Description
Organiser: Lorraine Coghill; co organisers: Kerry Harker, Eliza Hunt, Claire Irving, Ged Matthews, Erin McNeill
Moon Palace, an artwork and mobile observatory by Heather Peak and Ivan Morison, brings together arts organisation, the East Leeds Project, and Physics departments at the University of Leeds, Durham University, University of Hertfordshire, and Queen Mary University of London.
This collaborative project, funded by The Ogden Trust, aims to empower undergraduate and postgraduate student ambassadors with interdisciplinary skills, fostering their growth as leaders while enhancing access to astronomy and culture for underserved communities. By bringing the mobile observatory which is also an artwork directly to local neighbourhoods, we aim to deepen relationships between universities and their local communities.
A key component of this initiative is evaluating the impact of arts-science outreach collaboration on our physics ambassadors. The evaluation will explore how this unique blend of disciplines enhances the ambassadorsโ creativity, confidence, and engagement with diverse groups, including artists and community partners. We are committed to understanding the transformative experiences of our ambassadors and how these experiences contribute to their personal and professional development.
The Moon Palace itself will be present at NAM and all are invited to experience its unique atmosphere (times tbc). This interactive session will offer a taster of the training programme offered to the Ambassadors, allowing participants to explore the background, methods and practicalities of using arts-based methods for engaging with communities in astronomy, and consider how these could be used in their own settings.
