On Friday evening the 22nd of June the third Object Journeys project group hosted a special event at the British Museum. Object Journeys: celebrating the work of families event included opportunities to touch and experience real museum objects, a storytelling session led by Peruvian writer Karina Lickorish Quinn and a talk delivered by the project group about the new display case and their experiences of working with the museum. The evening was planned and hosted by the 8 community partners who worked with the museum to deliver the third and final instalment of the project and the beautiful new display in Room 24/The Wellcome Gallery at the Museum.
The evening gave museum visitors and friends of the project group an opportunity to come and see the new display of objects and to speak to the group about the project and gain more insight into the displays themes and object choices. The event was attended by about 60 people and was incredibly enjoyable for everyone involved.
For one community partner involved in the project, Jessica Luong, she said “It was a very special and rewarding experience being part of the Object Journeys project and team. I enjoyed viewing and learning about some of the most amazing objects in the British Museum. It was an honour for me to present ‘the fox and the partridge’ written in Quechua and the ‘wayruro necklace’ at the event on the 22nd June”
For Keji Dixon, another community partner involved in the project is was a special evening. She said “The 22nd June is a day I will always remember. It was a day that I knew I would feel so proud. Proud to be part of such an amazing project. Going to museums every year I never dreamed that one day I would be part of an exhibit. Even though I was so nervous the evening started so well and continued for the entire time. I found that I really enjoyed talking to people about the objects we had on the table and was sorry when my time was up! My one problem was the speaking as I am so nervous of speaking in public. I even enjoyed giving out the leaflets. I felt so proud to be with my group. They are wonderful and we ARE a family. It was a truly wonderful evening. Nothing would have been possible without the patience and assistance of the Museum staff. I would like to say thank you to them and in particular to Kayte, who every session very patiently encouraged each one of us”
Here are some photos of the event. All photos © Trustees of the British Museum
