April – June 2024
In Summer Term 2024, we piloted Junior Curators—a creative learning project developed in partnership with Garden City Academy and Woolgrove School Special Needs Academy.
Working with two Year 6 classes, local artists and historians, students explored local history alongside their own personal stories at a key moment of transition before moving to secondary school.
Across six weeks, each child created a miniature ‘museum of me’, reflecting on their identity, experiences of primary school, and hopes for the future. As part of the project, students:
Handled and responded to objects from the museum collection
Explored their connection to Letchworth Garden City
Produced a self-reflective zine
The full body of work was showcased at Broadway Gallery as part of the summer interactive exhibition, Play! Discover! Share!.
“Making the zines made me feel happy.”
Junior Curators participant
A collaborative project
Junior Curators was part of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation’s Co-creating a Cultural Future programme.
The pilot and teaching resources were co-designed by:
- Lead Artist Chantelle Stephenson
- Mr Bryan (Garden City Academy)
- Ms Sterling (Woolgrove School)
- Kava Johnson, Collection Engagement Officer
- Mollie McLellan, Cultural Learning Officer
The project was generously supported by the Peter Sowerby Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Museum Development South East.
Free school resources
Schools can now take part using our free Junior Curators resource pack, which includes lesson plans, PowerPoints and worksheets to help students explore their own stories and create their own ‘museum of me’.
If you would like to showcase your students’ work on the Discover Letchworth website, please get in touch with Cultural Learning Officer Mollie McLellan at:
mollie.mclellan@letchworth.com