Exploring Grantham’s hidden history

GRANTHAM Museum has been awarded £7,300 by the Heritage Lottery Fund and  £14,500 from Lincolnshire County Council to deliver a community digital arts project.

My Grantham will reveal hidden histories and public spaces will be brought to life by untold stories. It will be taking the town’s heritage out on to the streets to explore and celebrate the place and its people.

Students from Grantham College will be working with digital artists Glassball Arts to develop skills and explore the town’s very character.

To reveal the real and alternative Grantham, a series of drop-in events will be held at vacant shops and other venues in town.

My Grantham  will be looking to capture photographic portraits and interviews with people about their Grantham stories. Students will also be recording people’s treasured objects which will be used to tell an alternative history of the town.

With this unique material the students will then create artworks to share these with everyone in Grantham from December onwards.

These collaborative artworks will be found in public spaces and might include audio posts or film projections at sites or a digital treasure hunt with augmented reality content to reveal a hidden Grantham.

Christine Robbins, the Museum’s Director of Exhibitions said: “I’m so excited to see what the young people come up with. They will bring a fresh perspective to the town’s heritage and a creative flair to how we celebrate it.”

Chairman of the museum trust Helen Goral said they also have funds to replace the lighting throughout the museum, as well as do some internal building works including the removal of the internal wall and some decorating.

She said: “ Obviously doing such works is a major job and one that can’t be carried out while the building is open, so we are closing the museum from 1st December through to 14th February.

“This will allow sufficient time to remove all artefacts and exhibits, carry out the work and then repopulate the museum with all the items before reopening.”