A new family-friendly attraction has been launched at Warrington Museum designed to ignite curiosity and creativity among youngsters.
The Museum’s former Wren Gallery has been completely transformed into a colourful, welcoming and interactive space that is free for children to play in and explore.
‘Creativity Cove’ gives young visitors the chance to curate their own mini museum with a plinth to display their Duplo or Stickle Bricks masterpieces, plenty of room to create artworks, and brushes and cloths for that important work of protecting exhibits!
There is also a host of books, boardgames and puzzles as well as blackboard to leave messages for others, and plenty of clothes and accessories for little ones to play dress up.
The aim of Creativity Cove is to provide a community spot that make young families feel more at home at Warrington Museum, one of the oldest museums in the country.
Children can let their imaginations run wild while parents can relax, knowing their kids are in a safe environment.
The project has been led by Laura Mercer and Sophie New, from Culture Warrington, the charity behind Warrington Museum, as well as Warrington Arts Festival and Pyramid and Parr Hall.
It followed a series of consultations with families in the area, early years settings and community partners over several months about what activities their children enjoy, what’s important to them and what they’d like to see more of in Culture Warrington venues.
Sophie said: “The museum itself is a treasure trove of trinkets and thrilling objects just waiting to be discovered. So that inspired us to create this opportunity for tiny minds to be tantalised.
“Kids can curate their own exhibition using the frames that open up, allowing space to display their own artworks using crayons and paper, or perhaps arranging the magnets inside to make an imaginative portrait. We’ve even thrown a plinth in for good measure, because what’s an exhibition without a Duplo or Stickle Brick sculpture?
“The blackboard has also been transformed and is now fully interactive – offering prompts for visitors to check in with themselves as a tool for wellness and self-expression. We’d also like to thank our lovely community who donated all the books we have.”
Creativity Cove was launched alongside Warrington Arts Festival to enhance a family show at the Museum – Move Manchester’s Lilo Lost It.
But it has been so well received that it has become a permanent addition to the venue. It is also the new home for the Museum’s ever popular Crafternoons on Saturdays and school holiday crafts on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Laura added: “As two mums with little ones, we’ve loved working on this beautiful space for children to enjoy. We wanted to increase awareness of our amazing Museum and develop an exciting self-guided offer for families, with a particular focus on early years.
“Lockdown had a huge impact on early years in terms of a lack of social interaction, a decrease in creative activities and an increase of screen time. Therefore, we wanted to create a space that ignites curiosity and creativity. It’s also important for adults to have the chance to take a minute and grab a cuppa, knowing that their children are entertained in a safe interactive space.”
Creativity Cove is part of a larger project at Culture Warrington exploring how the arts charity can develop its early years offer in a wide range of ways. To stay up-to-date with the plans, keep an eye on Culture Warrington’s social media.
