Alnwick Story Fest exhibition celebrates the everyday
Creating a museum which is anything but ordinary . Tony Henderson reports
Just about every home will have some – seemingly ordinary and everyday items which are kept for their sentimental value and because of the memories and associations they represent.
Now people are being invited to bring their keepsakes to a one-day exhibition titled The Museum of Ordinary Things.
The venture is part of the Alnwick Story Fest weekend and is being organised by Dovecote Street Arts and the People Make Alnwick project based at the town’s Bailiffgate Museum
The event on Saturday, March 1 is from 4pm-7pm in the People Make Alnwick Pop-Up Space under Northumberland Hall at, 2 The Shambles, Alnwick.
“Not all museums are filled with priceless artefacts and ancient relics. Some of the most powerful stories are hidden in the everyday objects that surround us—things that may seem ordinary at first glance but carry extraordinary meaning,” said Jacqui Wicks, project manager of People Make Alnwick.
“Once, a miner’s lamp was just a tool of the trade, an unremarkable necessity. Now, it sits in museums, telling the story of a way of life long gone. So what everyday objects kept by people might one day be seen as treasures?
“Instead of polished glass cases and Do Not Touch signs, The Museum of Ordinary Things is a people-powered exhibition where objects and their stories come to life. Whether it’s a faded newspaper clipping, a well-loved T-shirt, or a memento from a lost love, every item holds a piece of someone’s history.”
Organisers say that items could include recipe books, passed down through generations; Christmas decorations that hold decades of memories; concert and sporting tickets; childhood toys like teddy bears; football old-style rattle and rosettes; fashion clothing from past decades, holiday souvenirs and photographs.
“These can be items with hidden stories behind them which can be shared aof their owners write an explanatory caption. They can be very meaningful to the people who have kept them for years.
“No booking is required – just turn up, enjoy a cuppa, and take a stroll through a museum like no other,” said Jacqui.
Other objects may have gone out of use as life has changed, such as dial telephones and typewriters.
One woman is planning to bring a pan which her grandmother used to make her a cup of cocoa as a child, while another is exhibiting a fork used to make toast in front of an open fire.
“We are expecting the unexpected,” said Luke McTaggart from Dovecote Arts.
People Make Alnwick is a five-year project backed by the National Lottery Community Fund which began last October and is based at the Bailiffgate Museum.
One of the aims is to provide opportunities for people to be involved in museum and other cultural activities.
For more information, email peoplemakealnwick@bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk
Alnwick Story Fest runs from February 28 to March 2 and celebrates the power of storytelling with a lineup of top authors, poets, illustrators, live music and creatives.
Headlining this year’s festival are LJ Ross, Adele Parks, Alexander McCall Smith, and Oliver Burkeman and Mari Hannah with events for all ages and spread across town from Alnwick Playhouse and Barter Books to Bailiffgate Museum and The Alnwick Garden.
The launch event starts at 4.40pm on Friday evening in Alnwick Market Place with street food, followed by the official opening at 6pm by and multi-million best selling author Adele Parks and a performance by drumming group Saprks.