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Renaissanceinvests £290Kin RegionalMuseums
Curating for theFuture Conference
RenaissanceDevelopmentOfficers
The M
ancheste
r M
useum
Issue Two – July 2007
in m
useu
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and
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ries
in th
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www.mlanorthwest.org.uk
Rena
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Renaissance Support forCollections DevelopmentIn March 2007, Renaissance North Westlaunched two schemes, making a total of£135,000 available to museums in the region.
The ‘Collections Care for Access – Museum Development
Fund’ and the ‘Unleash the power of your collections!
Collections for the Future Challenge Fund’ offered up to
£5,000 for initiatives by regional museums and galleries.
Proposals by the successful applicants were
experimental, risky and demonstrated imagination and
innovation – they included:
� Volunteers at the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum
have found a clever way to provide access to their
collection of volunteer and territorial photographs,
uniforms and badges. The purchase of a digital
projector will enable the museum to get the collections
out to schools, communities and special interest groups.
� Keswick Museum want to take a 14-foot long, 1.5 tonne
xylophone, made of rare ‘Hornfels’ rock taken from the
mountainside of Skiddaw in the 19th century, on tour
and need a customised travelling case.
� 14 Cheshire museums will work in partnership with
West Cheshire College to equip staff with the skills
needed to produce short films about the power of their
collections, which will be available on websites.
� Archaeology students from King George V College are
producing an online catalogue, as well as a printed
version, of the highly significant Goodison Collection of
Egyptology at Sefton Museum & Art Gallery.
� A combination of live video streaming, DVD recording
and audio input through touch-pad technology, will give
visitors to Queens Street Mill Textile Museum a unique
bird’s eye view of its designated collection of
Lancashire looms.
� Stockport Story Museum are to hang for the first time,
five newly conserved paintings at the Local Heritage
Library. They will be used to re-interpret the town’s
history, buildings, events, personalities and costume to
new audiences.
� Previously inaccessible archives will be available to
visitors at The Fusiliers’ Museum in Lancashire after a
team of volunteers complete a project to rehouse
documents, photographs and ephemera.
Lancaster Maritime Museum
“Renaissance North West iscommitted to engaging with the
wider museum communityin the region.
Virginia Tandy, Director,
Manchester City Galleries
The North West is a phase II regional
Hub and as such, from 1 April 2007,
we are in receipt of 60% of what
MLA believed to be the Renaissance
funding needed for a fully operational
hub. Despite this shortfall, we are very
pleased to have been able to achieve
a high level of engagement and
investment in regional museums.
In 2007-08, regional museums are
benefiting from £290,000 that is
supporting collections care and
access, best practice events,
training and skills development.
This means that Renaissance
investment in regional museums is
now at least equivalent to the
investment of the former North West
Area Museums’ Service.
The North West Hub and Museums
Libraries & Archives North West are
embracing the ambitions of the
Museums Association’s Collections for
the Future report, and are working in
innovative ways to make a difference
in regional museums at a practical
and strategic level.
We are looking ahead to the autumn,
when we will learn the outcome of
the Comprehensive Spending Review
in terms of the resources available
for Renaissance in the Regions in
the future.
The Wordsworth Trust
Cla
ire W
ood
”
Ala
n F
letc
her
Profile:Renaissance Development Officers
I came to MLA North West from
Lancashire County Museum Service,
where I worked as Keeper of Helmshore
Mills Textile Museum. The primary focus
of my wide-ranging job is to support
museums across the region, but in
particular to develop and deliver a
regional workforce development
programme.
I have been working closely with
museum staff in the North West to identify priorities for
Catriona WestDevelopment Officer (Renaissance)
Carli DouglasCollections For the Future Development Officer: Roman Heritage
I am based at Manchester Museum, and
use my background in Archaeology and
Museums Studies to engage with and
support curators, museums and
collections in the North West. My focus is
on the development of greater access to,
and engagement with, regional Roman
collections through reinterpretation,
redisplay, touring exhibitions and sector-
wide partnerships.
skills development. It is important for me to ‘tap into’
people’s passion and encourage collaboration between
museums and individuals in the region, to form action-
learning sets and pursue learning as an instrument for
modernisation.
