JanineNatalie Tharraleos speaks with Thackeray’s Community Co Producer Martha Adebambo about her role, and the exciting things that Thackray can offer local people.
What kind of community space can The Thackray offer?
Two bright and comfortable rooms known as Big Core and Little Core, which are the museum’s community spaces, available for local people to use. A lot of my work focuses on helping groups to use these spaces for activities and events,
Big Core is a large room that can be booked by anyone who wants to run an event, a workshop, or an activity such as a campaign, or a youth group. So far the room has been used for studying herbal medicine, and for a range of creative workshops such as writing poetry or plays, photography, animation, or film screenings.
Big enough for up to 25 people, it is equipped with height-adjustable tables, and a hi-tech screen that can link up to your laptop via hdmi. There is also a kitchenette here with mugs, tea and coffee, where you’re welcome to make your own refreshments – don’t forget to bring some milk!
Little Core is a smaller, breakout space, holding up to 15-18 people at most. It’s the museum’s cosy living room. If you need somewhere to relax, read a book or play some games, then head here. People use the space to socialise and connect with one another, while reflecting on their experience of the museum. It can be a resource for anyone who needs a little quiet time out, or perhaps to take a break after looking round the galleries.
In between the rooms is a generous corridor where we exhibit what people create here.
What’s the advantage of having these spaces for people close to the museum?
We believe we can be an asset for meaningful change within our community and across the wider region – helping people find ways to make communities healthier and better places to live, supporting economic growth, and promoting equity and access.
Sitting on the border between Harehills and Burmantofts, we want to be proactive and present in our community, a space that is there for people who need our help. We want to work in partnership with local organisations to provide opportunities for people to increase their understanding and knowledge of healthcare and wellbeing in fun and creative ways. We aim to provide a platform for people to have influence over and learn about issues that are important to them.
Is there a cost?
The spaces are be free to community projects needing to support to get started or carry out their work. For projects with funding there is a negotiable fee. All the money goes straight back into maintaining the spaces
What are Harehills Mondays?
Entry to the museum is free on Mondays all year round to anyone who works or lives in Harehills, Gipton, Burmantofts and Lincoln Green!
We want everyone to feel like they can come to the museum and enjoy finding out about the story of medicine. After all, it affects every one of us.
You can book your slot online or just turn up. Be sure to bring some proof of address, such as a gas or electricity bill, or an envelope that’s addressed to you.
Can you tell us a bit about your role, what it is, and how it makes the museum more accessible to local people
My role is about encouraging people to realise that they will be welcome at the Thackray. Don’t be put off just because it looks like the Buckingham Palace of the area! It really is ok to come in any time we’re open, even just to use the spacious café which is open to the public, serves great coffee, homemade cakes and sandwiches and has free wi fi- a great place for informal meetings, often quiet, with lovely outdoor space too
I co create events and activities for the local community. This gives me the scope to bring the voices of people who live around the museum and in East Leeds generally, to influence and shape what we do in the space.
I also help promote what is on offer in the museum , like the Harehills Monday scheme which includes holidays- so it means families and residents can enjoy a wide range of school holiday activities for free.
Another part of my role includes running a youth program called The Culture Club, a collaboration with Sable Radio who are based in Burmantofts. This project is for people 16 to 21 and the idea is to create a space that enables young people to grow and develop ideas. We work with them to uncover the hidden stories and histories of medicine and healthcare, linking this to videography, podcasting and any creative media the group wants to produce.
We’ve looked at horrible histories, like the way medical research depended on grave-robbery, and different types of dissent from anti-racist protests, to climate change activism, to the NHS strikes. Young people created posters like “Mental Health Matters” and “women’s mental health matters” and one person created a poster about cheese and how they don’t like cheese- that was really cool!
This got the young people figuring out how to use the cameras, then going on to take their own portraits of each other in the space and around the museum, which you can now see on display in the museum.
After this we launched Culture Lates, an occasional evening takeover of the Museum hosted by and for young people, although all ages are welcome on these nights
My role is also to do with a range of extra activities and events, things like the Harehills Winter Welcome, backed by us , a big collaboration with other key Harehills projects.
You never really know what’s coming next or where it might lead. For example I was approached about supporting free creative writing sessions in the museum, open to anyone who wanted to give it a try, which quickly grew to us supporting them happening across the neighbourhood and then filling the Playhouse lobby for an evening of spoken word, with people performing who would never have seen themselves getting on stage.
This project, which came from a conversation, is now in its second year. So the role really is a lot of things, but broadly speaking it’s about making things happen, whether it’s working collaboratively with people to do things in a supportive environment, or offering space, time and energy.
I have quite a lot of freedom to respond to peoples ideas, as long as I have capacity. I am very keen to have conversations with people, listen to proposals, and see if we can work together. Those conversations are really important, and could be anything from a small ask to a bigger piece of work.
For booking enquiries, email community@thackraymuseum.org or feel free to contact Martha for further discussions (0113 205 6529 – Ext 225)
For more information about our activities and how you can sign up, head to our website https://thackraymuseum.co.uk/ or email community@thackraymuseum.org.
Breaking news: Martha is sadly leaving this role mid August to take up a fantastic new job in London. If you would like to apply totake on the role of Community Co-Producer after Martha leaves you can do that here. There’s still time to contact her to find out more
https://thackraymuseum.co.uk/about-us/work-for-us/
East Side Story wishes Martha all the best in her new role, and a massive thank you for an inspiring, proactive and fulfilling partnership with so many East Leeds projects.
Photos mostly by Chapter 81.
