This project will fire enthusiasm, allow the creativity of children to flourish and directly influence the museum, produce new exciting exhibits that will particularly appeal to younger audiences and support the museum to attract school and family visits to its unique and beautifully situated site.
Foxton Creates
We are delighted to work with Foxton Canal Museum on the exciting project, Foxton Creates.
Foxton Creates has worked with local primary schools Foxton Primary School in Foxton village, Thythorn Field Primary School in Wigston, Brocks Hill Primary School in Oadby and Ridgeway Primary Academy in Market Harborough, to cocreate new interactives that engage children in the museum’s collections and heritage.
Illustrator Jessica Hartshorn was appointed to lead the co-curation. She ran creative workshops for each school based on 4 senses; touch, smell, sight and sound. Through sensory walks, exploration if the museum and creative activity in school we gathered children’s ideas and responses to the museum. All of this was used by Jessica to design interactives.
Jessica’s designs were brought to life with the help of Out the Blue Fabrications and her own lively illustrations. Directly using the children’s ideas she has designed a marble run, viewing porthole, brass rubbings, musical instruments and magnetic board for children to explore, as well as a sensory trail.
The new interactives will be open to the public from April 2025 and an exhibition of the children’s artwork which inspired the installations will be on until end of June 2025 at Foxton Canal Museum.
As well as offering extra incentives for families to visit the museum, the museum’s learning officer will be using the results of the survey we carried out with teachers to develop the curriculum offer for school visits, both to the museum and visits to school.
Please visit Foxton Canal Museum’s website for information about opening times.
If you want to know more about the project please contact helen.murray@leics.gov.uk
