Artist Commission for 'Magical Medicine' (Title TBC)

Artist Commission for 'Magical Medicine' (Title TBC) - a family exhibition about healing
plants and gardens at Thackray Museum of Medicine, in partnership with the Royal
Horticultural Society

Who are we looking for?

We would like to commission a visual artist to work with our enthusiastic and creative group of Young
Curators to help us transform our exhibition gallery into a magical witch’s garden as the focus of our
family-friendly exhibition on the healing magic of plants and gardens.

We want an artist to create something whimsical, playful and interactive for children that will help unlock
their imagination in exploring the history, folklore and magic of plants’ healing powers. We are looking for
artist-makers who work in three dimensions (sculpture, installation etc.). We want the art to be made of
natural, sustainable, or recycled materials (ideally introducing no new plastic into the museum), but it must
also be hardwearing and durable to handle five months of interactive play with children.

We are working with a team of five Young Curators, aged 18-22, to define the themes, identity and content
of the exhibition and our chosen artist will work with their input. Our Young curators are particularly
interested in:

-  Artworks with a strong sensory element, that young visitors can touch, interact with and change,

and/or which make use of sounds and smells.

-  Elements that are whimsical, offbeat or unexpected, such as playing with scale.

-  Vibrant colours combined with natural materials.

-

Light used in a creative way.

-  Artworks that utilise different levels and heights, creating different experiences for our young

visitors and adult visitors to explore together.

-  Garden structures, such as greenhouses, sheds, and dens.

We are especially interested in hearing from artists based in Yorkshire and the North of England who have
a flexible and collaborative working practice, and will be available to work with the group at our museum in
Leeds.

About the exhibition

The exhibition will run from July 2026 until January 2027. It is produced as a partnership between Thackray
Museum of Medicine and the Royal Horticultural Society, bringing together our expertise in medicine and
healthcare and plants and gardening.

The exhibition will explore the relationship between magic and medicine, by exploring how the plants that
appear in our stories and folklore have been used for healing. From magical poppies to witches’ remedies,
it will uncover the truth behind the magic and the magic behind the truth, and encourage young visitors to

imagine their own magical healing plants.

This will not feel like a traditional exhibition of objects in cases, but more like an interactive garden which
will encourage learning through imagination in families and children aged 7-11. It will utilise objects and
imagery from both the Thackray and RHS collections, including colourful plant illustrations, botanical
samples, and herbals and recipe books, but will fundamentally be a space for interaction, wonder and
creativity. The artwork is intended to make the exhibition feel more like a play space than a museum gallery.

Who are we?

The Thackray Museum of Medicine is the UK’s largest independent medical museum, and a place that
inspires people with the passion and purpose of medicine and healthcare – past, present and future.

Situated in the bustle of a lively East Leeds inner-city community, and adjacent to St James’s Hospital –
Europe’s largest teaching hospital, the Museum showcases innovation and collaboration in medical
endeavour through its collection of over 50,000 objects and some 28,000 written works, covering all
aspects of the history of medicine.

Our values

Thackray is a welcoming, safe space where we share our unique collection to help shape a better
tomorrow.

We empower people to understand their own healthcare choices and inspire future generations of
change-makers by platforming told and untold stories of medicine and society.

By embracing and representing our community, people will see themselves and better understand each
other.

●  We’ll make you feel seen. Whoever you are, whatever brings you here, you’re welcome.

●  We put humanity first. We tell people’s stories with empathy and care.

●  We’ve got your back. We make ourselves useful to those who live, work and are cared for locally.

●  We’re gutsy. We’ll show you how boldly we think.

●  We are an authority, not the authority. We look outwards, listen and reflect.

●  We’ll keep challenging ourselves. When we need to change, we change.

Who are we doing this for?

Wellbeing Families

This audience looks for ways for their children to learn through interactive experiences. They are motivated
to educate, inform and stimulate their children and seek out exhibitions that combine meaningful learning
with enjoyment. They look for things that are playful and encourage adventure and bonding. The exhibition

will appeal to this audience by emphasising the interactive elements, giving them a variety of things to do,
try or imagine.

They enjoy that the museum is bright and welcoming, so the exhibition’s look and feel will play to this
desire with bold, bright colours.

