Barnsley Live

Alongside a changing programme of great exhibitions and family friendly activities at the Cooper Gallery, the Learning Team is leading an exciting new project.

Material History: Discovering the Cooper Gallery and Its Collection aims to get local people stuck into their heritage in a creative way. The project will use information about the Cooper Gallery’s rich history and the collection of paintings and drawings to engage participants with their heritage. It will ask participants to use filmmaking, photography, drama, painting and creative research and interpretation methods throughout.

The two year long, Heritage Lottery Funded project is already underway, with staff, volunteers, schools, colleges, universities and community groups involved in the first stages.

All the creative outcomes from the project will form the gallery’s future interpretation, which staff, families, learners and visitors can access via an interactive online database. The website will be a great way for people to access the collection and history of the Cooper Gallery. There will also be an exhibition showcasing all work produced at the gallery in January 2011.

This page is designed to keep you up to date with the project and to invite new participants into it. Please feel free to contact us to hear how you can be involved, check our Updates Board for more information about what’s happening now and leave us your feedback or comments.

You can become a volunteer at any point during Material History. We are specifically looking for Volunteer Researchers, Artists, Historians and Educators. You don’t need any experience to become a volunteer, just a genuine interest in local history, the arts or both!

Contact Dena for more information:

Tel: (01226) 242905 Fax: (01226) 297283

E-mail: denabagi@barnsley.gov.uk