Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (Baltic)
Baltic launched an online archive chronicling 25 years of their exhibitions and engagement projects, as well as a growing catalogue of over 30,000 records. This digital collection is rich in video content and comes with a powerful search tool for researchers of all levels.
Explore York Libraries and Archives (EYLA)
EYLA worked with disabled artists and local organisations to explore York’s archive collections through the lens of Disability Arts. Their project, Shush, Snip, Rip, invited participants to unearth untold stories and creatively respond to them, effectively giving voice to those often excluded from historical narratives. This culminated in a Disability Arts showcase held at The York Explore Library and Archive. Shush, Snip, Rip was supported with public funding from Arts Council England.
Henry Moore Institute (HMI) and Leeds Museums and Galleries (LMG)
In partnership, HMI and the LMG jointly opened an archive gallery to exclusively present works from the Archive of Sculptors’ Papers which is owned by Leeds Museums and Galleries and operated from the Henry Moore Institute. This free and accessible archive captured the working lives of hundreds of sculptors through photographs, letters, drawings, sketchbooks, digital records, tools and costumes.
Hull History Centre (HHC)
HHC held an exhibition commemorating the 725th anniversary of royal charters being issued to Hull and its lost neighbour Ravenser Odd in 1299. The exhibition highlighted existing items from HHC’s collection and historic documents on loan from The National Archives. Associated activities included talks, art workshops designed and delivered by Square Peg Hull, and school visits supported by advocacy and funding from the Hull Maritime project, with additional funding and expertise from the University of Sussex.
Thackray Museum of Medicine (TMM)
Throughout 2023-4, TMM meticulously catalogued their previously unexplored archives as part of a new project called Archive Alive. Overseen by Archivist Robert Curphey, seven volunteers discovered personal papers from forgotten Yorkshire health heroes, archives of local medical supply companies, surgical instrument designs, press cuttings, prescription books, and even an 18th Century recipe for stilton cheese! Two of the volunteers have gone on to find paid employment with the museum.
The Brass Bands Archive (BBA)
With funding from National Lottery Fund and the Scottish Power Foundation, BBA worked in partnership with Heritage Quay and Shape North to commission creative workshops in three schools across Huddersfield. Students explored their collections first-hand and played the instruments, bringing to life the world’s largest archive dedicated to preserving global brass band heritage. The BBA’s archives are publicly accessible to researchers and those keen to learn from over a century of banding heritage.
Tyne and Wear Archives
In early 2024, Tyne and Wear Archives launched The Unlocking North East Jewish Heritage project. This online platform brings together newly digitised archival material and academic research to share the fascinating stories of North East Jewish communities. The project is supported by local Jewish communities and features collections from a number of regional archives.
University of Durham and Durham Cathedral
The university and cathedral worked in partnership to relocate the cathedral’s archives to the university’s Palace Green Library. They had not left the cathedral precincts for nearly 1000 years. Over 20,000 medieval documents were individually repackaged and audited over a period of six months. Conservators also developed special recyclable ‘suspension’ for the packing crates to protect the collections from damage during transportation.
University of Leeds (UoL) Special Collections and Galleries
UoL hosted a creative workshop with the Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network (LASSN) as part of their ‘Welcoming Migrants’ initiative. Workshop Lead and Student Ambassador, Saba Siddiqui, invited the group to draw inspiration from selected items in the University’s Cookery Collection before writing and illustrating recipes from their own cultures. These globe-spanning recipes were drawn together into a cookbook which was exhibited and sold, with all proceeds going to LASSN.