What we would like you to do

-  Work with the curatorial team and the Young Curators to understand the research and

stories the exhibition is telling.

-  Design an artistic concept for the theme and stories around plant and garden magic.
-  Design and create an interactive artwork or artworks.
-  Source materials for the design, and manufacture the work.
-  Work with Thackray Museum of Medicine estates team for safety and installation and

deinstallation.

-  Abide by Thackray Museum of Medicine standards of conduct and safeguarding.
-  Work with Thackray’s appointed graphic designer to agree the look, feel, and colour palette for the

exhibition.

-  Support the museum’s marketing team in promoting the exhibition, including a hero image

from the artwork.

-  Attend the launch event for the exhibition (date TBC).

What we will do

-  Design, create or print interpretation, exhibition text and labels.
-  Conduct research into plants, gardening and healing.
-
-

Identify a graphic designer to work with.
Layout and display of museum objects within display cases.

The work will remain the property of the artist, including storage or disposal after the conclusion of the
exhibition in January 2027. As part of our sustainability goals, we welcome any further use or exhibiting
the artworks separately or together.

Design challenges

-  For conservation reasons, we are unable to display living plants on open display in the gallery. Are

there creative ways to use plant matter in the artwork that does not require live plants?

-  The RHS collection is books, illustrations and works on paper which are delicate and require low
light. Can reproductions of illustrations of plants be used in ways that are playful and creative
rather than just featuring and risking the original object?

Budget

£10,000 incl. VAT if applicable (inclusive of fees, materials, travel etc)

Schedule

This is an initial outline schedule. A more detailed version will be agreed upon in collaboration with the
artist. Prior to the submission deadline, if you wish to discuss the project or have any questions about this
commission or application process, please email curator jack.gann@thackraymuseum.org or lead producer
daisy.orton@thackraymuseum.org.

Submission deadline: Midnight on Thursday 2rd April

Artist interviews: Week commencing Monday 13th April

Initial meeting: Monday 20th April

Present design concept: Monday 18th May

Final presentation of work: June 2026 (exact date can be discussed with the artist)

Installation: From Monday 6th July

Exhibition opens: Saturday 18th July

How to apply

To apply please send us:

-  CV and bio
-  Examples of relevant work with links/images
-  A brief outline proposal with ideas/approach for commission. Consider including:

o  Where you are based.
o  Tell us about your current practice
o  Tell us about what you want to explore with us and what you would create for this

project.

o  How do you best work?
o  Do you have any specific access or support needs?

Indicative budget breakdown

-
-  Please state your day rate

If you would prefer, you can also apply by uploading video or audio formats (no more than 5 minutes).

Please send applications to jack.gann@thackraymuseum.org

Appendix A: Inspiration

Mood board created by our Young Curators:

Possible objects from the museum that will be on display:

Hand-written formula and recipe book from a woman of the 1600s

Historic herbals containing both real and imaginary plants

Plant specimens

Past art and exhibitions we are inspired by:

Hannah Whittaker, Bioluminescent Garden

Tiny Totley Studio, Leeds Library

Nicholas Party

The Moomin Museum, Tampere

Glow, RHS Harlow Carr

Heywood & Condie, The Greenhouse

Story Explorers, Leeds Library

Carsten Holler’s Giant Mushrooms

Appendix B: Gallery information

Gallery floorplan:

HL= High level power sockets

LL= Low level power sockets

The temporary exhibition gallery is on the ground floor of the museum to the left of the main entrance. The
gallery itself is approximately 9m x 7m in an L-shaped room with two entrances. Exhibitions take place
within the gallery space and on the wall outside.

Power is predominantly from high level sockets and there is a lighting track approximately 3m above the
ground with the ceiling roughly 1m above.

The museum has no loading bay and delivered materials will need to come through the main entrance
doors, which are 120cm wide.

The exhibition will be a mix of interactive play and historic museum objects on display in glass cases. The art
will work with and around these cases and objects. We are interested in ideas that will help these display
cases feel more fitting with the art and design of the space overall, using art to interact with or blend them
in, as in these examples:

The gallery can be a flexible space and past exhibitions have made use of it in a variety of ways.

“POO!”

“Anna Dumitriu: Fragile Microbiomes”

“You Choose”

“Blood: Ties and Tensions”