Galleries of Justice expands outreach programme

The Galleries of Justice Museum’s learning team, the National Centre for Citizenship and Law, will be widening access to people from diverse backgrounds to facilitate a new schools outreach project.

The museum has received £126,117 in funding from Arts Council England which will be used to train people from diverse backgrounds to deliver creative education sessions in schools across Nottingham, London and the North West. Forming part of the museum’s Creative Court UK project, the funding will help the museum to gain different perspectives on the collection so that learning can be more representative and responsive to legal and heritage needs of young people across a wide range of communities.

As well as developing knowledge, skills and expertise, those involved in delivering sessions will have the opportunity to become paid facilitators for outreach work beyond the life of the project.

Creative Court UK will allow children and young people to learn about law and justice in their own schools and communities via an artist created pop-up court room. As part of the learning experience, young people will be able to connect with real objects from the museum, learn about the law, reflect on what is right and wrong and become empowered to be active citizens.

Tim Desmond, chief executive of the Egalitarian Trust which incorporates the Galleries of Justice Museum, the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law and City of Caves said: “We are delighted to receive funding for this landmark project where, with the support of a training programme by artists, trainees from diverse communities will be re-imagining a law court and using it as a space for children to take part in legal cases where they can make up their own rules and verdicts.

“Creative Court UK is totally original and very exciting as it will give a forum for young people to discuss the law and have a say in how it is written.”

The funding received from Arts Council England comes from their Museum Resilience Fund. The Galleries of Justice Museum is one of eight museums in the East Midlands to be successful in their bid for funding during this round.