'Tess of the d'Urbervilles’ Community Project

The project was a partnership between Wiltshire Museum and Arts Together, a charity which works to improve the health, well-being and quality of life of older people. 

The programme was divided into six sessions exploring a theme from Tess of the d’Ubervilles:

‘Tess, like many of Hardy’s heroines, is bound by the strictures of 19th century society, and limited both by being a woman in a man’s world, and by being lower class.’   

Members had watched the film or read the book in advance.

The first session was at Stonehenge. The group was met by Amy Hammett, Community Curator for Wiltshire Museum. Amy brought a selection of prehistoric handling items, and they talked about the purpose of the monument.

The second session involved Amy visiting the group in Melksham. She took a variety of Victorian handling artefacts as a launchpad for discussion about life in the 19th century, especially for women.  Sue Martin, the artist facilitator, encouraged members to use the artefacts as a base for wax rubbings to capture their textures, these were later incorporated into ‘fashion designs’.

Sessions three to six (one on Zoom due to Covid) concentrated on making the art works. Workshops usually involved about 1.5 hours of activity and then members enjoyed a hot lunch together.

Project aims

• To encourage a feeling of fellowship and friendship with others in the group, and to help wellness.
• To help participants feel valued as part of the group and Wiltshire Museum’s community. To combat feelings of social inclusion and loneliness.
• To inspire creativity and develop new artistic skills in isolated and vulnerable older people.
• To encourage engagement with Tess of the D’Urbervilles, the Hardy’s Wessex exhibition, Stonehenge and artefacts in Wiltshire Museum’s collection. 
• To ignite curiosity about the past, the role of women in Victorian society (and beyond) through handling of artefacts. 
• To support and underpin Wessex Museums’ aim of ‘Connecting with Communities’, namely ‘working with underserved groups of older adults’, increasing inclusivity of older adults and disseminating best practice.

  

• The project was suggested by Arts Together staff after a successful first collaboration focusing on the work of Eric Ravilious. Due to the Covid 19 lockdown, that project had run without the planned inclusion of museum staff and artefact handling. We wanted to make an even better project with our artefacts and Stonehenge at its heart.
• We had a ‘blue skies thinking’ discussion about how the project could work then whittled the ideas down to core aims, objectives and creative outputs.
• We put the plan, budget, dates and responsibilities in writing and agreed this as a partnership record.
• Arts Together compiled a risk assessment for members, including Covid-19 implications and, crucially, we had in place a ‘plan b’ just in case the pandemic interrupted the workshop.
• We worked out an evaluation plan. Feedback was collected every week.
• We kept in touch once the Community Curator’s initial input finished, and she handed over to the Artist facilitator.
• After the project finished, Arts Together and Wiltshire Museum worked together on evaluating the project.

• Six sessions
• Two sessions involving Amy Hammett, Wessex Museums’ Community Curator for Wiltshire Museum.
• Eight Arts Together members
• Two Arts Together Volunteers
• Five months of a display of work at Wiltshire Museum, concurrent with the Hardy’s Wessex exhibition. There were textile works, pictures and portfolios.

• Arts Together members reported that they enjoyed visiting Stonehenge, exploring handling artefacts with Wiltshire Museum’s Community Curator and finding out something new about pre-history and Victorian times.
• They said they loved the creativity opportunities they were given and that the helped their wellness.
• The display of their work has been well received by visitors to Wiltshire Museum.
• The project introduced Wiltshire Museum to new ways of using artefacts in community work. ‘Using rubbings of handling items to create wonderful collage work was genius!’
• Arts Together continues to remind Wiltshire Museum that all people are creative, innovative, independent thinking and have curious minds well into older age. Thank you.
  
  

“My creativity has really been sparked by this project. I have written, drawn, collaged and sewn in one project. What fun.”

“ I have looked into the fashions and homewares of the Victorian era and we have all discussed this and shared the knowledge we have gained. All in all, brilliant. Thank you.”

“Sue, our lovely tutor, brought bag loads of haberdashery, cottons, buttons, materials, ribbons; the list goes on. The lounge was a great example of a long ago haberdashery shop”

“I am very proud to be doing a project that will be displayed in the museum.”

“It is nice to be so valued as you lose self-value when you can’t work anymore.”

“Sunny sun sunshine – a beautiful day and mild. Tutor Sue very cheerful and kindly putting up with our humour. There was much to amuse us, many laughs.”

From Karolyne Fudge Malik, Arts Together Manager:

“We don’t usually work with partner organisations in this way – visiting Stonehenge and Amy’s brilliant visit with artefacts – so we did not realise that our actual working time would be cut to three sessions. I added an extra session by Zoom to give them a bit more time but was still pushing it and I am mightily impressed by what they achieved, a large part due to ‘homework’.

“I would also factor in more time and costs for Sue, our artist, who I’m sure did more work than she was paid for in putting together the work for the exhibition.”

From Wiltshire Museum:
“Gleaning a bit more knowledge from the group of their knowledge of the subjects before doing the workshops would have been helpful for preparation and targeting the right level of information to share with them.

“Circumstances of workloads meant that two members of staff were involved in this project. Some points arose where it was highlighted that more detailed communication would have improved effectiveness.”

• Contact your local Council, GP or similar sector colleagues to locate an organisation like Arts Together that are already set up and would welcome new partners and subjects to keep projects fresh and innovative. We know from conversations with local sector colleagues that finding individuals to commit to a project like this can be hard, (it takes a lot of confidence to join something new when you might be feeling lonely and down.) The right partner is key.
• Together with organisers and members, identify a subject that will resonate and inspire. But don’t be shy of introducing challenging subjects (if your partner organisation agrees).
• Always listen to what your partners have to say. Be open and honest. An element of trust on both sides is key. Be open to new ways of working and taking a risk if needed.
  
  

Rachael Holtom

Development Officer, Wiltshire Museum

01380 727369 

rachael.holtom@wiltshiremuseum.org.uk