WELCOMING various community groups to Hunt Museum last week, director Dr Hugh Maguire stated that “while the Museum needs walls for security and structure we need to get rid of the walls as barrier”. His is a fitting comment to headline a pioneering project that has criss-crossed city parts, institutions and spheres of interest, finding common ground through heritage and the local. The storytelling is rich and diverse.
‘Communities of Culture’ has been a Museum co-ordinated, year long initiative across four regeneration areas of Limerick: Ballinacura Weston, Moyross, Southill and St Mary’s Park.
These projects have been determined by the individual community groups involved and have addressed, and celebrated, diverse aspects of heritage and culture in each group, including the Mid West School for Hearing Impaired Children (Ballincurra Weston) and St Mary’s Parish Men’s Shed and the Youth Leadership Programme of Moyross.
Each has been displayed within the community itself and the Hunt Museum’s two week display, ‘Tell Me A Story, Limerick’ is a coming together of the different groups and resulting works.
Each display will return to its place of origin when the show finishes. The projects have been supported by Limerick Regeneration and the Friends of the Hunt Museum and co-ordinated by the Museum’s Curator of Education, Dr Dominique Bouchard with the on-the-ground support of Sorcha O’Brien, Access Officer.
‘Tell Me a Story, Limerick’ is open daily and closes on Wednesday November 19.
The community nature of the project complements the Museum’s coming winter exhibition, ‘Limerick; My City My Home’ of maps and historic images of the city down through the centuries. Opens November 28.
