Night at the Museum

Action Factory worked with POPL (Perspectives of Pennine Lancashire*) to create three extraordinary nights of creative fun!

Three local landmarks threw open their doors after hours to give visitors the chance to experience a real life "Night at the Museum" - and all for free. 

Over the weekend of 14th, 15th and 16th May, six professional artists, from Action Factory Community Arts in Blackburn, worked with visitors to mix art and heritage. All activities were aimed at children and adults providing fun, exploration and creativity for all ages. 

  • Visitors to Turton Tower took inspiration from the building to create stained glass windows using recycled plastics. 
  • At Clitheroe Castle, a new contemporary collection of artefacts emerged from clay and recycled junk
  • Helmshore Textile Museums dared to waken its "Six Cylinder Devil" using projections, lights and simple animations

Helmshore Mills Textile Museums

Holcombe Road, Helmshore BB4 4NP

 

"Waking the Sleeping Beast" 

In the "Devil Hole" in Helmshore Mills Textile Museum there lies asleep a six cylinder device called the Six Cylinder Devil due to its ferocity, power and potential to harm those who operated it. 

Artist, Jack used projections, drawings and simple animations and projected movement onto the "beast" producing a playful and exploratory art experience. 

Sophie, aged 7, said "It was fun and interesting and cool. I love it so much"

 

Clitheroe Castle Museum

Castle Hill, Clitheroe BB7 1BA

Visitors created skulls, fossils and bugs from clay and recycled junk to fill the chest of drawers in the study of the Curious Collector. 

Coral, aged 41, said: "Inspirational and fantastic. Museums are alive!"

 

A little background on Clitheroe Castle. 

Clitheroe Castle Museum received a Royal Opening last year following a £3.5 million refurbishment funded by Ribble Valley Borough Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and several private and public sector partners, featuring a glass atrium linking the museum and North West Sound Archive, cafe, gallery, education suite and several multi-media exhibitions depicting the history of the Ribble Valley. The museum is owned by Ribble Valley Borough Council and managed by the Lancashire Service. 

 

 

Turton Tower Museum

Chapeltown Road, Turton, Bolton BL7 0HG

Sunday 16th May 3pm to 9pm

Taking inspiration from the many windows and intricate Tudor woodwork, visitors created stained-glass windows using recycled plastics.

 

 

Ayesha aged 15 said "A great fun end to a visit to the museum"

Night at the Museum

Background

 

Funded by Renaissance, Museum for Changing Lives, Arts Council England NW and Perspectives of Pennine Lancashire (POPL) 
POPL (Perspectives of Pennine Lancashire) is a network of arts organisations, local authorities and heritage venues coming together to create exciting visual arts and raise the profile of visual arts in Pennine Lancashire.  The POPL network formed in 2009 in response to key issues for the sector including the fragmented nature of the visual arts offer and a desire to raise the quality and ambtion of visual arts and heritage programming for Pennine Lancashire. POPL is managed by Creativity Works - an in initiative coordinated by arts officers of Pennine Lancashire, Lancashire County Council, Creative Lancashire, Curious Minds, Arts Council England NW and Regenerate.