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Wakefield Museums and Castles
Wakefield: Where We Are...
About Wakefield: Where We Are...
We've been on an amazing journey with a group of 14 young people, from across the Wakefield district, in the Wakefield: Where We Are... project.
The project was a joint initiative between Wakefield Museums & Castles, The Youth Association and the British Museum.
It was shortlisted for Best Museum Youth Group in the 2024 Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award.
We wanted to give young people in our district an opportunity to engage with arts and culture. They created a project that meant something to them.
The project aimed to remove some of the barriers to engaging with culture that young people might face.
Go behind the scenes of the project in their 'Our Journey' video. It features music by Fernando, one of the participants!
14 young people, aged 16 to 25, joined our project in September 2023.
Over four months, they tried different activities and practices. They worked with artists and experts.
They had ceramics and printing sessions at The Art House in Wakefield. There was a behind-the-scenes tour of Wakefield Museums and Castles' collections store. The group also enjoyed photography and light painting sessions with Nick Singleton.
The sessions offered a chance to try something new and see what sparked an interest.
The participants also took part in a drama workshop. This helped them find their voices and grow their confidence.
They had lots of conservations about community, home and family. They discussed what 'culture' means to them.
The group shared their own experiences with one another and made new friendships.
The participants also got the chance to visit the British Museum in London. They explored the galleries and exhibitions, the first time for many. They also met participants from our sister-project in Swindon.
The group explored the galleries through trails focusing on colonialism, and love and desire. They also had a go at curating their own mini exhibition.
To celebrate the Where We Are... project, the young people curated a display in the atrium of Wakefield One in 2024.
The display showcased some of the artworks created by the young people during the project. It celebrated the journey they went on together.
Meet the participants
Click the participants' photos to find out more about them.
What the participants have said:
The project has had a positive impact on the participants. They have gained confidence, learned new skills and made new friendships.
"I learnt how every object in the museum has a story, I thought that was cool”
"I learnt that there are lots of interesting things in the museum. I thought it was boring, but no, it was really interactive and I enjoyed that part. And you can learn a lot of stuff."
"I found out that there are lots of different ways to make art and everyone can find a way to express themselves"
"I think we all have some kind of motivation but sometimes we don't know how to find it. At the beginning of this session, I didn't know what to do, but with time it became easier. So I have learnt that we just have to try to find our own motivation"
Where We Are... was a partnership project between The British Museum, The Youth Association and Wakefield Museums and Castles.
This project was supported by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.