On 6 February, we’re launching a brand new collection of sensory objects, created especially for babies and their grown-ups to enjoy exploring together.

For the past six years, we’ve worked closely with Sarah Marsh (@thesensorytoolkit) to develop bespoke sensory objects for our much-loved Art Baby sessions. 

The idea for this new collection grew directly out of our Energiser project: a collective of 2–4 year olds, their parents and carers, creative practitioners and artists, volunteers, Whitworth staff and Afrocats staff. For twelve Fridays, this group came together to play, make, and be curious with a shared question: What do we learn when exploring co-creation with children aged 2-4, their families, artists, practitioners and communities?

One moment in an early session stayed with us.

As the group moved through Gallery 1, a parent paused by one of the cases displaying our ABC wax archive. Pointing to a piece of textile, she said quietly to one of our volunteers, “My mum has a dress in that print back in Ghana.” This passing comment opened up a wider conversation, about family, memory and home.

As part of the project after each Friday session, once the children had headed home for naps (and more snacks), the rest of the ‘collective’ stays on to share lunch and reflect together. We talk about what we’ve noticed, heard and felt during the morning, and we use this to begin shaping ideas for the following week. When the volunteer shared this conversation, the group agreed this was something we wanted to explore further.

So we ordered huge lengths of ABC wax fabric. Some were left as long, uninterrupted stretches. Others were cut into shapes, or ripped into long ribbons. When the session arrived, the Garden Studio, where we hold the creative play part of the session, was completely filled with fabric.

There were no instructions. No prompts. Just a room full of colour, texture and possibility.

We entered together. A-R was first, she lay down immediately and began making snow angels, drawn in by the softness and scale of the cloth. Others followed, each bringing their own ideas, throwing the fabric into the air, swinging the long ribbons round and round, ripping and enjoying the sound it made, tying pieces together to create a single length that stretched across the entire room.

In the following session, one of the families shared photos on her phone of herself wearing ABC wax fabrics in her home country of Ghana. Alongside images of her husband, son, daughter and mother, all wearing different versions of the same print. There were wedding photos, birthday celebrations and everyday moments. It was joyful to witness her pride, her heritage and her love of fashion being shared so openly with the group.

At the celebration session at the end of the project, the same parent arrived with a collection of actual photographs that she’d asked her mum to find, images of her family wearing these prints across generations. It felt incredibly moving to know that, from that initial moment of noticing something familiar in the gallery, she had felt seen, valued and empowered enough to bring her own story fully into the space.

These moments may seem small, but they can have a huge impact. They can take us on journeys, open up conversations and help tell the stories of our communities.

It was time for a refresh of our Art Baby sensory objects, and this felt like the perfect story to hold at their centre. As we launch our new collection on Friday 6 February, the sensory objects have been inspired by the ABC wax archive and by the stories, play and shared experiences that emerged through the Energiser group. They are a physical manifestation of those small moments that carry big meaning.

We can’t wait for new families to Art Baby to bring their own stories, and to find them gently woven into someone else’s.

Art Baby runs on the first Friday of each month during term-time. They are sensory play sessions in the beautiful surroundings of the gallery, especially for non-walking babies and their grown-ups. They are especially designed to help develop baby’s physical and social skills. With loads of space to crawl and explore, and lots of new things to look at, the gallery is a great place to play and bond. We understand that caring for a baby can be lonely at times. Art Baby is a warm, welcoming and supportive environment where parents can meet, play and talk with other parents and carers. 

https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/getinvolved/families/artbaby/