Norfolk Museums Service [NMS] ran an ambitious and exciting programme of Big Draw events throughout October, taking Norwich Castle out on the road and into the city and partnering with some fantastic organisations and venues including the impressive Millennium Library and Norwich Historic Churches Trust.
Daniella Hadley, Events and Visitor Programme Officer at Norfolk Museums Service, kindly took some time to catch up with The Big Draw team after the many successes of their Big Draw events. We found out all about Daniella's opinion on the role of drawing and creativity in everyday life, more about NMS's Drawn to Life events and even a bit about 'Green Tourism' and how NMS manage to successfully operate their programmes in a more sustainable way...
We hope you enjoy the interview!
Hi Daniella! Can you explain to our readers a bit about the Norfolk Museums Service (NMS), its history and your work as Events and Visitor Programmes Officer?
Of course! Norfolk Museums Service is made up of ten award-winning museum sites across Norfolk, including Ancient House, Lynn Museum and Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse in the West; Cromer Museum, Tolhouse Gaol, Elizabethan House Museum and Time and Tide in the East; and Museum of Norwich, Strangers’ Hall, and Norwich Castle in the lovely historical city of Norwich. We’re really proud to be a National Portfolio Organisation for Arts Council England, and our aim is to enrich people’s lives, by ensuring Norfolk residents enjoy high-quality experiences and are engaged and inspired by our museums.
As Events and Visitor Programmes Officer based in Norwich, my role is all about programming a wide range of events and activities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
On your website you talk about operating in a highly sustainable way in an effort to minimise your impact on the environment. Could you tell us a little more about this? Did you continue your green mission through to this year’s Big Draw events at NMS?
Yes! During the planning stages of an event, we measure an activity against a series of Environmental Credentials. This helps us to consider how we source our materials (e.g. using recycled materials where possible), whether the activity requires the use of energy and water, how any waste can be minimised or reused, and whether materials can be recycled once an event has taken place.
Norwich Castle is working with Green Tourism to assess our green credentials and to begin working towards their accreditation programme.
Our activities for The Big Draw were largely paper based – not only because it can be recycled – but also because we want to use materials that feel accessible to everyone, getting away from this idea that ‘drawing’ is something done by ‘proper’ artists with superior materials! You can draw using anything – even the most basic materials available.
We totally agree! We believe that everyone can draw, and everyone should. What advice would you give to someone who would like to tap into their creative side, but doesn’t feel they have the confidence?
The way we think about art means that we often limit ourselves. We often talk about a drawing being ‘good’ or ‘bad’, about it looking like the thing it was meant to look like, or not. I think the first thing we need to do is address this language and challenge it. I am guilty of this too – I would say I’m ‘terrible’ at drawing animals, for example!
Most recently, I went along to a life drawing class in a Norwich pub with a friend, and it was so great to dedicate a couple of hours to scribbling in a relaxed environment! It was nice to draw in company too. If you’re looking for drawing activities or workshops, but you don’t usually draw, how about looking for an event that’s happening in a space you feel comfortable and confident in – like a pub, library, or café? The environment can make a huge difference. Take a friend with you, or perhaps invite a friend out to do a bit of doodling together over a cup of coffee.
I love stationary, so why not buy a notebook that sparks joy, and a funky pen and carry it about with you? Doodle on the bus, on the tube – I even work with people who doodle in meetings because it helps them focus and process. Why not gather your work crowd together at lunch for twenty minutes of scribbling? I’m a firm believer in drawing as a process, a journey, rather than it being about the finished article.
Why do you think that Museums are the perfect setting for drawing?
Well firstly, everywhere can be the perfect setting for drawing! Your living room, the pub, a park, a train.
Museums in particular are great, often because our buildings are chock-full of stimulus and inspiration! In a single visit to Norwich Castle, you might come across natural history specimens, fossils, pottery shards, wonderful portraits, Roman coins, medieval swords, textiles, dresses – the list is endless! The breadth of our collections means there are a plethora of things you might want to draw or be inspired by. Museums are also creative, inspiring environments too. You might be inclined to draw the building, the historical and architectural structures of a space.
We often have visitors who come in to the museum solely to draw, and we really welcome this!
What reasons would you give tourists to visit Norfolk and in particular the 10 museum sites that make up the NMS?
With 90 miles of unspoilt coastline, as well as beautiful countryside, forests, heathlands, broads, seaside resorts and historic towns and cities, Norfolk is a wonderful place to visit (and live!). I spent seven years living in London and absolutely love being so close to the miles and miles of heavenly beaches now.
