Contents:

• West Midlands Museum Development Update
• West Midlands Museum Development Events
• News
• Other Events
• Opportunities

Coming soon...

Open to All Access Audits (Mental Health) Programme

The 2018-2019 ‘Open to All’ Access Audit (Mental Health) programme will consider work around improving access to the collections for visitors with specific areas of need relating to problems with poor mental health. It will make reference to compliance with the law in respect of equality and diversity and the moral and business case for social inclusion.

Building on legislation included in the Equality Act 2010 and with reference to the ‘Creative Case for Diversity’, the Access Audits will include an initial joint training day for representatives from each participating museum or heritage site, followed by a one day visit to each venue. Each participating museum will receive a final report that offers recommendations to support widening engagement with their collections for visitors of all ages experiencing poor mental health.

Full details and how to apply will be available next week.

Introduction to Trusteeship

Are you already a trustee? Seeking an opportunity for professional development? Interested in becoming a trustee?

This session is designed to enable delegates to understand the role of a trustee and how to perform their duty to the highest standard. Delivered by Inclusive Boards, this training is suitable for existing trustees, those interested in becoming a trustee and anyone wishing to better understand the role of trustees within their own museum.

Inclusive Boards was set up to support organisations in efforts to develop more diverse boards, inclusive organisations, and stronger governance structures.

Full details will be available soon. Register your interest with Rachel Lambert-Jones.

Diversity Champions Training Programme 2018-2019

Last two places left! Closing date extended to 3pm, 14 September

Making diversity an integral part of your organisation

This unique and important opportunity will give you the knowledge and confidence to ensure that the principles of equality and diversity are truly embedded within your organisation. This programme isn’t about ticking boxes or being politically correct. It will help you understand the value of inclusion and offer practical examples of how museums are meeting the business opportunities created by the Creative Case for Diversity.

This professional programme has been purposefully designed to support you and your service. It is made up of 2.5 days of targeted training with a further ‘train the trainer’ opportunity for an appointed member of your team to attend in 2019. We recognise that you may not be able to attend the full 2.5 days and can accept applications for shared attendance.

The programme builds with each session and full details about the programme, including training dates, can be found by clicking on the button below.

Annual Museum Survey

West Midlands Museum Development has contacted a senior representative at each organisation asking them to complete the West Midlands Annual Museum Survey. If you have yet to do so please complete by 28 September.

If you have any questions please contact Dawn Allman.

The data provided helps us to demonstrate the social and economic importance of museums both locally and regionally to funders and stakeholders and to provide museums with data to enable them to benchmark their performance. The questions cover: visitor numbers and engagement; museum finances; volunteers and staff; equality, diversity and inclusion; education work; and challenges and opportunities for the future.

We look forward to sharing the results with you later in the year.

Snapshot Skills Survey 2018

Please take this opportunity to tell us about the skills you have and those you’d like to gain, improve and share.

The results of this ten question tick box survey will help us shape our programme and track development within the museum and gallery sector.

West Midlands Volunteer Awards 2018

The winners were announced last Thursday at a fun-filled event at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Read all about it here. 

WMMD Resources

www.mdwm.org.uk/resources has a wide range of presentations, handouts and guides covering Audiences, Collections, Resilience, Workforce and Young People drawn from our programme and workshops. The resources are available to Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation. If you would like to access these resources please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk for a password. Remember to check back regularly for new content. 

All WMMD events are free

FULLY BOOKED

19 September - Collections Knowledge Café: A Practical Guide to Caring for Costume and Textile Collections  

10am–4pm, Museums Worcestershire Collections Store, Hartlebury, Worcestershire 

This hands-on day will be led by curators from Museums Worcestershire and is designed to share practical skills. The session will support museum staff and volunteers working with historic costume who are interested in learning more about handling, packing and caring for costume and textile collections. 

This event is fully booked, if you would like to go on the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk.

3 October - Introduction to Audience Development

10am–2pm, The Hive, Worcester WR1 3PD

Who is or isn't visiting your museum?

Do you know why?

Join Rhiannon Davies, The Audience Agency, for an overview of audience development. Throughout this half day session we will explore what audience development is, why it is beneficial to your planning, and a range of tricks and tools to make it easier to think about audience development planning, including some approaches to segmentation.

This session is aimed at those who are complete beginners where audience development is concerned, and who are not currently monitoring their visitors.

This session will support Section 3 (Users and their Experiences) of the Museum Accreditation Standard.

23 October - Get the Most from Accreditation -Audience Development in Action

10am–4pm (tbc), Coventry Transport Museum, Hales Street, Coventry CV1 1JD 

To survive and thrive museums and galleries should be planning to appeal to new audiences and deepening existing audience engagement.

Speakers at this practical workshop will share their experience of preparing for and attracting a wider range of audiences.

