Mayor Maoliosa McHugh launching the ‘Decade of Centaury’ exhibition in The Tower Museum with (from left), Niall Kerr, from The Nerve Centre, Alex Mullan, council alchemist, Fiona Lafferty, with Peace IV and Margaret Edwards, council museum & visitor services manager
MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Council Councillor Maolíosa McHugh has encouraged the public to get involved in the Creative Maker Club, a project to allow people to explore the significant events of 100 years ago.
Mayor McHugh was speaking at a photo call this week to mark the 100th Anniversary of a key Decade of Centenaries event, the Representation of People Act which included women and many men in Britain’s democratic system for the first time.
“I am delighted to mark this significant anniversary,” he said. “We take our right to vote for granted now but there was a time when women, and many men, were excluded from the democratic system.
“This Act allowed women over the age of 30 who owned property the right to vote for the first time and paved the way for equal representation for men and women in 1928.
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of a number of significant events, including the end of the First World War and I would encourage anyone with an interest in the period the get involved in the Creative Maker Club.”
The ‘Understanding the Decade of Centenaries’ project is being delivered by the Nerve Centre in partnership with the Tower Museum and supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The programme will deliver exhibitions, community outreach programmes, new learning resources, events and workshops programming and a range of creative opportunities covering significant anniversaries until 2022.
Ahead of an exhibition in July 2018, participants are being sought to take part in the Creative Maker Club programme at the Nerve Centre’s FabLab, using digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printing and laser cutting, to produce a creative response to the events of 100 years ago.
Participants will also go behind the scenes with the Tower Museum, get hands-on with museum collections, hear from historians, visit museum and heritage sites across Ireland and gain new skills and qualifications during the exciting project.
The programme will commence in February 2018 with regular sessions offered over a six month period leading up to an exhibition launch at the Tower Museum in July.
David Lewis, Director of Communications and Digital Content at the Nerve Centre, said:
“The events of 100 years continue to impact on our lives today. 1918 marks centenaries of voting rights for women, the end of the First World War and a general election that began a seismic shift in our society.
“The Nerve Centre is excited to be working with the Tower Museum to deliver an innovative programme that will enable the public to engage with the past in a creative way, while learning new skills and more about our shared past.”
Sue Divin, PEACE IV Programme Manager with Derry City and Strabane District Council, said: “Council are delighted to be able to fund this exciting project under the PEACE IV Programme.
“We know there’s lots of enthusiasm locally for engaging with Irish and British political history, so we’d encourage interested individuals to take up a new opportunity for the New Year.
“Have your opinions heard, learn some new skills, meet some new people and be a part of an amazing community initiative.”
Registration for the Creative Maker Club is now open to all adults aged 18+. Catering will be provided and travel costs to and from sessions can be covered.
Visit www.nervecentre.org to fill out an online registration form.
Or contact Karen Friel on [email protected]or 028 7126 0562 for more information.
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