Pop Up Exhibition Success

NVM on the Road

Over May and June the National Videogame Museum has been on the road, visiting locations around the region with our new pop-up exhibition. The exhibition, which was co-curated by Community Champion volunteers, was created as part of the National Lottery Heritage Funded ‘Level Up’ project.

A variety of objects from the museum collection included Monument Valley prints and models from Gang Beasts (developed by Sheffield based studio Boneloaf). We also introduced a new acquisition to our collection in the form of Computer Engineer Barbie. Barbie was making her debut on the road before being installed in the galleries in July. All objects were taken to seven libraries and markets in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Chesterfield. Visitors competed for the high-score in 1981 arcade classic Galaga and had a go at labelling a dissected Game Boy!

In the Community

Our staff and volunteers met hundreds of local residents and chatted to them about the collection, their gaming memories, and what they would like to see at a museum like ours. This feedback will be used to help us shape the future of the NVM, making the museum more accessible and welcoming to visitors from across the region.

One of the pop-up volunteers, Matt, recalls a family who got stuck into the High-Score competition at Barnsley Lightbox: “The son took great pride in hammering his dad’s and my high scores on Galaga and then wiping our scores from the board!”

Another volunteer, Sam, had a great interaction with a visitor at Chesterfield Market: “She was an older woman who wasn’t a player, but was intrigued by the stall and had a lovely open conversation about games!”

Shaping the Museum’s Future

Community Outreach Officer Lauren O’Donoghue said: “It’s been such a pleasure to get out into the community and have conversations with people from all walks of life. At the National Videogame Museum we’re committed to providing engaging and accessible experiences to a huge range of visitors. The feedback we’ve received at the pop-up exhibitions will enable us to develop this work even further.”

The feedback and input gathered over the course of the project will help to shape the museum’s long term visitor experience strategy. Materials from the pop-up exhibition will be displayed in the museum later in the year.

It’s fair to say our Pop-Up Exhibitions have been a huge success! They wouldn’t have been possible without the engagement of so many wonderful people in our local communities and the hard work Lauren and our Community Champions have put into the project.