www.nesta.org.uk/press-release/leading-uk-museums-collaborate-in-1-million-cultural-innovation-initiative-supporting-young-children-and-families/
Wednesday 18 September 2024 – Collaborating for the first time, Art Fund, the national charity for art, and Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good, announce an innovative research and development programme that will harness the power and network of UK museums and galleries to support families and the formative experiences of early-years children, between 2 – 4 years old.
The £1million programme has been jointly created and funded by Art Fund, through a generous legacy grant from the Foyle Foundation, and Nesta.
Mini Wonders – the Early Years Innovation in Museums programme aims to support early child development and enhance parent-child interactions ensuring more families can benefit from the unique, life-enriching experiences offered by our museums and galleries. This pioneering programme – the first of its kind in the museum sector – will initially run for two years, supporting as many families as possible to experience and contribute to the work.
Art Fund and Nesta, co-designed with eight museums and galleries across the UK, will develop and test the new programme for families with young children, blending creativity with well-evidenced messages and strategies to support parents with their children’s social-emotional development. By embedding creativity and learning as part of children’s formative experiences, the programme will give them the best possible start as they move towards primary school.
Following a consultation stage, Art Fund and Nesta selected eight museums and galleries, leaders in early-years engagement in the cultural sector, to help develop and deliver this programme. Each of the following lead museums has received a grant to support their participation and will work with a partner museum or gallery to deliver the programme in their area:
Working with the Nesta design team and leading academics, the eight museums will create a prototype scheme and pilot the programme using museum spaces and collections. By exploring how to unlock the social value of cultural spaces for families the programme will enhance caregiver-child interactions that help support child development and potentially impact how parents and guardians support their children to learn and develop at home. The ambition is that the research and development process will create a robust evidence base that will allow the innovation to be scaled up across the UK while remaining unique to each museum and embedded in their community.
Museums and galleries have an established record in providing children and their families with the tools and inspiration to explore and learn about the world. Arts and education programmes inspired by museum collections of art, design, heritage, science and nature have the potential to break down the barriers to opportunity.
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “Museums are inspiring places for children and their families in every part of the UK. This exciting project combines the skills and expertise of Art Fund and Nesta, along with eight museums and galleries across the UK, to harness their amazing spaces and collections in a programme designed to break down barriers to opportunity. Together, we will design a way of working that will have real impact where it’s most needed.
The importance of foundational early-years experiences is crucial to giving the next generation the skills and experience to thrive. This programme and the recent Art Fund Museum of the Year winner, Young V&A, show how a museum can be an agent of change and inspiration to the next generation.”
Ravi Gurumurthy, Chief Executive of Nesta, said: “We are really pleased to be working with Art Fund and these eight amazing museums and galleries from across the UK on this programme. The environment and experiences of early childhood shape our brains and bodies, creating the building blocks of our physical, emotional and cognitive skills – but not every child gets what they need to develop during their earliest years.
Our museums and galleries are magical places, especially for young children, and they offer unique opportunities for joy, learning and creativity – it is essential that all children have these opportunities and get to benefit from the enriching experiences cultural institutions offer. This programme will combine expertise in child development, learning and creativity, drawing on the unique potential of museum collections and spaces, to support parents and their young children to learn, develop and thrive.”
Notes to Editors:
Art Fund
Art Fund is the national charity for art, helping museums and people to share in great art and culture for 120 years. Art Fund raises millions of pounds every year to help the UK’s museums, galleries and historic houses. The charity funds art, enabling the UK’s museums to buy and share exciting works, connect with their communities, and inspire the next generation. It builds audiences, with its National Art Pass opening doors to great culture. And it amplifies the museum sector through the world’s largest museum prize, Museum of the Year, and creative events that bring the UK’s museums together. Art Fund is people-powered by 135,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, and the donors, trusts and foundations who support the charity.
The National Art Pass provides free or discounted entry to over 900 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and Art Quarterly magazine.
About Nesta
We are Nesta, the UK's innovation agency for social good. We design, test and scale solutions to society's biggest problems. Our three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives, and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.
For over 20 years, we have worked to support, encourage and inspire innovation. We work in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early stage businesses, and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation.
Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to change millions of lives for the better.
Find out more at nesta.org.uk
