where they informed visitors about the rare artefacts, paintings, history and stories of Victorian telegraphy.

The students illustrated the incredible story about the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable using never-seen-before artefacts, original code books, newspapers, telegraph cable samples and a Roald Dahl-inspired messaging machine.

In the afternoon, the students took on the role of gallery educators, teaching the school’s year 7 pupils about the story of the cable and running hands-on activities for the children to learn and engage with the subject. Prior to the event, the year 13 students had prepared resources and worked with Ann Chapman, an English PhD candidate at King’s College London.

Takeover Day

The Takeover Day initiative started in 2013 and last year’s event was the biggest on record with over 150 museums, castles, historic homes and heritage sites across England being taken over by almost 4,000 eager children and teenagers.

Around four in ten children have never visited an art gallery before, according to a survey conducted by Visit Birmingham in 2012, so the annual Takeover Day is designed to inspire and allow them to experience galleries and museums, and for them to feel they have a stake in the worlds of art and history.

With the history of art A level under threat last year, there has never been a more important time to show future generations why it is important to invest in and protect the arts through sensory experience.

The initiative is also a celebration of young people’s contributions to the arts industry and an opportunity for students to take on roles with responsibility, working alongside staff, volunteers and experts.

Engaging with the real world

Liz Bainbridge, Art Teacher at Trinity Catholic School, said: “The Takeover Day at Guildhall Art Gallery was important because it gave our students a fantastic opportunity to step out of the classroom and engage with the real world. Student feedback was really positive and all the pupils were thrilled by how well they did and how much they enjoyed the experience.

“They shouldered the responsibilities of dealing with the public, taking on challenges with informed confidence, and visibly growing in stature throughout the day. The year 13 pupils really found their own voices and the year 7 pupils enjoyed the novelty of being taught by their peers, which helped with their learning.”

Katherine Pearce is Curator at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Art Gallery.
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk