Entertaining Swindon

This exhibition project centred on historical research and community engagement: I interviewed current and ex performers, many in their 80s, and secured the loan of artefacts precious to them while enjoying many cups of tea and browsing through their photo albums and memories. Project and budget management included liaising with contributors to collect and return loaned items, and asking carpenter and printer contacts to help create the exhibition.

I was responsible for everything that went to make the well-attended exhibition: researching information and context, using my local network (and engaging interested groups through social media) to find connections – the core of the exhibition was the links I found throughout 30 years of amateur performers, from 1950s dance troops to 1980s punk bands. 

"The role also included a significant amount of public engagement with the people of Swindon who helped to form the content of the exhibition. Kate showed considerably strong communication skills in this public engagement role, quickly making links to exploit local knowledge, building goodwill to rally support for the project and keep the Swindon Museum & Art Gallery regularly informed of progress."

Exhibition research, story-telling, design*

Research: through community engagement and long chats with people who' d been involved in local performance arts, I followed a chain of connections and discovered links from long-demolished theatres to punk bands. Exhibition panels included 'connections' information to signpost through the exhibition:

community connections map swindon SM&AG

Design: Information panel; size of available images and available wall space dictated design. Images were sourced through Swindon Libraries' archive and community engagement. At the end of the exhibition panels were donated to Swindon Libraries' archive:

the empire theatre, swindon, museum, exhibition,history

Design: exhibition publicity poster:

community,exhibition,swindon

 

Entertaining Swindon exhibition launch

Launch and publicity: Dance school founder, Mollie Tanner, 'grande dame' of Swindon's entertainers, all contributors and the press invited to the launch.

Tanwood, Mollie Tanner, Pollyann, SMAG, Swindon, dance,theatre

 

Rob Stredder ( 'Theatre des Bicyclettes), Pollyann and Mollie Tanner (Tanwood Dance School), my good self, Roger Trayhurn (co-author of a book on The Empire Theatre) and  Jon Ratcliffe (SMAG Community Engagement Officer):

press photo, July15th 2015,