Judges' Lodgings exhibition shortlisted for Museum Change Lives Award
An exhibition at Judges' Lodgings Museum that explores an often-overlooked period of Lancaster's Black history has been nominated for a national award.
An exhibition at Judges' Lodgings Museum that explores an often-overlooked period of Lancaster's Black history has been nominated for a national award.
Facing the Past: Black Lancastrians – A Portrait exhibition by Lela Harris, shines a light on the lives of the enslaved Africans living in the area in the 1700s.
It was officially opened in March by Turner Prize winning artist Linda Himid.
The exhibition has now been shortlisted along with two others for the Decolonising Museums Award at the Museum Associations' Museum Change Lives Awards 2023, which highlights the impact museums have on people and communities.
Judges Lodgings, which is operated by Lancashire County Council Museum Service, commissioned Kendal artist Lela Harris to create a series of depicting several historic individuals.
Lela Harris
Alongside the portraits is information about the people depicted in them, which was pieced together using church records, runaway slave adverts and family stories.
The project also saw Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lela Harris and Lancaster Black History Group worked with three local primary schools to run history and art workshops at the museum. Their artwork is displayed alongside Lela Harris' works in a young peoples' exhibition.
Lela Harris said: "I am really touched and excited to be nominated for the Museum Change Lives awards. I'm flabbergasted really.
"The feedback to the exhibition has been incredible. I'm bowled over by how well it's been received."
County Councillor Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for Community and Cultural Services, said: "We're delighted to have been nominated for a Museum Change Lives Award.
"Our museums can make a big impact on our communities and this project is a perfect example of that. I would like to thank everyone who helped us to bring these stories to light and encourage anyone who hasn't yet been to come and visit and learn about Lancaster's full history."
Facing The Past is a collaboration between Lancaster Black History group, Judges' Lodgings Museum, The Institute For Black Atlantic Research at UCLan, Sociology at Lancaster University and local schools. It has been supported with £30,000 from the Art Fund and the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information visit: Judges' Lodgings Museum - Lancashire County Council
Notes to editors
Watch: School children visit Judges' Lodgings Museum as part of Black History Month: Facing the Past: Black Lancastrians – A Portrait exhibition by Lela Harris - YouTube
Judges' Lodgings is a unique historic house and museum in the city of Lancaster – close to its famous castle. It is Lancaster's oldest town house and was once home to judges who worked in Lancaster Castle. It is now home to an extensive collection of Gillow furniture from beds to billiard tables. Gillow was a major British furniture maker in Lancaster for over 200 years. It is one of six museums operated by Lancashire County Museum Service which aims to collect and preserve Lancashire’s diverse heritage and to make it accessible to everyone through high quality cultural experiences. www.lancashire.gov.uk/museums
Art Fund is the national fundraising charity for art. It provides millions of pounds every year to help museums to acquire and share works of art across the UK, further the professional development of their curators, and inspire more people to visit and enjoy their public programmes. Art Fund is independently funded, supported by Art Partners, donors, trusts and foundations and the 135,000 members who buy the National Art Pass, who enjoy free or discounted entry to over 850 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and receive Art Quarterly magazine. Art Fund also supports museums through its annual prize, Art Fund Museum of the Year. The winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 is Horniman Museums & Gardens. www.artfund.org
AIM is The Association of Independent Museums, a charity which supports museums in the UK. The New Stories New Audiences is a new grant scheme for AIM small museum members funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund. It aims to inspire museums to stay relevant to their audiences and to increase their impact by identifying new stories and by working with a new partner, to work differently and to try something new.