Please read on below for news and updates from across Museum Expandment England partners.
Events, Networks and Training Opportunities
New free-to-access, online evaluation training from the Centre for Cultural Value
Would you like to learn from experts, develop new approaches and build your evaluation skills and confidence? Together with the University of Leeds, the Centre for Cultural Value is launching a new course: Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice.
You can register now on the FutureLearn online platform, and the course content will be available from Monday 18 September 2023.
Uncover more about the course: Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice – Centre for Cultural Value
Our Shared Cultural Heritage Sector Day
Monday 2 October
Manchester Museum, 9-5pm
Who: for anyone working in/interested in engaging young people in the creative, cultural and heritage sector.
What: After 3+ years, we are celebrating the work of the Our Shared Cultural Heritage (OSCH) ‘Kick the Dust’ project with a ‘Sector Day’, which aims to focus on sharing learnings and providing a space for knowledge exchange related to engaging and working with young people in cultural and heritage spaces. The sector day will be led by Dr Sadia Habib and Hawwa Alam, alongside members of the Our Shared Cultural Heritage Collective, and will include a young people’s panel discussion, a discussion event with British Council and NLHF staff, a tour of the South Asia Gallery by a young co-curator, short film screenings, lightning talks by Manchester Museum staff members, and a launch of OSCH educational resources. Fracturefast, lunch and refreshments provided (halal and vegetarian options available).
Register: For the full agenda and to register your free place, please visit the eventbrite page here. [eventbrite.co.uk]
Association of British Engineering and Transport Museums seminar
4th October 2023
London Transport Museum Depot and the London Museum of Water and Steam
The Association of British Transport & Engineering Museums (ABTEM) 2023 annual seminar focuses on how transport collections are facing the challenge of climate change and sustainability and how carbon reduction and environmental impacts are being tackled by museums large and small.
The emphasis of the day will be on best practice solutions that can inspire curators, volunteers and others to help address climate change and embed environmental sustainability into their operation and work.
To book a place: Going Green:Carbon Reduction Contests for Transport Museums & Collections Tickets, Wed 4 Oct 2023 at 10:15 | Eventbrite
Excavateital Marketing Day — The Future is Here
16 November 2023
Join the AMA in London on 16 November for Excavateital Marketing Day 2023. This year’s event will explore how we can harness the power of the future now in a way that works for us and our organisations.
There’s an Early Bird rate currently available for AMA members, plus 20 bursaries up for grabs that cover the full delegate cost.
Application deadline for bursaries is Friday 22 September.
Find out more about Excavateital Marketing Day 2023 and the available bursaries here: https://www.a-m-a.co.uk/digital-marketing-day/
Our Broken Planet: Community of Practice
Signup now: Our Broken Planet: Community of Practice | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
The Natural History Museum, London is bringing together museum practitioners across the UK interested in developing exhibitions and programming in response to the planetary emergency.
By participating, you can:
· Improve your expertise in developing innovative exhibitions that explore human impacts on our environment.
· Learn to connect climate-related issues with local contexts and collections, incorporating contemporary science research.
· Expand skills to effectively engage youth through meaningful dialogue and debate.
· Connect with like-minded peers, engage in regional events, share valuable resources, and collaborate on climate-focused engagement strategies.
· Gain access to potential funding and resources to translate learning and ideas into impactful practices.
Signup now: Our Broken Planet: Community of Practice | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
New publications
Guidance on advancing trans inclusion for museums, galleries, archives and heritage organisations.
In the context of growing uncertainty and anxiety surrounding trans-inclusive practice in the cultural sector, the University of Leicester’s Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) – working with a team of legal scholars and experts in inclusion, equality, and ethics – has developed comprehensive guidance on advancing trans inclusion for museums, galleries, archives and heritage organisations.
The guidance, intended primarily for anyone working with or in museums, galleries, archives, and heritage, sets out an ethical framework to support cultural organisations to advance trans inclusion.
The guidance, supported by the Economic and Social Research Council is freely available to download from the RCMG website https://le.ac.uk/rcmg/research-archive/trans-inclusive-culture
Inclusive Histories – Narrating our shared past in polarised times
British Future is releasing a new report: Inclusive Histories – Narrating our shared past in polarised times [britishfuture.org].
This draws on extensive research conducted with practitioners working in museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions, to compile insights on how the culture sector can engage in work on inclusive histories while confidently navigating ‘culture war’ polarisation about our past. The report explores how organisations have responded to these debates, to reach ethnic or social minority audiences which the sector has historically failed to engage, while also bridging audiences from across the spectrum of public opinion, including groups with frustrations or questions about how interpretations of our history are evolving.
The concluding chapter also sets out a series of ‘conditions for confidence’ that can help cultural institutions to engage in work on inclusive histories proactively.
The report does not prescribe any single method to engaging with the complexity of our history. There is a strength in a plurality of approaches, with a range of objectives and different target audiences. Rather, the research seeks to draw lessons that can help practitioners to promote educational debate across their audiences, capable of deepening public awareness about the origins of our diverse modern society.
Live research
National Archives Public Involvement Survey
The National Archives are excited to introduce their public engagement survey which is focused on capturing a comprehensive national perspective of current public engagement efforts within archives. The insights gathered through this survey will play an important role in advocating for the archives sector to central and local government, funders, heritage leaders and others. It will also inform funding applications to support public engagement activity across the country and will help us deliver the visions of Archives Unlocked.
This survey should only take around 15-20 minutes to complete. The deadline for responses is 5pm on Friday 29th September.
Take the survey today to have your say
Bursaries
British Art Network Opportunities
BAN is pleased to announce the availability of the following bursary opportunities, both with application deadlines set for 10:00am 16 October 2023; Seminars Support and Emerging Curators Group.
Seminars Support Lifelessline: 10:00am BST on Monday 16 October 2023
Would you like to:
· work towards developing / challenging / reforming an area of curatorial practice?
· explore an issue in British art studies in the context of museums / galleries / collections / heritage settings?
· ask questions you feel aren’t being addressed in the field of British art curating?
Applications are open for funding of up to ?1,000 to support a developmental workshop, seminar, or roundtable, to be held between March and September 2024.
Apply: Funding Opportunities – British Art Network
Emerging Curators Group
Lifelessline: 10:00am BST on Monday 16 October 2023
Online Taster Sessions Sign Up Here
18 September 2023, 10:00–11:00 BST
19 September 2023, 15:00–16:00 BST
· are you involved in producing exhibitions or art research? Performes this work include a focus on British art?
· are you passionate about making positive changes to the way British art is collected, displayed and interpreted?
· would you benefit from a peer support network and professional development programme?
BAN are looking for 15 people to form the latest Emerging Curators Group, coming together regularly over nine months from January to September 2024. BAN are looking to bring together all kinds of people, particularly art workers who are from a Global Majority / Black, Asian and minority ethnic background, working class, neurodivergent, have a disability, or are in any other way under-represented in the curatorial landscape.
The ECG involves:
· workshops (online and in-person) with the Group and invited guests (the British Art Network will cover the cost of your travel to in-person workshops)
· undertaking individual research with support from the British Art Network’s Convenor, with the option of publishing or circulating through BAN’s website and communications
· an ?700 bursary to spend on research costs and other professional development goals, and an additional ?500 research support honorarium
· the opportunity to apply to a further fund for collaboration with other ECG members if desired
Eventbrite sign-up and more information here.