Museum Window at Leeds City Museum - Leeds Museums & Galleries

In 1934 Leeds City Museum’ ‘Museum Window’ displayed a mask from New Ireland, the article alongside uses language we find offensive today.

Introduction

From the 1930s, Leeds City Museum highlighted objects in their weekly ‘Museum Window’ display. We’re reviving this project with a new twist by asking you to create your own museum windows at home and sharing the results with us.

This project is the first in a series which will mark the 200th birthday of Leeds Museums & Galleries collections.

Find out how to get involved and check back to see regularly updated museum window displays from Leeds residents.

Take part in our Museum Window competition

How to make a Museum Window

Follow our simple step-by-step video tutorial to find out how to make your own museum window display with objects that mean something to you.

Tips for making a Museum Window

1. Choose your objects
Your objects could have an interesting story behind them, be something you use every day or spark joy. Use as many or as few things as you like.

2. Find some object stands
Have a look around for things to prop objects up. Egg boxes, tin cans or plastic containers work well.

3. Write some object labels (if you want to)
Labels will help people find out about your objects. Let people know what the object is, when it was made and why you’re showing it.

4. Display your objects
You can order your display however you like, maybe by date, story or which objects you think look best together.

5. Safety first!
Make sure that what you’ve chosen to display in your window isn’t highly valuable, and doesn’t divulge personal information.

Alan Bennett Museum Window Display

Carol Seagrove's museum window display which features Alan Bennet memor

Carol Seagrove’s museum window display which features Alan Bennet memoir

Carol Seagrove created a Museum Window display themed on the works and life of Yorkshire writer Alan Bennett:

‘I wanted to do something with some connection to Leeds, but being a southerner and living in Scarborough the only stuff I thought I could make a display of is some of my Alan Bennett books and memorabilia. I’m not sure quite when I became aware of him as a writer, but assume it was in sometime in the late 1970s, or early 1980s. Up until I moved to central London in 1984 the only plays I saw were on the television.

My parents had been big theatre goers during their courtship. However, marriage, a hefty mortgage and the arrival of children put an end to their forays into the West End. Nevertheless there was a lot of good drama on the box and we watched it as a family. I can remember seeing an Englishman Abroad as I had a bit of a crush on the actor Alan Bates who played Guy Burgess and I would have been aware of the Cambridge spy ring as Anthony Blunt had been exposed as a member a few years earlier in 1979.

The Talking Heads series of monologues confirmed me as a fan of Bennett’s work and I went on to write my final year undergraduate dissertation on his television plays.’

Museum Window Display Competition

Design your own Museum Window and share it with us before 4 September 2020 for a chance to have it on display at Leeds City Museum.

If your window is chosen you’ll be invited to come and re-create your display in a case at the museum. You’ll also have the chance to look for objects from the museum collection which could join your display.

The competition is open until 4 September 2020. The winning Museum Window will be selected by a group of volunteers and will be on display later in the year.

How to enter

Create your Museum Window display – you can make and submit more than one!
Submit it by taking a photo and tagging us on social media @leedscitymuseum #museumwindow or email [email protected]
Remember the closing date is 4 September 2020!
We will get in touch with you if your window is chosen so that we can organise for your display to be installed at the museum!