Showtown, Blackpool’s first museum, actively engaged communities in its ten-year development.
The challenge was to tell the story of Blackpool’s impact on British popular culture and entertainment for non-traditional museum visitors alongside cultural tourists. To create a place where locals could see their stories told and feel a sense of ownership – a museum which would contribute to the turning tide of Blackpool’s reputation as a cultural destination.
The design journey had a people-centred approach from the start. Instead of an anonymous curatorial tone, it celebrates hundreds of real life experiences direct from people living, working and performing in Blackpool. Work started early to nurture relationships with local people who became loyal volunteers, co-producers, object lenders and story sharers.
Past and present local performers were invited to form a network seven years before the museum opened. Magicians, circus performers, singers, dancers and comedians began coming to regular coffee mornings and taking turns to share their lifelong careers performing with world-famous stars in Blackpool’s iconic buildings.
Through these gatherings we built long-lasting relationships with each performer, with our enthusiasm for their stories building trust. The Performers’ Network members could see we would treat their stories with integrity and celebrate them for the first time. This key stakeholder group contributed artefacts, quotes and costumes, and are enduring advocates for the museum. After years of engagement we were eventually welcomed into the exclusive worlds of magic and circus.
Members of the circus community were invited to sessions which recorded detailed stories from their time at the Blackpool Tower Circus, unlocking this collection and informing our museum design.
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Developing a museum with a town that has never had one before had moments of challenge and revelation. Limiting museum lingo and working slowly with groups enabled us to find common ground and get to the heart of what a ‘non-traditional museum visitor’ might want from the experience.
We consulted and tested with specially-formed focus groups and forums made up of Blackpool communities and people from various backgrounds and areas of expertise. They helped make decisions on access and barriers, interpretation, interaction, brand, marketing and wayfinding. Our first Young People’s Steering Group, made up of 12 young people, came together regularly to experience more of the town’s culture and build resilience while helping us shape the museum.
We co-produced an audio visual for display with a group of young people from UR Potential, a not-for-profit community interest company. The group delved into the history of two complex 1930s Blackpool sideshows: the story of Colonel Barker, born Valerie Barker, who left their life as a woman behind and began to live as a man, and Alice Spicer, who due to medical issues reached nearly 38 stone in weight and appeared in Blackpool as the ‘giantess Jolly Alice’.
The young people gave direction to the audio visual through their own experiences of body confidence, sexuality, gender identity and the idea of putting yourself on show. The audio visual encourages our visitors to carefully consider these stories within today’s language and context.
Showtown engaged with all of these groups over a longer period of time than was expected, during which there were moments of uncertainty in the museum’s journey – funding targets shifting, a change of venue and Covid-19 causing the biggest delays and setbacks.
Groups were frustrated by the speed of completion and concerned about its materialisation. It was only due to having built strong bonds, honest communication and us adapting to their needs that we maintained their involvement. We built in time for individual conversations to explain messages and communicated in person as much as possible, allowing for questions and emotions to surface.
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Showtown was created with a passionate community who believed in creating a museum they could be proud of. This was palpable through a temporary exhibition showcasing and applauding the value of community engagement across all areas of designing a museum for everyone to enjoy.
Kerry Vasiliou is learning and engagement manager at Showtown.
Image: A Showtown Performers' Network meeting in 2020