Hands that Hold

Hands that Hold is a partnership project between GSS, Home-Start Glasgow North + North Lanarkshire, and The Open Museum led by artist Rosie Roberts.

The aim of our work together is to create space for care-givers and young children at the intersection of many struggles, to find ways of thinking, making, and playing creatively together through workshops inspired by The Open Museum’s Handling Kits.

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Rosie Roberts

Rosie Roberts is an artist, writer, and editor based in Glasgow. Her practice expands through interdisciplinary forms: writing, moving image, editing, movement, installation and workshops - often in collaboration with others. Her research focuses on relational ideas of feminist documentation, time, and accessibility in particular considering how space can be made for thinking, making and gathering in an expansive and emancipatory mode together. To get in touch email - r.robertstudio (@) gmaildotcom

Home-Start Glasgow North + North Lanarkshire

Home-Start’s Family Group is a long-term community partner in our L+E Programme. Home-Start works to support families with young children who are facing difficulties. They recognise the ongoing challenges of raising children in the safest and most nurturing of environments whilst coping with the stresses of ill health, isolation, disrupted relationships, poor & insecure housing, financial insecurity, trauma, abuse and loss. By training and supporting Peer Volunteers in our communities, Home-Start are able to connect with families where they are, on their terms and for as long as is needed to build the confidence and relationships to give all children the best possible start.

Family Group runs in Maryhill, Glasgow and offers a safe and welcoming place to come along with your child to enjoy various activities, meet other families and enjoy time together.

The children learn through play; enjoying various crafts, messy play, outdoor play, storytelling, movement, music, mindfulness – all intended to support the nurturing of relationships and addressing developmental needs of our youngest children, while supporting parents too.

The Open Museum

The Open Museum is Glasgow Museums’ outreach team. They take objects from the museum collections out to communities across the city, so that they can be enjoyed by everyone. In particular, they work with communities who may find it difficult to visit our museum venues.

The Open Museum works with community partners to develop workshops and offer support to make their ideas happen! They develop projects working in partnership with communities and offer talks and activities in community venues.

Whatever your aim, be it supporting social interaction, literacy, confidence building, learning and skills development or health and wellbeing, then the team would love to hear from you!

They offer over 80 themed handling and reminiscence kits of museum objects. These can be borrowed free of charge by community groups based in Glasgow. The kits work well with groups in healthcare or community settings; they’re great for starting conversations, inspiring reminiscence and oral history. They are also a great catalyst for storytelling, creative activities and language learning.