Ann Johnson, Wave-length CIC, has visited dozens of museums in the region to assess physical and social barriers to visiting as part of our Access Audit programme. The suggestions in this session will be based on her findings and presented as achievable and measurable actions to grow your audience.

Jon Sleigh, Learning Officer at Birmingham Museums Trust, will share approaches to engaging remote audiences with the collections and exhibitions, and the varied methods they’ve used on site.

Further speaker details will be announced shortly.

This is a free event with refreshments and lunch provided.

24 October - Volunteers in the Workplace - Talking about Mental Health

10am–1pm, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH 

Encouraging volunteers to talk about mental well-being, the support they might need and managing challenging situations.

The first of three workshops looking at volunteers in the workforce. In response to feedback, we are offering a half day training opportunity led by Ann Johnson, Managing Director of Wave-length Social Marketing CIC.

Sharing personal examples and case studies, together with some small group activities, Ann will explore the following topics:

• Managing volunteers with sudden or gradual emergence of mental health conditions
• How to start a difficult conversation when you are concerned about someone or an incident has occurred
• Understanding you don’t have to be an expert to support someone through mental health concerns or challenges

You will look at the challenges within your museum and how these might be overcome as well as considering the different approaches to help start those difficult conversations.

This is a free event with refreshments and lunch provided.

16 November - Get the Most from Accreditation - Collections

10.30am-3pm, The Cider Museum, Hereford HR4 0EF

Join us at Hereford Cider Museum to:

• Consider collections and the law
• Understand the benefits of an up to date procedural manual and Spectrum compliance
• Enjoy a guided tour of the Cider Museum 

Janet Ulph, Professor of Commercial Law, University of Leicester specialises in museums and the law. Her presentation will focus on loans and orphan collections, both issues relevant to most museums.

Sarah Brown, Outreach Officer, Collections Trust will consider the role of an up to date procedural manual in day to day operations and succession planning, and how Spectrum supports Accreditation.

Please make the most of the opportunity and come armed with your own questions for Janet and Sarah.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided at this free event.

Limited places left

29 November - Every Object Tells a Story: Developing Confidence in Talking about Our Collections

10am–4pm, Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa CV32 4AA 

We use our collections to tell stories every day but how confident are we in speaking publicly about our wonderful resources to different audiences?

This session will be led by collaborative theatre maker, project coordinator and writer Tom England. It aims to support museum staff and volunteers to build their confidence in talking about objects, enabling museums to effectively tell their part of the region's collections story.

11 October - Museum Sector Study Day - Story LAB:The Big Collab-debate

10.30am-4.30pm - Birmingham Museum 

Join the team at Birmingham Museum as they share the inner workings of the Story LAB from behind the scenes. Story LAB is a gallery space designed to test storylines and engagement methodologies. 

Using two exhibitions as case studies, the team at Birmingham Museum will use practical activities and lively discussions to explore the process of co-curation and collaboration, comparing and contrasting these two methodologies. They will explore the successes and challenges of interdepartmental working across engagement and curatorial teams within museums. Finally, the team will present the findings on both exhibitions, including visitor feedback considering, ‘is there such thing as the ideal museum label?’   

There will be refreshments and light snacks provided (please bring a packed lunch or plan to use the café), along with free time to allow you to explore the current exhibition and ask the staff questions.

To book your place, please register for your free ticket here. 

15 October - How to Set up, Survive and Thrive as a Freelancer in the Cultural Sector

9.30am-4.30pm -  NCVO, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL

Join this practical and inspiring training workshop designed to kick-start and sustain a flourishing freelance or consultancy business. The day is jam-packed with proven approaches, ideas and tools to get started, market yourself, find work, win work, manage your finances, handle client relationships and look after your health and wellbeing.
 
The course is run by Marge Ainsley and Christina Lister, experienced trainers and award-winning freelancers who work in the cultural sector and co-run the Museum Freelance Network. 
 
Suitable for anyone thinking about, or in the early stages of freelancing with arts and heritage organisations across any art form or specialist area.
 
Visit here for more information and to book. 

29 October - Manager's Guide to Apprenticeships

11am-3pm, Arts Council England, Granville Street, Birmingham B1 2LH

Creative & Cultural Skills have introduced a training session to support managers who are new to apprenticeships.  The session walks those who are new to managing apprentices, or those who wish to brush up on the dos and don’ts, through the following:

• Understanding apprenticeships - what they are/aren't, the responsibilities of the employer versus the training provider, apprenticeship standards and how to select the most appropriate one for your role
• Recruiting apprentices - things to consider when reaching out to those who may be new to the world of work: job descriptions, shortlisting, best practice approaches to recruitment and interview
• Working with young people, safeguarding and working with training providers - induction, 1:1s, safeguarding for apprentices, and how to work with training providers including quality indicators.

To book, click here.

