Museums across the country have been taken over by an army of young people, but don’t worry, it was all just part of Takeover Day by charity Kids in Museums.
Now in its fourth year, Takeover Day saw more than 500 children take over the hot seats of the nation’s museums, showcasing their opinions on key issues and getting involved in big decisions alongside adults.
On 12 November, nine-year-old Scarlet Chapman was appointed Director of Falmouth Art Gallery for the day, during which time she presented awards and gave a speech to over 100 people as she hosted a private view in the gallery.
Meanwhile, a class from Medlock primary school showed off their social networking skills by taking over Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester’s Twitter feed. They also manned the visitor services desk and gave guided tours of the gallery.
Participant Chole King El-Bokhari said: “Museums should listen more to people our age and say - come and join us and have your say, so that people can express themselves.”
The charity itself even let young people takeover the Kids in Museums office, with six students from Langley Academy in Slough, Berkshire, the only school in Britain to specialise in museum studies, putting staff members through their paces.
Kids in Museums Director Dea Birkett said: “Cool. Awesome. Sick. We don’t usually hear these words used by decision makers in museums. But on Takeover Day, it was teenagers telling us what museums should do, for whom, and how. It was a day for museums to listen and involve, sharing thoughts and ideas with young people.
“This Takeover Day 2010 is just the beginning of young people being at the heart of decision making in a museum. We’re looking forward to a record breaking Museum Takeover Day 2011, with tens of thousands of young people taking part. That will be really cool.”
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