Beavers to Weavers: The Wonderful World of Animal Makers is a temporary exhibition about things made by animals, open from 6 July 2018 – 6 January 2019 at Leeds City Museum (LCM). While the exhibition focuses on Leeds Museums and Galleries’ (LMG) zoology collection, and is curated by a natural science curator, its development has been enhanced by collaboration with the assistant community curator based at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills (LIM). There has been a strong community input in its development and
content, with community groups involved in making objects for display in the exhibition. Responding to the community curator’s work with salvaged printing blocks, we have used a printing press on display at LIM to produce labels, using handmade paper made in community workshops.
We have found that a subject specialist curator working alongside a community curator in exhibition development has been beneficial in many ways.
