Our Projects and Exhibitions
The Preservative Party have curated exhibitions at Leeds City Museum, including our first exhibition ‘Treasured: Stolen, Smuggled, Saved?’ an exploration of the journeys that objects take before we see them in the museum; ‘In Their Footsteps’ about life in Leeds during the first world war; and the ground-breaking, award-winning exhibition ‘Overlooked’.
Alongside our exhibitions, we have led and participated in many projects including working with the University of Leeds to co-produce ‘Whose Power?’. This project explores who has been missing from the histories of energy and why they need to be included in future energy decision making. We have also produced individual research projects including ‘Preservative Party on the Case’.
We decide what projects we would like to work on, often inspired by the museum collections. Read our stories to find out about our latest projects.
The Preservative Party Visit Berlin
In 2018, Three members of the Preservative Party, Leeds City Museum’s group for young volunteers, tell us about their recent trip to Berlin. The visit formed part of the ‘In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time’ project at the University of Leeds.
In Their Footsteps exhibition
In 2016, the Preservative Party curated a unique exhibition at the city’s flagship museum, exploring how the lives of people from their region were affected during the First World War. The exhibition, ‘In Their Footsteps’ at Leeds City Museum, opened on July 1 – the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
This major exhibition showcased the First World War’s impact on local civilians, soldiers, nurses and industrial workers, revealing the variety of communication methods from official telegrams to biscuits transformed into postcards, as well as fascinating finds including a doll’s house made by a group of recuperating soldiers.
With the help of West Yorkshire Archive Service and York Army Museum, the Preservative Party knitted a together touching, individual stories from those caught in a global conflict, as well as collating a special collection of items including a Victoria Cross Medal and personal diary extracts.