WMMD Newsletter February 2017Contents:
West Midlands Museum Development UpdateBreaking BoundariesHave you booked your place for the Ironbridge annual conference? It's taking place on 16 and 17 March 2017. The conference will encourage delegates to build resilience by thinking beyond traditional boundaries in relation to collections, physical space, audiences and the workforce. Travel and accommodation bursaries to attend the conference are available. See the Opportunities section for the application form. Go to the WMMD events section below for information about the programme. Museum Learning SurveyWe are carrying out an online survey of learning programmes in museums and galleries in the West Midlands. Simply click here to complete the survey and help to shape our future programme. Thank you if you have already completed the survey. WMMD EventsAfter a successful training day in January there are now four new Arts Award Advisors in the region. 67 staff and volunteers from 38 museums have shared, learned and engaged with the experts and each other at our three Collections Knowledge Café events. After the Archives Accreditation event 11 museums have joined the discussion around the potential for accrediting archive collections within museums. See the WMMD events section below for our upcoming events and to book your places. Volunteer PortalThe regional Volunteer Portal will soon go live on mdwm.org.uk. The portal will offer Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation the opportunity to advertise for volunteers. Please complete the Organisation Form below if you would like to register your museum. You don't need to have any current opportunities at the moment as we need to populate the portal first with the names of museums that will be using it in the future when opportunities arise. ResourcesAccredited museums and those officially Working Towards are now able to access a wide range of resources drawn from our programme and workshops. See www.mdwm.org.uk/resources If you would like to access these resources please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk for a password. Have You Considered Becoming a Museum Mentor?Museum Mentors play a critical role in supporting smaller museums to retain Accreditation. Why take part? 100% of West Midland Mentors surveyed in 2014 would recommend mentoring to others: 64% of current West Midlands Mentors became a mentor as a form of continued professional development. Next steps? Capital Grant SchemeAs we prepare to launch the next phase of the Ready to Borrow Capital Grant Scheme, here's what one of the first successful applicants was able to achieve with their grant: Brampton Museum and Art Gallery Brampton Museum's grant application was to improve their main gallery space and satisfy the requirements of the Government Indemnity Scheme, National and Major Partner Museums so that they would be able to borrow for temporary exhibitions. Using the grant they purchased new secure display cases; installed a rear roller shutter door for out of hours security; the CCTV system has been upgraded with extra cameras in the exhibition space to provide 360 degree coverage, and the door locks replaced. In addition to upgrading security some of the grant was used to improve the environmental conditions of the exhibition space, using two new humidifiers, humidity strips and silica gel. “For some time Brampton Museum has wanted to improve the art gallery security to be able to exhibit collections of regional and national importance. Having this essential funding has meant we are able to do that. In fact, we are currently liaising with the V&A to borrow artwork relating to Philip Astley, father of the modern circus whose 250th anniversary we want to celebrate next year!” What could a Ready to Borrow grant do for your museum or art gallery?Expressions of Interest for the next phase of the Ready to Borrow Capital Grant Scheme will be invited from 1 March 2017. So now is the time to start thinking about what capital spend is required to give you the opportunity to borrow from a National museum or a Major Partner Museum. For an informal chat please contact Helen Johnson. West Midlands Museum Development EventsAll West Midlands Museum Development events are free16 February - A Fresh Look at Forward Planning9.30am - 4.30pm, Birmingham REP, B1 2EPHow is your museum or gallery responding to changing demographics, pressures and opportunities in its business plan? Take an objective look at your organisation, its aspirations and challenges whilst engaging with peers and laying the groundwork for an effective Forward Plan. Food for thought?
