Three recent Leeds Arts University graduates have helped bring a new exhibition on plant folklore and healing to life at the Thackray Museum of Medicine, working as part of a young curators’ team on ‘Where Magic Grows’.
Fine Art graduate Holly Tomlinson and Illustration graduates Hollie Backhouse and Michael Geary were among five young curators chosen to take part in the project, an interactive show made with the Royal Horticultural Society exploring the folklore and healing traditions tied to plants, drawn from the Thackray’s own collection.
Working alongside curator Jack Gann across every stage of the project, the team researched, planned and eventually commissioned experiential artist Helen Brook, going on to help design, build and install many of the exhibits themselves.
The finished show, aimed at all ages, includes a forest of oversized flowers, storytelling plant pots, potion-making stations, terrariums and illustrated zines, and opened to the public on Saturday 18 July with talks from the young curators alongside workshops and activities.
Deeply rooted in stories
Holly Tomlinson said: “It was an honour to be involved as one of the young curators working on helping Where Magic Grows bloom. Working with the Thackray team, the RHS, the young curators, and artist Helen Brook to bring this project to life was as magic as the plants we feature in the exhibition! It was staggering to work with a collection deeply rooted in the stories of old wives, women who originated many cures that are used to this day despite old wives tales being synonymous with myth and fiction, and to use this exhibition as a way to honour the history of sharing these recipes between generations.”
Hollie Backhouse said: “Working on the exhibition was a very rewarding experience. Through community interactions, RHS information and access to the Thackray’s collections, myself and the other Young Curators were able to learn more about the intersecting history of plants and medicine … I now know more about how artists are able to work collaboratively with museums and collections to create varied and interactive learning spaces that work for a range of ages.”
Michael Geary said: “Working on Where Magic Grows has been such an incredible experience. We were involved throughout the whole project – from the initial community event that shaped our focus, right the way through to installation. I’ve learned so much about how exhibitions work, and how to make objects come to life through the stories you tell about them. Finally getting to see children playing and exploring in space after almost a full year of development has been so rewarding.”
‘Where Magic Grows’ runs at the Thackray Museum of Medicine until Sunday 3 January 2027.
