The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 3

Tiffin and Timelines

Lorna, Pippa B, Pippa D and Liz discuss the plans for
the object labels. SOS for Pippa and
Lorna!

Edward and Lee pose with the early
timeline. See the banana!

With the biggest turn-out yet of young (and older) volunteers we continued with the challenging demands of putting together an exhibition. Ken, our knowledgeable museum technician, showed us how to measure and construct a precise timeline on the panels (no spills with the paint and no wonky lines on the walls). Lee and Edward began the task of plotting the timeline while other teams got to work on the all-important fixtures of labels. The labels were designed by Pippa D, Rosie, Liz and Lorna, following the standard museum layout. The forms were another important element to ensure we could keep track of what belonged to who. We accomplished a lot and we are very excited to see the final print-outs. Meanwhile, Jack covered much of the technical research needed for details on artifacts such as an old Carbide Caving Lamp etc..

Do you recognise any of these
objects?

In the afternoon, Edward and Co. ventured into the other exhibitions across the museum, looking for numbered combinations to prepare a new Geocache. There was lots of laughter as Lee and Jenny tried the costume basket in the Thomas Hardy exhibition room - pity it was only for the role of Tess! After this, it was back to the timeline, as we made time for a Tiffin tea break. It was very tasty as the group polished off two boxes. After unveiling the blue coating for the timeline, which turned out excellently, we then moved on to placing some artifacts in the cabinet. It was a very interesting exercise and the matter of position, page and condition were all very important when considering this task. It was a very productive day for DYR in general and with the designs at last coming together, stay tuned for the gripping developments!   

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 2

All Hands on Labels

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Micheal (seated) observes as Lee paints on one of the
panels ahead of him.

With the official museum transformation now underway, the tireless volunteers came to a slight stand still as the second coats of paint failed to make their arrival at the due time. A change of plan was required. The labels were of great priority and scaled up a day or two ahead of their original timetable. It was time for the volunteers to find out just what professional techniques other exhibitions use!

Lee, Jenny and Jack, made a quick dash to the adjacent exhibition, copied a close template of the labels beside museum property. Able to replicate the method now, it was time to set to work - once they had let off enough steam during their lunch break. Here, an example is shown below of just what a typical label design will look like:

Lorna and Jack begin the task of scrutinising
archive material.

As the group returned to work, the new paint was found to be too thin to fully cover the previous coating on the panels! Ashley, who was primarily responsible for the effort of painting the walls, commented "It was very frustrating. The coat we used was useless and wouldn't spread far enough." In the meantime we set to work on the labels! From floppy harvest ragdolls to specially designed youth club flags, the challenge was set for accuracy and telling details that weren't already available in other parts of the exhibition.

The brand new cabinets. Empty, but soon to be full to the
brim of material.

Later on in the day, the new upright cabinets at last made an appearance. Ashley, being willing, set to the matter of dusting and giving a spruce up of the displays. As well as this, we continued to construct the timeline. As for the cabinets, we decided to go with a lilac felt, however, the correct colour was not available so we chose a dress lining instead. 
A slow day's work, but with much completed. Lorna reflected here that "We learnt a lot today about the nuts and bolts of mounting an exhibition. It was fascinating working alongside the museum technician and the education manager as they shared their expertise. I was very proud of the DYR volunteers, the technician commented on hard and well they worked."

The Big Museum Takeover - Week 1, Day 1

No Paint, No Gain

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

Lee and Pippa moving (by hand) one of the glass cabinets.
The lift is next to them. 

With paintbrushes and kettle boiling at the ready, it can only mean that DYR are now in the culminative stages of the most anticipated museum exhibition of the year. As the select number of volunteers entered the area where the transformation will take place at the tender hour of 9am, it was to battle stations. We started the long process and becoming familiar with the fine specifics of exhibition installation. This included a very efficient lift trolley for the glass cabinets and discussions for the colour of our walls. Much deliberation ensured that we finally settled for the aptly titled 'Carnival Time' paint colour, (find out more when you come to the exhibition)! The pressure was at full throttle in order to complete on time our scheduled tasks by July 14th.

The first strokes of success!

With the selection of paint accomplished, it was left to the brave efforts of Edward and Jenny to venture outside (in the rain!) and collect sample pots of the chosen paint. Meanwhile, a base station was established for borrowed laptops and the necessary collection of objects and exhibition material at our museum HQ ready to put on display with labels. Much discussion fell onto our list of objectives and who was going to do what and when... Jenny reflected "It was very rewarding to see the first coat of paint on by the end of the morning and it was good to see the exhibition coming together."

Amy holds the paint tray as Edward finishes
his work.

A tea break was now in order as many hours had passed. After having a drink, the painting continued as we worked our way up from the skirting board. Much praise must go to Ashley who was responsible for the early stages of our effort. The very man himself commented "It was good to transform all the blue bits to orange on there. It didn't look very good." But as the rush to lunchtime approached, groups formed by Edward and Amy and Jenny and Jack stepped up to fill the highest crevices and finish our first can of paint. At lunch, plans for our exciting celebrations in September and the opening day itself took place, with cakes, scribbles and giggles along the way! Top secret for now, though.

