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The group ventured out to Manchester City Centre to take a look at an exhibition devoted to hot drinks. We heard from museum curators and staff on their process of developing the exhibition and how they worked with a group of community members to make decisions on the displays. Being in the exhibition gave us the opportunity to start to think more tangibly about what might be possible in The Dining Room. How might the museum cases look? What stories might we want to tell? And, importantly how do we share the stories of any objects with visitors? With a range of diverse needs in the group as well as language and literacy differences, conversations turned to inclusion and multiple means of storytelling.
Manchester Jewish Museum invited us to taste some of the dishes on their menu and learn about the stories of the recipes, with the museum’s use of food as a means to bring communities together and share the history of Jewish migrants to Manchester. The dishes had flavours of Moroccan, Iranian and eastern European countries reflecting the diverse heritage of Manchester’s Jewish community. Meeting with café manager and chef Rick, the group learnt about kosher and the requirements of developing a café that is inclusive for all faiths.
Manchester Jewish Museum has a people-centred approach to its displays and interpretation that filters through into its welcome to all visitors. For example, rather than reading about a hat from a certain era, we are told about ‘Annie’s hat’ and learn about the woman behind the object. Connecting with individual stories provided rich reflection for the group, who over the course of the last six months have built strong relationships with each other, sharing their different histories and personal anecdotes.
The day provided rich material to reflect upon as the group go forward and consider the potential stories we could tell in The Dining Room, as well as how the food offer can reflect and inform those stories to create an engaging museum experience.