Mini museums have been created to spark curiosity for the patients and young families at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The hospital’s programme, Artfelt, worked with Sheffield Museums to bring elements of their collection to the curated museum.
The aim of the mini museum is for families to enjoy exhibitions when they are not able to.
Cat Powell, head of Artfelt, said: “Access to arts and heritage is proven to improve both physical and mental health so we’re excited to keep working with Sheffield Museums on more exhibitions in future.
“I’ve loved seeing the stories the children have come up with and it’s so special to have these pieces loaned from the museum.”
Alongside creative agency Peter and Paul, these stories were turned into special worlds at the entrances to the wards
Children worked with the facilitator, Carmen Kalnars, to look at vintage toys and created stories on how they might interact.
Dual stories were then displayed in glass cabinets on the entrance to the ward.
Sarah Lynch, a play leader on the hospital wards, said: “The mini-museums have brightened up the entrance to the ward and are viewed by patients, parents and staff continually throughout the day.”
The aim of the mini museum is for families to enjoy exhibitions when they are not able to.
Clara Morgan, curator of Social History at Sheffield Museums said: “Much of Sheffield’s museum collection has been donated by people of Sheffield, so for us it’s important to find new ways to continue to share and celebrate those collections with the city’s communities. It’s been fantastic to work with Artfelt on the displays at Sheffield Children’s and see the amazing responses the children have created as part of them.”
Patients on Wards 1, 2 and 3 at Sheffield Children’s looked at vintage toys and invented stories on how they might interact
Testaments which children wrote as part of the displays showcased their creativity and imagination.
Artfelt is The Children’s Hospital Charity’s arts programme and plays an important role to make patients feel more comfortable at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Ms Lynch added: “Over the many years that I have worked at Sheffield Children’s, I have worked closely on numerous occasions with Artfelt and it has been lovely to see their joint work with Sheffield Museums. On behalf of everyone on my ward, I would like to say thank you for creating these mini-museums for us.”
Find out more about Artfelt’s work at Sheffield Children’s by visiting: www.artfelt.org.uk