Students at Hanson Delta Academy in Bradford have returned to school to find that an in-house museum has been created to aid their learning. The first exhibition explores the role the 1960s had on the evolution of everyday products. The youth culture of the swinging sixties combined with an explosion of new materials (mainly plastics) led to innovations in both fashion and product design. The displays look at wages and what people had to spend their money on and shows the development of the transistor radio, the telephone and the camera through to today’s smart phone. It looks at the Mods of the period who many would argue was the start of teenagers being recognized as a target market for products.
Central to the exhibition is a girl in a Mary Quant influenced outfit and a boy in a suit and a parka, both typical of the mid 1960s together with a Lambretta scooter. Alongside the products on display there are boxes of similar items to use in the classroom. Any Delta school who feels they would like to make use of these resources should contact the Head of Design & Technology, Gemma Postings on postingsg@hanson.org.uk
Initially, it is anticipated that schools may wish to bring groups of students to visit the museum to undertake particular product analysis activities. Longer term it is hoped to be able to offer a loan service and Hanson staff would be particularly interested to hear from teachers who would like to develop teaching materials to make full use of the artefacts. The exhibitions will change on a regular basis and should be able to support learning in other subjects such as RE, History, Art & Design etc.
Bradford has been awarded the City of Culture for 2025 and the museum hopes be able to involve both students and their families in celebrating the diverse cultural heritage of Bradford.
