WMMD Newsletter June 2018Contents:
West Midlands Museum Development UpdateSmall Grants Scheme, Audience DevelopmentWould you like up to £3,000 to support your audience development project?The Small Grant Scheme is part of the West Midlands Museum Development Programme (WMMD), funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and underpinned by ACE’s 10 year strategic framework ‘Great Arts and Culture for Everyone’.The Small Grant Scheme can support projects to help museums in the West Midlands increase access to and engagement with their collections. Grants will support museums who demonstrate how they use their collections and planning to reflect the diversity of their audiences. They need to show evidence of how the ‘Creative Case for Diversity’ is at the heart of everything they do, from consulting with diverse and underrepresented groups to diversifying their programmes, collections and exhibitions. All projects should show that they seek to develop and respond to audience development opportunities; improving the services on offer, strengthening sustainability and building resilience. Perhaps you might like to consider a project that builds on WMMD activity that your museum has participated in eg Access Audit, Diversity Champions, Arts and Culture Education Audit, Mystery Shopper etc. It may be that one of our workshops such as Start with the Story, Open to Interpretation or Visual Awareness has inspired your project. Please read the guidance and contact your Museum Development Officer before completing the application form (pdf version available on request). Applications must be submitted by: 9am, Monday 16 July. Successful applicants notified: Monday 30 July. West Midlands Volunteer Awards 2018Nominations for the third West Midlands Volunteer Awards are now open.
Then this is your opportunity to nominate a volunteer or group of volunteers to share their story; it is a chance to give back to those who give so generously, caring for the region’s cultural heritage. The Awards are open to any individual or team who volunteer within an Accredited museum (or Working Towards) located in Birmingham, the Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. How to make a nomination:Please read the Guidance before completing your Nomination Forms (pdf version available on request). Please send completed forms to wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk by 5pm, Monday 9 July. Good Housekeeping: In House Collections Care TrainingWest Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) is working with Jane Thompson-Webb, Conservation Team Leader at Birmingham Museum Trust to deliver three collections care training sessions in museums across the West Midlands. This is a great opportunity to host training in your museum for staff and volunteers whether they work directly with collections, as trustees, as part of the front of house or learning team or in administration. The training can be used as a refresher, as an opportunity to learn new skills or as a more in-depth session on a particular subject area. We want to make the training as relevant to your site as possible. There will be opportunities to use your own collections as part of the day and to get on site advice from Jane. What are we offering? What does the host museum need to do?
Terms and Conditions
Interested in taking part? Successful museums will be contacted by 19 July.
Expert EyeSupporting the development of Specialist Collections Knowledge in the West MidlandsDo you have an area of your collection which could benefit from some specialist curatorial advice? The Expert Eye programme is designed to help museum staff to increase their knowledge and understanding of underused elements of their collections. The programme is designed to support knowledge sharing across the organisation, improve documentation records and interpretation and to enrich engagement with visitors. Since 2015 West Midlands Museum Development has supported eight museums in the region and collections have included ceramics, ethnography, archaeology, archives and agriculture. Interested? If you have an area in your collection which you feel would benefit from some expert identification and advice please complete the application form below. Successful museums will be partnered with a subject specialist. The specialist will work with a member of your team at your site for an agreed period to review the collection. The museum is then asked to host a sharing event so that the information about the collection can be disseminated to staff and volunteers. This programme supports Section 2 (Collections) of the Museum Accreditation Standard, with particular reference to 2.5 and 2.6. The deadline for applications is Friday 13 July and all projects (including Sharing Events) must be completed no later than 28 February 2019.
Participation in the 2015 - 2018 ProgrammeAll Accredited Museums (and those Working Towards) have been posted a statement detailing the activities they took part in during the WMMD 2015 - 2018 Programme. Statements will be issued annually to each museum providing an overview of your museums participation in the WMMD programme. WMMD Resourceswww.mdwm.org.uk/resources has over 50 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. West Midlands Museum Development EventsAll WMMD events are freeFully Booked5 July - Collections Knowledge Café: Getting to Know Your Ceramic Collection10am - 3.30pm, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent ST1 3DWJoin Miranda Goodby, Senior Curator of Ceramics, and Ben Miller, Assistant Curator of Ceramics at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (PMAG) to find out more about the ceramics in your collection. This course is aimed at staff with no previous specialist knowledge of British factory-made ceramics. It will help you identify and date pots in your collection - or those that members of the public bring in for identification. This hands-on day will use the collections at PMAG to examine what pottery is made from (earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, etc), how it is made and decorated, and how to date it. Concentrating on British ceramics from the late 18th - mid 20th century we will look at what the pieces themselves tell us about how, and when, they were made. We will also look at how to identify which factories made them, what marks and backstamps can tell us, and what sources to turn to for more information. Refreshments will be provided. Delegates can purchase lunch from the museum café. This event is now fully booked. Please contact Helen Johnson if you would like to be placed on the waiting list. Other Events19 June - Skills, Sustainability and the Future of Cultural Provision in Herefordshire10.30am - 5pm, The Left Bank, Hereford HF4 9DGThis free one-day conference, generously supported by the Elmley Foundation and organised by the HLF and ACE funded Herefordshire’s a Great Place project, will explore the ways different organisations involved in arts, heritage, cultural and community provision can build resilient futures together. 