The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, where the collection spans over 1,000 years of documents. We are thrilled to have them on board as Sponsor Partners for this year's Big Draw Festival #ClimateofChange.

We were excited to catch up with Emily Morris to find out more about the National Archives, and their online #BigGreenDraw events this year!

Interview: Matilda Barratt in conversation with Emily Morris.

Hi Emily! Could you perhaps start by telling us a bit about the National Archives and your work there?

I’m Emily Morris and I am the Family & Young Person’s Programme Officer – I am responsible for designing and delivering the Time Travel Club family events and activities, as well as creative projects for young people, at The National Archives. I sit within the Education and Outreach department.

How has this year been for the National Archives? Has it forced you to explore new approaches to your programming?

I think the same as for many people and places, it has been challenging. However, I have been really impressed by the way in which the whole organisation has adapted to the challenges and risen to it! It has forced me to think about our work in a new way.  How do we continue to serve our audiences when the very reason we do so (the documents and building) are not as accessible as before?

We have moved many of our family and young people’s activities online, which is not something we have done much of before. We have stuck to our key principles of document-centred historical enquiry and creativity, but adapted and developed new activities such as ‘Time Travel TV’ ‘Tots online storytelling’ and online ‘Craft Clubs’ too.  

Luckily, our schools teaching programme and long established education website were already well-placed to become ever more digital! 

Why is it so important to make your collections accessible and available?

The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, where the collection spans over 1,000 years of documents. It is a public collection which belongs to everyone. It is vital for children and young people to be able to access the documents in a way that is understandable for them. School workshops, family events and young people’s projects all provide a layer of interpretation which is appropriate for the audience.

We use the term ‘visual literacy’ a lot - regarding its relevance across a breadth of different professions as well as its vital role in day-to-day life. I’m interested to know what it means to you? Does it play a role in your own work?

The archive is full of beautiful and fascinating documents which are not just written words: photographs, maps, design books, pictures and drawings, posters and objects too. Therefore visual literacy is an essential part of interpreting historical documents.

Documents such as artwork for Second World War propaganda posters, maps of London, illuminated Tudor plea rolls and photographs of Suffragettes are key to our school workshops, allowing students to see that archive documents can be accessible for all types of learners.

Our family and young people’s programmes seek to give people a chance to use their own visual literacy when creating things like animation films and graphic novels. We often find that our young visitor’s imaginations are full of ideas and questions about documents and history, and they are the most creative!

This year’s Big Draw Festival theme, ‘The Big Green Draw: A Climate of Change’, focuses on the relationship between people and our living environments and ecosystems, encouraging drawing as a means of positive activism. What is your opinion on the role of art in communicating a message and bringing about change?

I think art has a really important role in bringing about change. It allows people to express their opinions and communicate this with others. Archive documents prove this – the drafts of artwork for the Second World War posters that I mentioned earlier are a great example of how art and design can be used to persuade people.

Furthermore, how does this theme resonate with the National Archives, and why do you think it’s important?

The National Archives may seem like an unexpected place to explore the Big Green Draw, but the collection offers an array of documents which tell us about people’s relationship with the natural environment. It’s important to give children the opportunity to explore this in a creative and enjoyable way, so that they can come to their own conclusions about the significance of nature.

We are lucky to have a green space onsite at The National Archives, the Pocket Park.  It has a busy pond with plenty of swans, geese and ducks, as well as bug hotels and benches for people to enjoy. It has been popular with local families during Covid-19 restrictions!

The National Archives’ also has an environmental policy, and the Education team is looking at ways that our school visits and craft materials can become more eco-friendly too.

I would love to hear more about what you are working on for this year’s Big Draw Festival! I understand that you have weekly online activities being released throughout October...

Yes we do! It’s a shame that we are unable to hold onsite events this year, but we have moved online instead.

We are releasing weekly activities which use images of archive documents such as Victorian adverts, photographs and maps of parks to inspire families to get creative! The weekly themes are on the seasons, bugs and insects (with a special TNA-twist!), recycling and green spaces. Families will enjoy seeing bright, colourful and interesting documents which get them learning about their surroundings.

What inspires you to take part in The Big Draw Festival? Having taken part previously, do you have any words of wisdom for someone considering getting involved?

For me, it’s great to be able to participate in a national festival which lots of families already know about. I enjoy being able to open up the collection in a different way… I’m not sure many people would expect us to have such fabulous inspiration to draw from!

I’m not sure they are words of wisdom, but mostly just to enjoy the process of thinking creatively about your collection and how it can tie into the festival!

Thank you Emily!

If you were inspired by this interview with Tracie and would like to find out more about the Walt Disney Family Museum, head to their website here. 

Registrations are now open for The Big Draw Festival 2020: A Climate of Change! Find out more about the benefits of becoming an organiser here and other ways to support The Big Draw's mission here.