Please note that whilst the content of this training is relevant for anyone who is new to employing and/or managing apprentices, the session includes content that is more focused on how to support new entrants through apprenticeships, rather than using apprenticeships to up-skill existing staff.

Refreshments will be available but lunch is not provided. Delegates are encouraged to bring a lunch with them for timekeeping purposes. 

8-10 November - Dissent: Inspiring Hope - Embracing Change

Museums Association Conference, Belfast Waterfront

For more information about the conference or to book, click here.

State of Museum Access 2018

VocalEyes, in collaboration with Stagetext and Autism in Museums, is delighted to publish the State of Museum Access 2018 and launch the Museum Access Pledge. A major barrier to disabled people visiting museums is the lack of advance information. Museum websites are key tools for providing visitor access information, and the absence of this contributes to the ‘disability engagement gap;’ where people with a disability are less likely to be regular or frequent visitors of museums than those who are not disabled.

The State of Museum Access 2018 comprises guidance to help museums create or review the information that they provide online, in order to:

• welcome potential visitors with disabilities 
• inform visitors of any barriers to access at the museum 
• reassure visitors that the museum has worked or is actively working to remove them

Download the report here.

VocalEyes would like every museum to take the Museum Access Pledge.  Click here to learn more about the pledge.

Museums Change Lives Awards

The Museums Association is calling for entries for a new set of awards for the museums sector. The Museums Change Lives Awards will celebrate the achievements of museums and individuals that have made an impact on the lives of their audiences and communities, with winners to be announced at a ceremony at Museums Association Conference in Belfast in November.

There are three awards to be presented to institutions and one to an individual. 

Institutional Awards:

• Best Museums Change Lives Project
• Local Hero Award
• Best Small Museum Project

Individual Award: 

• Radical Changemaker Award

Click here for further information and entry guidelines. 

The deadline for entries is 17.30 on Monday 8 October 2018.

GEM Intermediate CPD Courses

GEM has developed a series of intermediate courses aimed at supporting the professional development of mid-career heritage professionals. These courses address core competencies identified by GEM, and help to raise professional standards in the sector. 

The courses combine a one-day workshop with personal work and ongoing peer discussion to give you the most beneficial learning experience possible. 

Bookings are now being taken for 2018-19 across various venues including London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol and Cambridge. To view the courses available click here.

Subject Specialist Networks

The new Subject Specialist Networks website can be found at https://subjectspecialistnetworks.org.uk/.

Places of Science Funding

The Royal Society is pleased to announce that applications are now open for Places of Science, their new funding scheme for local museums in the UK. 

They are looking for projects that tell the stories of science and scientists that are relevant to your community.

Eligible museums can apply for up to £3,000 to run creative projects which encourage participation, and present science in new and interesting ways. To find out more click here.

The deadline for applications is 3pm, Wednesday 26 September. If you have any queries, please contact David Chapman.

Jobs and Volunteering Fair 2018 Invite

Keele Student Union's annual Jobs and Volunteering Fair will be held on Wednesday 10 October from 11am - 3pm in KeeleSU’s Ballroom. This will be a great opportunity to meet current and new students and encourage them to volunteer with your organisation. 

Between 9am and 11am there will be a drop in Academic School Coffee Morning. This is where you can talk to representatives from the different schools within the university about your specific opportunities and how word can best get out to students through collaboration between the schools, the Volunteering Department, and yourselves.

If you would like a stall and/or would be interested in coming to the coffee morning beforehand please email su.volunteering@keele.ac.uk with names and emails of who will be attending. If you’re interested in meeting with any particular academic schools please let us know.

NB - The fair will be shared with KeeleSU's Jobshop. Part time jobs from local organisations will be advertised there too.

Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants 2018 deadlines

This funding scheme through Art Fund is open to curators and other professionals working with public collections. It aims to help individuals realise their curatorial ambitions, through offering grants for collections-based research and curatorial development opportunities. £75,000 is available annually. Over 320 museum professionals have been helped with 294 projects since the programme launched in 2012. Full details of the grants, how to apply and previous awards can be found here.  

Small grant applications can be made at any point throughout the year, while applications over £1,500 are considered at committee meetings three times a year. The remaining deadline for 2018 is 17 September.

Want to Make your Collection more Accessible? 

Arts Council National Lottery Projects Grants scheme is open and waiting for your applications!

Arts Council England (ACE) want to support exciting and diverse work that brings great art and culture to people across the country through their new funding programme. 

Accredited museums can apply for grants that help people engage with their collections or their work. The grants typically range from £1,000 to £100,000.

If you have a project in mind which will help to make your collections more accessible download their handy guide or look at the Project Grants page on the ACE website.

If you have questions before, during or after making an application contact ACE by email enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk or telephone 0161 934 4317. 

