This Thursday, more than one thousand children and young people will be taking over 30 museums across Scotland. They will be taking on the jobs of museum directors, front of house, curators, conservators, tour guides, website designers and catering staff in Scotand's first ever Takeover Day Scotland.
"Museums are magical places which can be inspirational for children, opening their eyes to new and exciting experiences. Taking on a meaningful role, working alongside staff and volunteers and getting to peek behind the scenes gives an insight into the life of the museum," says Joanne Orr, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland. Her organisation is running the day in colloboration with charity Kids in Museums.
Celebrity children’s author, Kids in Museums Patron and Takeover Day Ambassador Damian Dibben adds, "I’m really proud to be the first Takeover Day Ambassador for Kids in Museums. My History Keepers books are all about kids being put in control and saving the world, so I really believe, if you put young people in charge, all sorts of incredible things happen. Museums will be surprised and delighted by what kids can offer to them in new skills, interesting approaches and fresh ideas. And museums must remember that one day is never enough. Takeover Day is only the first day of putting young people permanently at the heart of a museum."
Some Takeover Day events:
- At the British Golf Museum, Fife, kids will be curators, designing a new case in the galleries.
- The Museum of Edinburgh is being taken over by local primary school children who are putting on their own exhibition, choosing objects, designing posters and acting as guides for the day.
- At Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, seven to ten year olds are giving gallery tours, manning front of house, conducting visitor surveys and posting on the museum’s Facebook page.
- The Black Watch Museum, Perth, will be completely taken over for the day, as primary school children are collections assistants, retail managers, audiences officers and archivists.
- On Takeover Day the curators at Abbot House Heritage Centre, Dunfermline, will be teenagers, and be given the job to enthuse smaller children to get involved with their local heritage.
- At the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, teenagers are going to design a tour for people of their own age.
- At the National Mining Museum, Midlothian, 12 year olds are designing a museum trail and acting as tour guides around the colliery.
- At National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, young people are putting on interactive science shows in the Grand Gallery.
- At Dunollie House, Argyll, primary school children are making their own exhibition about their own childhoods, using objects from their homes.