Over the past few months, the gallery has been running a project called Save a Place at the Table, working with many people and organisations, including Carers Plus Yorkshire, Caring Together Whitby, Whitby’s Dementia Friendly Communities and Larpool care home.
The aim of the project – funded by Arts Council England and Museums Development North – was to collect recordings and interviews from people who remembered the end of WW2, with a focus on homecomings, celebrations, street parties, food and rationing, and the changes from war to peacetime.
People shared stories of their childhood and the experiences of friends and family and some loaned photographs and artefacts to illustrate these stories.
The gallery gathered difficult memories from this time, as well as accounts of love, hope, humour and resilience.
These stories have been used to create an exhibition at the gallery which covers topics relating to the war and people’s memories of it.
The exhibition includes first hand accounts as well as lots of the original recordings to listen to on a special radio.
Save a Place at the Table Embroidery
Some of the stories related to particular people, who we felt could be ‘commemorated’ in a meaningful way, using the theme ‘Save a Place at the Table’.
Twelve embroiderers were each given a story, and were invited to create an embroidered place setting for the person described.
This installation features 12 hand-stitched pieces which are laid out around a table.
The collaborative piece presents a powerful and moving tribute to the interviewees’ relatives.
Other project outcomes
The gallery is creating a children’s area: a dedicated space for children and families to use
The gallery has bought two dementia-friendly radios, which will be used to share the collection in more accessible and interesting ways.
The gallery has also created an education session using the display, which helps pupils to think about how it might have felt to be a wartime child.
The recordings and information will also be used to make a Whitby WW2 education resource which can be loaned out to schools.
At the celebratory sharing event, the gallery was decorated with bunting which commemorated people from the time of WW2 while tables were set out for everyone to have tea and cake in the style of a street party.
Children from West Cliff School and half-term visitors made paper cake decorations for the tables and paper flower corsages for people to wear.
Botham’s of Whitby donated cakes for the event and Airy Hill School choir sang some wartime songs.
A film was also projected onto the gallery wall of Whitby people enjoying street parties in 1945, loaned by Ian Wilson, Whitby Memories Facebook group.
The event was attended by Whitby’s Mayor Sandra Turner, ex-Mayor Linda Wild and MP Alison Hume.
The embroiderers were keen to meet the people whose story they had stitched, and friendships and connections were formed.
Visitors and gallery staff even enjoyed doing the Hokey Cokey led by 86-year-old Rita Jefferson.
Save a Place at the Table will be on display at Pannett Art Gallery until December 14.
5. Save a Place at the Table
Gordon Smith with carer Kayleigh McGovern and MP Alison Hume. Photo: submitted
8. Save a Place at the Table
Airy Hill School choir, with music teacher Jill Mortimer. Photo: submitted