Headley Fellowships with Art Fund

The Headley Fellowships encourage the development of UK collections expertise, and intends to give curators – especially those based in smaller or regional museums – the time and resource to work with focused areas of their collections, deepening expertise within their museum and sharing specialist knowledge both with the public and across the sector.  

The programme is open to mid-career and senior curators, and those with curatorial responsibility, and practically will give curators time away from their day-to-day responsibilities to embark on a bespoke period of research and development. Headley Fellowships with Art Fund aim to encourage the production of ambitious and high-quality museum projects which have collections at their core, while investing in museums across the UK and their curators, helping them to realise exceptional ideas for communicating with a spectrum of audiences.

Full details on the aims and scope of the scheme can be found at https://www.artfund.org/headley.  

Applications are open now with a deadline of 15 October.

Vacancies

Learning and Engagement Manager

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is currently seeking to appoint an experienced, dynamic and highly-motivated Learning and Engagement Manager to join their team and contribute to the next phase of the Barber’s strategic development. Working closely with the Head of Public Engagement, the Learning and Engagement Manager will be responsible for the day to day management and delivery of Learning and Engagement at the Barber, ensuring that the Barber retains and extends its reputation for excellence and innovation in this area.

Closing date: 28 September 2018

Click here for a full job description and to apply.

Visitor Services Manager

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is currently seeking to appoint an experienced, inspirational and highly-motivated Visitor Services Manager to join their team.  This is a new position which will enable the Barber to take its offer to the public to a different level and will contribute to the next phase of the Barber’s strategic development. Working closely with the Head of Public Engagement, the Visitor Services Manager will be responsible for the Front of House team and delivery of an excellent experience for all our visitors and building users, being a highly motivated, visible and enthusiastic lead.   

Closing date: 24 September 2018

Click here for a full job description and to apply.

Collections Technician

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is currently seeking an experienced, highly-motivated Collection Technician to help with the planning and delivery of exhibitions, collections care and outgoing loans. Working closely with the Exhibition and Loans Manager, the Collections team and other teams at the Barber, the Collections Technician will support the Barber in achieving its mission through contributing to the care and presentation of its collections whether on display in the galleries, in store or on loan, and in the delivery of a year-round high-profile programme of exhibitions and displays. 

Closing date: 13 September 2018

Click here for a full job description and to apply

Collections Care Skills Sharing Programme

Do you have a collections management skill that you could share with colleagues from other museums or are you looking for an opportunity to develop a skill in a particular area of collections care?  Perhaps you would like to gain experience in collections care work or just find out more about it?

The WMMD Skills Sharing Programme aims to connect staff and volunteers from across the region’s museums with opportunities to develop collections care skills through hands on practical experience. Museums are invited to get in touch with offers of potential activities that could be offered to skills seekers. Alternatively if you are looking for an opportunity to work with collections please let us know and we will try to match you up.

If you have a potential skills sharing opportunity to offer, or if you are looking to develop a new collections care skill please click on the links or contact Helen Johnson for more details. Opportunities will be advertised through the WMMD updates and newsletters.

2018-19 ICOM UK – British Council Travel Grant Scheme open for applications

ICOM UK, with support from the British Council, is pleased to offer travel grants to support museum professionals to develop mutually beneficial international projects and partnerships for their organisations.

The 2018-19 ICOM UK – British Council Travel Grant Scheme will enable recipients to undertake an international visit to meet with colleagues and share skills, expertise and experience. The Travel Grant Scheme supports museums who are starting to develop mutually beneficial international projects and partnerships.

Applications will be considered for grants up to £1,500 per organisation or consortium for visits beyond greater Europe and up to £700 for visits within greater Europe. The total amount of funding available for 2018-19 is £17,000.

Priority will be given to non-national museums, museums who have not previously undertaken international work, and mutually beneficial visits to countries on the Overseas Development Aid (ODA) list (see pages 4-5 of the application form). 50% of the funding in each round will be ring-fenced for visits to countries on the ODA list.

Application deadline: 9am Monday 24 September 2018
Successful applicants notified: w/c 1 October 2018
Travel must be completed by: 11 February 2019

Download the application form and guidelines on the ICOM UK website.

Please complete one application form per organisation or consortium and email it to:
Dana Andrew, ICOM UK Executive Director before the deadline.

You can read the Case Studies from previous Travel Grant recipients on the ICOM UK website.

Volunteer Portal

The regional Volunteer Portal offers Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation the opportunity to advertise for volunteers. 

Please click below if you would like to register your museum. You don't need to have any current opportunities to register. 

Keep up to date with the Leicester University Museum Studies jobs desk site here.

Images © Lee Allen Photography

Bewdley Museum, Entertainment at Volunteer Awards 2018, Breaking Boundaries Conference, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, The Pen Museum, Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery

What we need from you…..

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PLEASE make sure your colleagues don’t miss out and forward this newsletter today!

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