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The Gardener's Ark
Why is this case study relevant?
The project demonstrates what can be achieved through strong partnership working, and opening up pathways of opportunity for the organisations and groups involved. It demonstrates the relevance of museums in all aspects of life, reaching out to find common ground through the power of objects, even with the hardest to reach groups.
What were the aims of the project?
The group involved are long term residents at Leverndale and Dykebar Hospitals with mental health issues and a wide range of learning difficulties; some have physical or motor impairments. The majority of the residents have spent their lives in care from an early age, and have somewhat limited life experience out with the familiarity of the hospital. Many of the group have severe problems in retaining information and making connections.
The overall aim for this group is rehabilitation into their community; a long and gradual process. We wanted to combine different learning strands that would have direct relevance to their daily life.
We therefore wanted to create a more holistic approach linked to the groups’ daily life and work patterns, in a directly relevant way to the group and to support the rehabilitation process.
What happened?
We started off with the idea of creating a ‘living’ travelling display, and the project grew from there. We worked in close partnership with Occupational Therapy (NHS), Glasgow Life’s Community Learning and the Acorn Gardening Project to join up key learning and work based strands.
The Travelling Display:
The Gardener’s Ark project involved a close partnership with the Acorn Gardening Project to combine the groups’ daily work pattern of onsite gardening. This work with Acorn is an integral part of their work life in Hospital. Using horticulture as a key strand ensured that the group could connect with the theme in a directly relevant way.
We organised several visits to Glasgow Museums Resource Centre with the group for inspiration from our Collection. The group were particularly keen on Scottish works of art and model boats, and decided that the touring display should take the form of a Scottish fishing boat. The group worked with the Acorn Project to build the boat from scratch, and grew the plants that would fill the display.
Exhibition:
Although the ‘living’ travelling display was the most visible and public outcome of the project, we also ran art projects under the wider theme, bringing out objects to the hospital, in order to consolidate the connections with their daily gardening, healthy eating and literacy work. Community Learning used our resources and worked with Acorn Gardening to create their own literacy based programme. An exhibition of the groups’ work is on permanent display in Leverndale.
Publication:
The group have also been working on the content of a publication, which has been the longer term focus for the group over the past two years. The aim of the publication is to celebrate and create a lasting legacy for the project with a view to inspiring and developing future projects.
What was learned?
The key was to create and maintain connections with the groups’ everyday life, and not to run a one-off art project that had little relevance to their daily routines. It resulted in a direct contribution to their community which was essential in raising their expectations and their perception of the project: that they did, in fact, have something of value to offer people out with their own limited environment, and this had an extremely important impact on their self-esteem and pride.
What is the wider relevance?
Creating new pathways of opportunity:
The project has demonstrated how museums can work significantly within the realm of mental health and well-being, through forming and cultivating partnerships based on respect, understanding and collaboration of our different areas of expertise.
Since the project began, Occupational Therapy at Leverndale Hospital has had a precedent to form new partnerships with outside agencies.
The newly built Arts and Resources Centre (ARC) at Leverndale has been named so after the Gardener’s Ark project which has provided inspiration for future projects and ways of partnership working.
Other units within the Hospital have requested to work in partnership with The Open Museum, several departments have started using our loan resources, and others have made visits to GMRC.
How was this project promoted?
As a travelling display it promoted itself!
We also promoted the project via:
Glasgow Museums website
NHS newsletter
Community Learning website
Postcards
Events and word of mouth
Local newspapers
Open Museum conference
Articles (e.g. SAMH publication; Open Museum publication)
What type of evaluation was done?
Formal Open Museum session evaluation forms throughout the project (because of the experimental nature of the project, feedback informed each subsequent session and influenced the outcomes)
- Informal evaluation with patients (oral feedback transcribed)
- Regular meetings with partners to evaluate each milestone
- Individual Learning Outcomes recorded by Community Learning
- The body of work produced by the group
- The publication will give an overview of the project by each partner, detailing the nature of the partnership, the challenges and successes, and the impact on the group.
For Further Information
Email us at OpenMuseumEnquiries@glasgowlife.org.uk
A chapter about the Gardeners’ Ark can be found in the Open Museum publication: ‘OUT THERE The Open Museum – Pushing the boundaries of museums potential’. The book has a wide variety of case studies. Copies of the book can be ordered from:
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/publications/books/Pages/New-publication—-OUT-THERE-The-Open-Museum—-Pushing-the-boundaries-of-museums%E2%80%99-potential.aspx
Open Museum website:
From this page you can click on the links to see the Ark being built, the cyanotype and still life projects, ‘How to Plant…’ guides and a selection of the groups’ literacy work.
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/our-museums/open-museum/about-the-Open%20Museum/gardeners-arc/Pages/home.aspx
Link to publication ‘The Point – An alternative voice on mental health issues’ SAMH Winter issue, see page 30 for article on The Gardeners’ Ark.
http://www.samh.org.uk/media/19805/the_point_issue_34.pdf
Associated Images
Categories
Partnership
Evaluation
Research
Collections
Learning
Access
Marketing
Grants
Project Start
1st Jun 2008
Project End
Ongoing
Published
7th Nov 2011
Who Led?
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
Who else took part?
Adult Learners
NHS (Occupational Therapy)
The Acorn Gardening Project
Glasgow Life’s Community Learning
The Open Museum provided curatorial and design expertise throughout the project, and has funded the art sessions, ward exhibition, boat build, commissioned carved figureheads for the boat, plus marketing.
Community Learning tailored their existing session work with the group.
Acorn Gardening provided boat building expertise and ongoing work with the group, and funded the planting from their existing budget.
Who Paid?
Various contibutions (see 'Who else took part' for details). Open Museum budget is detailed below
How Much?
£4,5000 paid by the Open Museum, not including staff time