Research: Manchester Art Gallery

Project summary

• 2017 to present

Building on a growing partnership between Manchester Met and Manchester Art Gallery, this research is focused around redeveloping the gallery’s flagship families and early years space and their strategy for family/early years provision.

Since 2019, the research team have run a series of discussion groups with practitioners from: 

• Manchester Art Gallery
• Martenscroft Nursery School and Sure Start Centre
• Tiddlywinks Nursery
• Clayton Sure Start Centre
• Whitworth Art Gallery

These partnerships are now working with families that have new babies and are living in the city centre through play sessions and sensory resource boxes. 

The unfolding discussions have provided an insight into theorising the gallery space particularly around making hospitable spaces, spatial politics and object histories. During the coronavirus pandemic, our focus has changed to the immediate needs of city centre families in lockdown and what we can do, as a group, while access to the gallery is limited. 

In planning something useful, yet also joyful, we designed and distributed 100 boxes of sensory gifts and art making materials for babies and toddlers living within the city centre. 

The 100 sensory gift boxes have become significant in building relationships with new babies across the city. Delivering the boxes has become an opportunity for human contact. These moments will continue as the boxes become the focus of social distanced play sessions for new babies. 

Photo credit: Katy McCall