The Manor House care home teams up with Bowes Museum for virtual exhibitions

The Manor House care home has joined forces with the Bowes Museum, making use of technology to enable residents to learn more about some of the art and artefacts, all from their own living room.

The pandemic has meant that residents from care home have been unable to go on their usual weekly visits to the museum. However, not to be deterred, the care home has organised a weekly virtual lecture on some of the art pieces they'd normally be able to see in-person. 

On Friday afternoons, residents of The Manor House are able to sit down with Bowes’ art specialist Claire Ford via Zoom, going through the exhibitions and art pieces at the museum using photos and online images, learning about the art and history involved in their making. 

After the talks, the residents are able to take part in a practical related to the art pieces they had just learned more about. For example, Claire recently talked to the residents about the Bowes Museum’s famous Silver Swan art piece and residents then proceeded to create their own versions of the Swan using foil and other craft items.

Claire has been delighted to be able to continue working with the residents of The Manor House, saying:

It has been incredible how quickly the residents have got used to the sessions on Zoom. This is currently the next best thing and it means we can continue to be creative and take inspiration from The Bowes Museums' amazing collection.

Frances Thoms, 96, who has lived at The Manor House for three years, was also very pleased to be able to see some of the Museum’s artefacts again:

I’ve always enjoyed going to the Bowes Museum and it’s absolutely wonderful to see all the art and museum pieces again, even if it’s online! It’s a shame that we’re unable to go in person but I must say it’s brilliant how we can use technology to make up for it in some way!

Diane Simpson, an activities coordinator at The Manor House Barnard Castle, said:

Our trips to Bowes Museum have always been a favourite amongst our residents and our team. So, when Claire got in touch to see if we wanted to do some virtual lectures we were absolutely thrilled! It’s wonderful we can use technology to provide these experiences for our residents during these difficult times. It is also good that we are able to show our support to the arts, given the challenging year they have also had.