A cabinet meeting takes place.

In the afternoon, due to sudden shortages of the paint colour, our attentions turned to the formation of the timeline. By drawing the timeline to scale with accurate measurements, we could see how the various decades would be displayed on the wall.  The selection of overall colour of the timeline was negotiated to an appropriate shade of blue. 

Coming Soon to a Club Near You...

The final design of the flyer going out to promote
the widely-anticipated exhibition.

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

The planning for the local event of this year is now reaching its final stages and the celebration of county youth clubs is about to begin.

So, why not let your own nostalgic memories of youth clubs' past take you back down memory lane? And let children come and see the excitement of youth service past and present.

From Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister is the grand title of our collective research and from July 14th until this October the exhibition will be available for all to see. It will be a day to remember as the doors finally open to the culmination of this challenging, but rewarding exploration.

There will additionally be a celebration in September. More to follow...

Hiking to Hotpants, Tents to Twister from the Dorset Young Remembers will officially open at the Dorset County Museum from Saturday July 14th. Make a date with local youth clubs' past NOW!
 

Fun & Friendship with Our Neighbours

By Jack Welch, Volunteer press Officer

From left: Phillipa Dowdeswell, Edward Trist,
Katherine-Anne Crabb and Amy Davy
surveying the fruits of their labour.

As the compilation of the final museum display boards takes place with volunteers collapsing on sofas with exhaustion and an encroaching deadline, the team here at DYR were thankful for the additional group adrenaline, courtesy of the Dorset County Museum. Under the superb guidance of our Geocaching Co-ordinator and Graphics Designer, Edward Trist, three young members came in to support the largest presentation of a scrapbook yet! The Fun & Friendship/Activities board was the task. Katherine-Anne Crabb, Amy Davy, who is currently undertaking an MA in Museum Studies, and Phillipa Dowdeswell gave a refreshing boost in checking the content of the board, whilst keeping in check some of our group's excessive 'creative energies'. Their expertise on what works in a museum environment ensured we edited down the photographs and words to a number manageable for a museum visitor.

Not only that, but the girls who attended also learned a lot about the new system adopted for our Mac computer, known as 'Comic Life'. As they twisted, teased and scaled images to suit the template we are working with, they too learned the necessary technical skills, which up till now they had only reviewed. As they left to return to the museum, the group were very pleased with the efforts made by our young volunteers and are very excited to introduce the innovative and colourful display to the general public soon.

Our latest geocache is live!

By Edward Trist, volunteer geocaching co-ordinator

Our latest geocache at the Keep Military Museum was published yesterday. This is the second of five geocaches to be placed in our Dorchester trail of historic hotspots. Our first, along the River Frome, has attracted over 60 geocachers since it was placed in November!

Recently, we introduced our new mascot Sid (the oldest spider in the world!) to our geocaches, along with new historical information cards in which Sid tells you all about each location's history. We hope this will encourage young people to learn about the history of their local area through geocaching.

Our new geocache has already had some great feedback from geocachers who found it within hours of it being put online!

We also had some great support from Colin Parr at the Keep Military Museum, who generously gave us his assistance placing the geocache.

Try it for yourself at http://coord.info/GC3MGNF and watch this space for our next geocache!

Raincoats and Brollies...These are a few of our favourite things!

Open For Business!

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

With the gathering momentum of the upcoming exhibition this July, DYR took their publicity campaign one step further into Dorchester Borough Gardens to drum up excitement  during the the final day of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. With a barrel-load of goody bags and armed with a shop supply of crisps and coke, the enthusiastic group were ready to sell a range of treats in a vintage Tuck Shop, dressed in a variety of clothes in the Queen's decades gone by. However, little did we suspect when the clouds decided to unleash an unremitting downpour of showers as the event got underway! Thankfully, the group were not to be deterred by such circumstances and bravely stepped outside to set-up the stall for an afternoon of entertainment. As the author G.K. Chesterton once quoted, "And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow."

New Dorchester Mayor, Andy Canning, poses for
a photograph to mark the occasion.

Time to Boogie!

As the afternoon got into full swing, volunteers Charlotte, Lee and Jenny ventured into the crowd to sell the tuck shop wares and hand out leaflets about our exhibition, whilst getting incredibly damp in the meantime. A live band played to liven up the spirits of those visitors who made an effort to visit the garden and partake in some of the day's festivities. At one point the female singer praised Jenny's sensational gold boots as she was one of  the first to step outside and dance. By interacting with public figures such as the town Mayor and the event organisers of the day, the group felt they had a great success despite the mitigating factors. The group raised a surprising sum of over £21.00.  Project Worker Lorna Johnson praised the very cold and tired volunteers for their resilience and the effort that they made on such a dismal day. It was all in a day's work to ensure that as many members of the public know about the exhibition celebrating local youth clubs coming soon.