Griselda Goldsbrough, Freelance Community Artist for York Museums Trust, follows up on the new York Castle Museum project  working with families from York Children’s Centres and Beehive – a local Pre-School. 

Remember Me is a visual arts project that introduces families to museum collections, in particular the 1914: When the World Changed Forever exhibition at the Castle Museum – looking at the way objects can be used to tell important stories.

The last workshops are at St. Lawrence’s Children’s Centre and Hob Moor Children’s Centre.

We have talked about how and why we collect objects. We then worked creatively to produce drawings, boxes, family timelines and the children were able to add to the boxes and pictures of themselves.

We talked about objects which were special to soldiers too – medals, embroidered postcards, books, badges and flags.

Families at both Children’s Centre were given disposable cameras to explore objects in their own homes. Participants were really excited about taking the photos.

I always wonder how many cameras will we get back to be developed – will people remember to bring them in, will they remember to take them, will they remember to press the button for the flash – it’s going back to old school camera picture taking!

So far we have had a high percentage returned – husbands bringing cameras back if wives were ill or unable to attend and Grandma’s dropping off cameras too.

I even had one handed to me through a hedge as the chap was just dashing past as his wife was at doctors!

We created the Remember Me boxes to represent participant’s families and their special objects – participants added all the objects they had made into the boxes to take home.

The project has been really rewarding with lots of families discovering new learning opportunities at The Castle Museum.

We hope to collate all the images into photobooks and show these in the community room at within the WW1 exhibition.

The project has generated a lot of great discussion, drawings and creativity. Many thanks to all involved.

I will share further details of the project when we have created the photobooks and if we get a space in the community room I will let you all know the date.

You must come and see all the amazing work achieved. Do go and look at the exhibition www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk and whilst you are taking out and dusting off the tinsel see what other objects in your loft or tucked away in boxes tell as many amazing stories as those in the Castle Museum!

Here is one of the images of participants Memory boxes and one of the disposable cameras ready to go! Photo courtesy of Elly Ross.