Norwich itself is vibrant, young and creative. It’s also an astonishingly beautiful medieval city, with winding Tudor streets, two cathedrals and the wonderful Wensum river weaving through it (perfect for canoeing in summer!). Norwich Castle is undeniably an iconic feature of the city’s landscape – it’s been here almost 900 years and lived a life as a medieval royal palace, county gaol, and is now home to the most phenomenal historical and art collections. Norwich’s three museums – the Castle, Strangers’ Hall and the Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell – are a great way to introduce yourself to this exceptional city.
The wonderful thing about NMS, is that no matter where in Norfolk you might be staying – the chances are you’ll be close by to one of our ten award winning museums! Each with their own character and unique local collection, they’re really worth seeing. In the East, the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth is an exceptionally beautiful museum. Housed in the old premises of the Tower Fish Curing Works, the museum tells the story of Great Yarmouth, its rich maritime heritage and the colourful characters who once lived there. It really isn’t one to be missed and is an absolute favourite of mine.
This year The Big Draw Festival is celebrating ‘Drawn to Life’, aiming to shine a light on the pivotal role that creativity plays in our health and wellbeing. What are your thoughts on the healing powers of art, and how did NMS incorporate ‘Drawn to Life’ in its Big Draw events and programming?
Personally, I find creativity really powerful in terms of my emotional wellbeing and health. In my spare time I’m a maker – my art is in the making of my wardrobe rather than putting pencil to paper – and I use dedicated time at my sewing machine to relax, enjoy moments of calm or lose myself in a new project.
Our focus for the events throughout October was process, not final pieces. The motivation for our events was to carve out time for audiences to enjoy an opportunity to be playful and creative. As we get older, we often lose this time for play – it gets siphoned off to other tasks such as work and chores! My interest in particular was to give adults some much needed time for imagination.
What did participants get involved with at your Big Draw events this October?
October was chock-full of activities and events for Norwich and beyond! We tested out something a little different this month, taking Norwich Castle out on the road and into the city. We partnered with some fantastic organisations and venues across Norwich, including the impressive Millennium Library and Norwich Historic Churches Trust, which cares for 18 of the city’s re-purposed medieval churches.
A particular highlight for me were two evening drawing events for adults held at the Sir Garnet – a historical city centre pub overlooking the market. With exceptional views of Norwich’s iconic city skyline, we worked with local illustrator David Shenton to run informal and friendly workshops from the top floor of the pub in which participants were able to have a go at capturing the city at night, Van Gogh style!
We felt really passionate about involving adults as much as possible – often a forgotten audience, especially during the half term when so much programming is centred around families and young people – and so devised these workshops with David to encourage adults to get drawing. Adults can be a difficult-to-reach bunch. Firstly, their need to play and be creative must be legitimised, and secondly, they often need to be convinced of allowing themselves the luxury of the time to do those things. One thing you have very little of as a grown up is time! David’s friendly, welcoming and light hearted manner ensured all who attended felt comfortable and confident to give it a go, with some spectacular results.
We’re hoping to display some of the artwork created across the eight events in the near future.
What are some of the reasons that motivated the NMS to take part in The Big Draw Festival, and what do you hope to achieve?
In 2018, Norfolk Museums Service were delighted to be awarded £9.2 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a major redevelopment project, Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn. The project will transform the Keep’s internal spaces by reinstating its medieval floors and rooms to create a fully accessible and immersive learning space that enables people to explore and experience a Norman royal palace and its stories.An enormous part of this project will include going out into the community, across Norwich, Norfolk, and beyond, as part of a four-year activity-programme running from 2019-2023. We were able to be a part of The Big Draw Festival this year, and provide a host of fantastic free events for the public, thanks to this funding. Taking part, for us, was all about celebrating the Castle’s 900 years of history, its architectural details, and its place within the wider medieval city.
By taking the Castle out into the city, we hoped to engage with new audiences and reach those who perhaps had never visited the museum before. Support from the Heritage Fund meant that these activities could be delivered free of charge to our audiences, broadening who can access the Castle’s events programme. The Festival, for us, was all about taking time to reflect upon our lovely city, to foster confidence in people’s creative skills, and to tackle a few perceptions about ‘art’ through a series of welcoming and playful activities. We had a blast!
Thank you Danie and the team at Norfolk Museums Service!
Interview by: Matilda Barratt
Norfolk Museums Service is one of our Big Draw Festival 2019 Sponsor Partners.
Have you been inspired by Danie's interview, and The Big Draw Festival 2019 theme: #DrawntoLife? Why not join our global Festival in 2019? Registration is now open! Find out more about the benefits of becoming an organiser here and other ways to support The Big Draw's mission here.
