The Museum of Small and Overlooked Things

The Museum of Small and Overlooked Things is a temporary museum which will be curated, created and designed by up to 250 local children.  

Children from four Norwich primary schools will be invited to select objects for the collection that they care about or value, but which they believe adults may overlook or consider uninteresting or unimportant. These objects will then be presented to the public as a miniature temporary museum, complete with a gift shop, audio guide and video instructions, all created by the participating young people. The museum will also feature an ‘entrance exam’ written by the children, which will playfully invite adult visitors to reflect on the children’s very different understanding of value and importance. 

To open the museum, participants will host a public launch event, inviting press, special guests, local politicians and policymakers, alongside the children and their families.

A visit to the museum will provide an opportunity to understand the joys, concerns and preoccupations of the children who created it, while also encouraging wider reflection on the idea of ‘importance’. The project invites audiences to consider who gets to decide what is valued, treasured and preserved within a city or society; where and how those decisions are made; and what role civic institutions play in shaping our collective understanding of meaning, value and belonging.

We are delighted to be presenting The Museum of Small and Overlooked Things as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2027. We’re looking forward to sharing more about this exciting project over the coming months, so please check back for updates as further details become available.

Artists

Andy Field and Beckie Darlington

Locations

Norwich

Participants

Up to 250 Year 5 pupils from four primary schools across Norwich

Partners