A brand-new museum is coming to Ashfield and everyone’s invited to help make it happen!
The People’s Museum of Ashfield is a new community-led, temporary exhibition that will celebrate and share the culture, history and valuable memories of the towns, villages, communities and people of Ashfield in spring 2027.
Not your normal museum, The People’s Museum of Ashfield will be shaped by local people, working alongside specialists and artists. Together, they’ll gather objects, stories and memories that tell the story of our place: our past, present and hopes for the future.
The goal is simple: to show the world who we are and in a way that only we can do justice. This is about showing what makes us, us!
So, if you’ve got a trinket or memento that tells us something about our past and future – from heirlooms and industrial keepsakes to iconic souvenirs from American Adventure or a bus trip to Skeggy – or a story to tell, from the hilarious to the heartbreaking, we want to hear from you.
Keep scrolling to find out more and discover how to get involved, or register your interest via the link below to share your ideas today!
Be part of the project!
Information Sessions
Museum Makers
In early October, we’ll be setting up our Museum Makers Group, who’ll work with us to help shape and research the content and ideas for the museum. If you register your interest via the link above, we’ll be in touch as soon as these sessions are scheduled.
Got an idea? Want to connect in a different way?
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch via our contact form.
Making a Museum!
This project is for the people and communities of Ashfield and we want as many people as possible to be part of bringing it to life.
Between now and the Museum opening its doors, you’ll find us out and about across Ashfield with loads of opportunities to find out what we’re up to and get involved. This is a truly exciting project that will shine the spotlight on Ashfield for all the right reasons, bringing communities together as researchers, creators and makers – it may even give us insight into our future and what it might hold!
Our Team
The People’s Museum of Ashfield is a project made in collaboration with the people of Ashfield but led with the support of Dr Lisa McKenzie and Edward Boott.
Lisa is an academic and activist who grew up on the Carsic Estate and is committed to telling the stories of the working class through community projects. You can read more about her involvement here.
Edward is Artistic Director of Nonsuch Studios, the organisation that runs Ashfield Creates, working extensively across Ashfield to celebrate the district through culture and creativity.
Alongside Lisa and Edward will be a team of local creatives, artists, volunteers and local residents who will all come together to bring this ambitious project to life!
FAQs
The People’s Museum of Ashfield is a brand-new project and there’s loads still to discover and set in motion as we bring this ambitious project to life. So we’ve racked our brains to try and pull together some key FAQs together, but if there’s anything else you want to know, just get in touch!
When is the Museum going to be open?
We’re expecting The People’s Museum of Ashfield to open in Spring 2027. We’re not sure of the exact dates but as soon as they’re confirmed we’ll be shouting about it from the rooftops.
Where's the Museum going to be?
The location for the museum will be announced later this Autumn. We’re currently exploring a number of very exciting locations in Ashfield and as soon as everything’s confirmed, we’ll be sharing more information as quickly as possible.
How can I get involved?
There are loads of ways to get involved in The People’s Museum of Ashfield.
- Join us at one of our Info Sessions (check out our What’s On page)
- Register your interest via the button above and you’ll be able to:
- share ideas for stories to be part of the museum
- let us know about objects you think should be in the museum
- register interest to be part of bringing the museum to life
- Get in touch with us via our contact form.
Why is it just a temporary exhibition?
Whilst we’d love to be able to make a permanent museum for Ashfield, the current funding for Ashfield Creates means that this isn’t possible. We’ll be working to ensure that what is presented and displayed is archived appropriately for future reference and enjoyment.
Who's going to decide what goes in the museum?
This project is all about collaboration and so we want to be hearing from as many people from across Ashfield about what they want to see in this Museum.
We’ll be setting up our Museum Makers Group who’ll be supporting our curators, Dr Lisa Mckenzie and Edward Boott shape the museum experience.
We’ll also be working with artists and creatives to bring these themes and ideas to life in fun and engaging ways.