Facilitator Peter Woodward brings experience of helping to bridge differing perspectives on challenging issues and has delivered facilitation services to hundreds of clients over the last 20 years. Arts and museum consultant Fiona Mitchell-Innes specialises in community and stakeholder group consultation and will bring an arts and museums focus to the day, drawing on her extensive experience within museums, the wider arts and sector support organisations. Ideally, two delegates per museum should attend. Click below to book your place on this free event, lunch and refreshments provided. 23 February - Mystery Shopper Launch*10am - 4pm, Wolverhampton City Archives, Molineux Hotel Building, WV1 1SFService Science are sector leaders in the measurement of Customer Service in tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors. They will explain what their Mystery Shoppers will look for in a great visit and how the feedback can benefit the participating museums. A proven culture of customer care will support Section 3.1.4 of the Accreditation Standard: Users and their Experiences. What happens after the workshop? Following the workshop, 10 museums will be selected to take part in the programme. They will be 'mystery shopped' by Service Science on two occasions and will receive written feedback and a comprehensive report identifying strengths and giving recommendations on areas for improvement. Participants from the previous programme are welcome to attend the workshop. If you would to know more about the Mystery Shopper programme please email charlotte.edwards@ironbridge.org.uk *Please note attendance at the workshop is essential if you wish to participate fully in the programme. 16 and 17 March - Breaking Boundaries ConferenceIronbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Coalbrookdale, TF8 7DQCome along to the beautiful Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire for a free two day conference: Day one
Day two
There will be a supplier exhibition area. Refreshments and lunch are provided. We hope that you can invest the time to join us on both days. However you may choose to come for the day that best suits your needs. Funded through Ironbridge's Major Partner Museum and Museum Development programmes, this free two day conference will share best practice from a range of museums. Please note conference agenda may be subject to change. Other EventsV&A Professional Development Programme: 2017Bookings Now Open!The V&A Professional Development programme for Spring/Summer 2017 is now available to view online with details of courses available on the V&A website. The full course booklet is also available to download here (PDF) 23 February - Working with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Groups conferenceCulture CoventryDevelop an understanding of how to deliver outreach projects for young people with learning difficulties in this one-day conference for museum professionals. Museums enable the community to voice its story and increasingly this is done through multimedia. This course is aimed at creative professionals who want to set up outreach projects which enable the community to explore the museum collection and, in doing so, gain qualifications in the arts, multimedia or soft skills for work. Specifically, they will help creative professionals understand the needs of community members with special educational needs or learning difficulties. Click below to book your place. 6 and 13 March - Makaton Training9.30am-4pm Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP£85 two day course, including lunchCulture Coventry is in the second phase of training to make their activity more accessible to the people they work with. They have a few available places on their Makaton training. Due to their funding they have been able to significantly reduce the cost of this training for colleagues who are interested. The cost of the activity includes lunch and the necessary resources and certification. Click below to book your place. 10 March - Museums and the Law seminar11am-4.30pm, Chetham’s Library, ManchesterWe all know museums can be challenging organisations to run and the legalities surrounding them can often be complicated so Museum Development North West have developed a seminar which will cover some of the issues faced by the sector and ways to address them. Bringing together experts from across the country the workshop will focus on the following: Aquisitions and Criminal Law – Professor Janet Ulph, University of Leicester Click below to book a place If you have any enquiries please contact Alex Bird, Sector Development Officer – alexander.bird@manchester.ac.uk. Ironbridge Archaeology Lectures 20174 April 'The View From Above: Recent archaeological aerial photography over Shropshire'Andy Wigley Historic Environment Manager, Shropshire Council 6 June 'Industrialisation and Identity in Shropshire: The Brookes of Madeley, 1544-1646'Paul Belford Director, Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust 8 August 'The Early Montgomeryshire Quakers, their adventures in the iron industry, and links to Abraham Darby and Coalbrookdale'Carol Pearce Independent researcher 3 October 'Managing and conserving the heritage cared for by the National Trust'Janine Young West Midlands' Archaeologist National Trust 5 December 'Slowing the unstoppable - a conservator's view'Andrew Naylor Ironbridge Gorge Museum volunteer & retired conservation professional All lectures will be held at 6pm at the Museum of the Gorge, Ironbridge. The lectures are free however there is a suggested £2 voluntary contribution. 29 June - Facilitation Skills10 am- 4.15 pm, Mac, BirminghamThis new, practical course will help you develop and deliver engaging and interactive creative sessions for children and young people. You will be introduced to a range of frameworks, and consider elements of delivery including timing, pacing and participant needs. Through exploring different creative activities, you will leave fully equipped to develop your own robust session plans and engaging materials. The day provides the opportunity to learn how best to encourage the development of the children and young people you work with. Ideal if: You are an arts educator developing and delivering creative sessions and programmes for children and young people, in creative, cultural and educational settings. You will gain:
