The Creative Core, a leading visitor experience designer for museums, heritage and culture, has announced that it is working with the Peace Museum to develop its new exhibition and engagement spaces at Salts Mill in Saltaire, a World Heritage Site near Bradford in West Yorkshire, UK.
The gallery’s expansion is a part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund-funded “IMAGINE: Creating The Peace Museum of the Future” project, which aims to give visitors, scholars, and community organisations more opportunities to investigate the wide range of stories that the museum’s collection has to tell.
Accessibility and audience engagement are central to the design of the new galleries, which will display a larger proportion of the museum’s expanding collection.
Reimagining a unique museum
The Peace Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to telling the tales of peacemakers and movements for social justice and nonviolence. It aims to give a voice to those who have been marginalised and to highlight histories that might have otherwise been forgotten.
The museum, which has a distinctive and growing collection, works to encourage people to build peace across communities through engagement and learning. It is expected to reopen to the public in summer 2024.
Charlotte Houlahan, curator at The Peace Museum, says: “We’re so excited to be working with The Creative Core on this project. Their team have taken the time to really understand our collection, and to help us create galleries that reflect our communities. We can’t wait to see their designs come to life, and to be able to welcome many more visitors to the new galleries next year.”
Nichola Ward, creative director at The Creative Core, adds: “We’re proud to be involved in this project to reimagine such a unique museum telling the untold stories of peacemakers and peace movements. Bradford is a city rooted in a rich and enduring history of reform, welcome and sanctuary. With the spotlight soon set to fall on Bradford as UK City of Culture 2025, we’re excited to present this important part of the city’s character and to help tell stories of peace on both a local and global level.”
Earlier this year, The Creative Core announced that several of its recent projects have been recognised with prestigious awards, including wins at the Museums + Heritage Awards, the RIBA Awards and the European Museum of the Year Awards.
