Learning
“Our children and staff were all very impressed and enjoyed every element of it. We felt the balance of the hands on experiences and listening was great. It really captured the children’s imagination.”
My Macclesfield Museum - competition
What would you put in a museum of Macclesfield? Would you celebrate an event or a person? Or is there an object that is important to the history of the town?
We invite you to design an exhibit. You can use the entry form below or a different format (video, animation, model). Entry forms are also available in the Silk Museum café.
We will be running drop-in sessions for people to work on their entries on Saturday 13th Sept (11.00 – 3.00), Saturday 25th October (11.00 – 3.00) and Thursday 30th October (1.00 – 3.00).
If any schools would like an assembly in their school to promote the competition to their student body, please contact Natalie (education@silkmacclesfield.org.uk)
Deadline for entries: Saturday 15th November
How to enter: Email entries to education@silkmacclesfield.org.uk or drop them off at the Silk Museum. Entries must include name, age category, and a contact email address.
There are 3 age categories for the competition (11 & under, 12 – 16, 17 and over).
Prizes: A winner and runner up will be selected for each category by the curatorial team at the museum. Winners and runners up will be notified by Friday 21st November and their entries will be displayed within the museum.
All entries will be used to help create our plans for the future of the Silk Museum.
Prizes will include free tickets to Paradise Mill and local gift vouchers (£20 first place, £10 runner up)
Schools
Inspire your pupils with a visit to the Silk Museum. A visit will complement and enhance classroom-based learning. Children get the opportunity to handle artefacts, express their creativity through a craft session and interact with one of our costumed interpreters.
Early years
Getting hands on with objects from the past is a great way to engage young children in the magic of history.
Colleges & Universities
Our curatorial team has relationships with Universities and Colleges to enhance learning and share best practice in the conservation of collections.
Adult learning
Why should the kids have all the fun? The Silk Museum is housed in the old Macclesfield School of Art. We are continuing the tradition of teaching art in this building through regular classes and stand alone workshops.
Workshop listings can be found on our ‘What’s On’ page.
Have a Dabble are our adult art group. They meet in the museum every Friday. The morning class runs from 9 - 12 and the afternoon class is from 1 - 4 pm. It is a lovely relaxed group and they are always looking for new members. Each week they explore different styles and art forms. You can book through the What’s On page.
To book a free taster session for Have a Dabble contact Natalie.
WORK EXPERIENCE
We offer work experience placements for Year 10 and Year 12 students over 2 weeks each summer term.
The dates for 2026 are:
Week 1 - 8th to 12th June
Week 2 - 6th - 10th July
Work Experience
During the week you will experience different working areas from the museum. These include supporting on a school visit, preparing education materials, undertaking conservation work with the curator, working as a gallery guide and preparing social media content. The work that you do will contribute to small exhibitions and online museum content.
Application Process
Places are limited each week. We suggest applying as early as possible. Applications are made by email to education@silkmacclesfield.org.uk. Please include some information about why you are interested in the position and what experiences and skills you have that make you a strong candidate. You can expect to hear back from us within 2 weeks of submitting your application.
Do get in touch if you have any questions - Natalie (education@silkmacclesfield.org.uk)