The cost: £130 per person. This fee includes lunch, refreshments and a certificate of attendance for each delegate. Limited bursary places are available. English National Youth Arts Network members receive 10% discount on spaces. Membership is FREE – sign up here Click below to book your place, or for more information call 02380 332491 or email rachelhall@artswork.org.uk. NewsDisabled Access Day 2017Disabled Access Day returns for its third year and will take place between 10 and 12 March 2017. Due to popular demand they have extended the dates so more people can get involved and more places can be visited. Disabled Access Day began in 2015 to celebrate good access and created opportunities for people to try something new, highlighting the fantastic access that already exists in places, such as touch tours, relaxed performances, sensory experiences, level access and of course a warm welcome! Click below to find out more and how you can get involved. Kids in Museums Mini ManifestoKids in Museums listened to families and museums, who said they wanted a Mini Manifesto to work with alongside the 20-point Kids in Museums Manifesto. Small changes can have big impact. The Mini Manifesto empowers museums to make them, so families and children may benefit. Kids in Museums is dedicated to making museums accessible to all children and families, in particular those who haven’t visited before. Download a copy of the Kids in Museums Mini Manifesto here. Order free copies of the Mini Manifesto by emailing here. Julie's Bicycle Sustaining Creativity SurveyJulie's Bicycle (JB) is running the second edition of the Sustaining Creativity survey to capture the cultural response, attitudes, and approaches of cultural leaders in England, Wales, and Scotland to climate change and environmental sustainability. The survey will contribute to the next phase of JB’s work both in terms of supporting the sector, and in advocating to others about the crucial role the creative community plays on climate change and the breadth of cultural response. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete and will close at midnight on Thursday 9 February 2017. There is a prize draw for a case of organic wine (or something non-alcoholic!) for respondents. OpportunitiesBreaking Boundaries ConferenceTravel and accommodation bursaries availableWe are delighted to offer a limited number of bursaries to cover overnight accommodation on Thursday 16 March and £50 towards travel costs. To gain the most from the conference, recipients must attend both days. Travel expenses will be reimbursed to the value of £50 on production of valid receipts. Open to staff and volunteers of Accredited museums or those officially Working Towards Accreditation. Simply complete an application form and return to wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk no later than 5pm on Monday 13 February. National Memorial Arboretum - Call for PapersIn September, the National Memorial Arboretum will host a two day conference looking at how the First World War changed the social landscape of Britain irrevocably, considering the role of women, Empire and technology and the lasting impact of total war. Through a diverse programme of interactive workshops, tours and seminars, the symposium is aimed at engaging academics, students and historians, and will enable a greater understanding of the real effect of the conflict on the average Briton. The event is organised by the National Memorial Arboretum in partnership with the Royal British Legion and Heritage Lottery Fund. For more information please click below. The Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) AwardsThe AHI 2017 Discover Heritage Awards – for excellence in cultural and natural heritage interpretation in Britain and Ireland are now open for entry.
Your project has to have been been launched to the public between 1 May 2015 and 28 February 2017.
To enter visit http://www.ahi.org.uk/awards/ Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants ProgrammeSince the programme launched in 2012 they have helped 247 curators, scholars and researchers with 225 projects; they now have £75,000 to offer annually. The scheme is open to curators and other professionals working with public collections. Applications under £1,500 are accepted throughout the year, while applications above this level are considered at committee meetings three times a year. Full details on the programme can be found on their website. £3.5m Esmée Fairbairn Collections FundWith support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Museums Association (MA) is extending the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund for 2017-19, with £3.5m available in grants in the next three years, including a new programme of events and resources for the sector. The focus remains on developing collections to achieve social impact, but there have been a number of changes to clarify what the fund is looking for. Museums, galleries and heritage organisations from across the UK can apply for a grant of between £20,000 and £120,000 for a project lasting up to three years. The deadline for the current round is 15 March 2017. For further information, please visit here Project Officer: HLF Education ModelThis is a part-time post for 2 days a week. The post holder will train, recruit, develop, and manage a team of ambassadors employed under the University of Worcester's Ambassadors scheme. Closing date Sunday 12 February 2017. Follow the link below for full details and how to apply. Education Development OfficerBewdley Museum24 hours per week - £25,647 pro rataThis role is an exciting opportunity to manage and develop Bewdley Museum’s educational provision. The post will involve creating learning strategies and developing educational visits, workshops and outreach programmes. For more information please email Alison Bakr, Museum Manager. Visitor Services AssistantMuseum of Cannock Chase21 hours per week - £14,000 - £15,910 pro rataMuseum of Cannock Chase are looking for a committed and enthusiastic person to join their front of house team at the busy and popular museum in Hednesford. The successful candidate will assist the Visitor Services Officer in ensuring the delivery of all aspects of the front of house service at the Museum of Cannock Chase. For more information and how to apply click below. Keep up to date with the Leicester University Museum Studies jobs desk site here. Images copyright Lee Allen Photography. What we need from you…..There are still many museum staff, volunteers and trustees within the West Midlands who do not receive our newsletter. PLEASE make sure your colleagues don’t miss out and forward this newsletter today! To sign up for our newsletter visit our website and submit your email address at the bottom of our home page or at the bottom of all our web pages.
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