4-5 July - SWFed Conference 2018 'Confronting the Challenges: Visits & Collections'University of ExeterAll of those working in the Museums and Heritage Sector face daily challenges in appealing to a wide range of people: Find out more and book your tickets here 19 - 20 July - A True Reflection? Displays, Stories and Exhibitions19 July - Beamish: The Living Museum of the North, 20 July - The Great North Museum: HancockSocial History Curators Group (SHCG) Conference. This year’s conference includes interactive workshops, tours and presentations on a wide range of themes including interpretation and community engagement. Conference is a great opportunity to hear about experiences and learning from a range of institutions across the country, to take part in valuable knowledge building workshops, and to have the opportunity to network with others in the sector at a friendly and relaxed conference. For a full programme, list of speakers, and details of how to book, please visit here. 8-10 November - Dissent: Inspiring Hope - Embracing ChangeMuseums Association Conference, Belfast WaterfrontBook here. NewsEarly Bird Booking for Museums Association Conference 2018Early bird booking is available for the Museums Association (MA) Conference with tickets 20% cheaper than the standard price. The MA is also offering subsidised places at £129 for staff from smaller museums that are members of the MA – these are limited to 50 places so early booking is advised. The conference with the theme Dissent: Inspiring Hope - Embracing Change takes place in Belfast from 8 - 10 November. Click here to book at the reduced rate before the deadline of 20 August. Participatory Practices in the Museum and Gallery SectorDo you work in a museum or gallery, in any role, anywhere in the UK? If so, ERS Ltd would like to invite you to take part in their research project. ERS Ltd, an independent research consultancy, has been commissioned by an independent UK funder to explore current practices and drivers for involving communities in the work of museums and galleries. Please click the survey link here to find out more. It should take no more than 10-15 minutes to share your views. The study aims to draw out key lessons about designing successful influencing strategies, which should be of benefit to the wider sector when findings are published later in 2018. You don’t need to be an “expert” in participation to take part and ERS very much look forward to hearing what you have to say! Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund 2018Art Fund is excited to announce that the next round of funding from the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund will open for applications in June 2018. The Programme is designed to directly fund and empower UK museums/galleries which are regional and/or run by local authorities, universities, or have independent Trust status to borrow major works or collections from the UK’s national museums and galleries. Generously supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation, the programme will distribute a further £200,000 to museums and galleries across the UK for projects that enable loans of works of art and artefacts to go on display. Grants will range from £5,000 to £25,000 and can be used to cover a range of costs, including transport, insurance, conservation, installation, and activities relating to advocacy, marketing and audience development. The application process will open in June. Museum Accreditation ReviewHeadlines from the review can be found here. Guidance from the Information Commissioner's OfficeDon't forget the Information Commisioner's Office has issued a helpful 12 step plan for preparing for the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May. Click here to download the guidance. Subject Specialist NetworksThe new Subject Specialist Networks website can be found at https://subjectspecialistnetworks.org.uk/. OpportunitiesTender Opportunity - WMMD Diversity Champions Training ProgrammeTHE PROJECT: WMMD is looking for a professional training provider who can deliver the brief. Please send an overview of how you will respond to this brief (no more than four sides of A4). Quotes are welcome which are inclusive of all the key areas however quotes for individual key areas will also be considered if you specialise in a particular field. Please identify in your proposal if you are quoting for the full programme or part. TIMESCALE: Following receipt of this brief interested parties should email sarah.griffiths@ironbridge.org.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 29 June 2018. Selected companies will be invited to come in to discuss and present their ideas at WMMD offices in Ironbridge on Thursday 5 July 2018. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2018-20The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2018-20 is now accepting applications for capital projects from eligible organisations. The bid pro-forma and guidance can be found here. For informal enquiries, please contact dcmswolfsonfund@culture.gov.uk. All applications must be submitted to dcmswolfsonfund@culture.gov.uk by 31 August 2018. 2018-19 ICOM UK – British Council Travel Grant Scheme open for applicationsICOM 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 Download the application form and guidelines on the ICOM UK website. Please complete one application form per organisation or consortium and email it to: You can read the Case Studies from previous Travel Grant recipients on the ICOM UK website. Arts Council National Lottery Project GrantsArts Council want to support exciting and diverse work that brings great art and culture to people across the country. The new Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants is their funding programme for arts, museums and libraries projects. 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. To find out more about the Project Grants and how to apply visit the Arts Council website. Questions before during or after making an application? Contact enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk or telephone 0161 934 4317. Coalfield Community Investment ProgrammeThe Coalfields Regeneration Trust is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the 5.5 million people living in Britain’s former mining communities. The Coalfields Community Investment Programme (England) is a £500,000 fund created to support activities that tackle some of the key challenges that still remain in coalfield communities. For more information click here. Closing date: 15 June Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants 2018 deadlinesThis 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. Part-time Gallery AssistantRoyal Birmingham Society of Artists, BirminghamThe Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) is a charity dedicated to promoting engagement with the visual arts. The RBSA Gallery, just off St Paul’s Square in Birmingham, is looking for a Part-Time Gallery Assistant to join our dedicated and energetic team. For more information and to apply click here. If you would like to apply, please complete the application form and return it by email to Natalie Osborne, Learning and Engagement Manager, natalie@rbsa.org.uk. Can you help?The Lace Guild Museum have successfully secured future loans from the V&A! Can you help by offering to lend The Lace Guild Museum a showcase measuring 200 x 55 cm? The showcase will be in use from the end March 2019 until the end June 2019. If you think you may be able to help please contact hollies@laceguild.org Does Accreditation Matter?Sarah Chard-Cooper is working on her MA dissertation. Her dissertation will look at the history of Accreditation to gauge the opinion of museum professionals on the scheme as a whole and on what difference it makes to them whether a museum has lost their Accreditation or not. Sarah would be grateful if museum professionals could complete her survey here; it should only take 10 minutes to complete. Collections Care Skills Sharing ProgrammeDo 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. Volunteer PortalThe 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 Midland Air Museum, Winners Volunteer Awards 2017, Breaking Boundaries Conference, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, The Pen Museum, Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery 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! 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