My second priority is to work with the sector to promote
sustainability and investment within their organisations. I
am achieving this through providing museums and
galleries access to, information about, and examples of
good practice related to sustainable business practice.
One of the biggest rewards of my job is discovering more
about unique collections in the region, and ensuring that
these are understood and articulated within the sector and
championed by external stakeholders.
Since starting my post earlier this year, I have worked with
collections and curators at:
� The Salt Museum, Northwich, Cheshire
� The Armitt Trust Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria
� Rossendale Museum, Rawtenstall, Lancashire
� Ribchester Museum of Roman Antiquities, Lancashire
� Saddleworth Museum & Art Gallery, Greater Manchester.
My job is a pilot initiative, and I am using Collections for
the Future as a framework to make the story of the
region’s Roman heritage more widely known and
understood. The aim is to tell the story coherently and
dynamically, increase understanding and awareness of the
Roman material held in museums, and improve access to
museum and heritage sites across the region.
Collections Care Liaison Officer
This post is being recruited and will be based
at St. Mary’s Conservation Studios in Preston.
The post has been created to deliver the regional
vision for Collections for the Future, namely to
improve the relevance, impact, profile and quality of
museum services and collections.
The post holder will increase access, use and
understanding of the region’s collections, by strengthening
curatorial expertise in collections care, increasing access
to knowledge and resources. As a result they will:
� diversify and increase the number of people who enjoy
and learn from the region’s collections
� work in new ways to develop and transform museum
services
� deliver direct benefit and support to the development of
museum staff and volunteers
� increase standards according to the museum
Accreditation scheme.
with over 100 museums and galleries
Renaissance Development officersSince August 2006
have been in contact
www.mlanorthwest.org.uk
Cla
ire W
ood
St M
ary’s Conservation S
tudios
Events and TrainingJuly 11 Documentation for Accreditation FREE
Cheshire Military Museum. Contact Catriona West:
July 18 Documentation for Accreditation FREE
British Commercial Vehicle Museum, Leyland.
Contact Catriona West: as above
July 23 Museum Security FREE
Nantwich Museum, Cheshire. Contact Catriona West: as above
July 24 Museum Security FREE
Kendal Museum, Cumbria. Contact Catriona West: as above
July 17 Extended Schools FREE
St. Mary’s Conservation Studios, Preston. Contact Jackie Fletcher:
Sept 12 Procedural Manual workshop,
People’s History Museum. Contact Diane Rushbrook:
Sept 13 Documentation Planning workshop,
People’s History Museum. Contact Diane Rushbrook: as above
Sept 14 Human Remains Legislation FREE
Manchester Museum. Contact Catriona West: as above
Sept 19 Curating for the Future, FREE
Manchester Museum. Contact Jennie Crawford:
[email protected] (see overleaf)
Sept 24 Introduction to Audience Development FREE
St. Mary’s Conservation Studios, Preston. Contact Suzanne Spicer:
Oct 5 How to maximise your Museum Shop FREE
Rex Makin Theatre, Liverpool. Contact Catriona West: as above
For more events go to
www.mlanorthwest.org.uk/trainingandevents/events
The Renaissance programme is working towardsdelivering a comprehensive service to schoolsacross the region – through direct work withchildren and young people, as well as strategicwork that aims to change the way teachers usemuseums and galleries.
Julie Howse, a teacher from Birchfields Primary
School in Manchester, is working part time with the
Learning and Interpretation Team at the Whitworth
Art Gallery. The secondment allows Julie to develop
her knowledge of the cultural sector and also offers
an opportunity for the gallery to work with a teacher
in the development of its programmes.
Leading on the development of initial teacher training
work for the North West Hub, Julie has developed
partnerships with key higher education institutions
and is running training days to share best practice.
She aims to increase awareness of the rich resources
available to teachers at museums and galleries.
Contact: [email protected]
ONCE UPON A TIMEW
orki
ng in
Par
tner
ship
Emma Anderson, North West Hub Manager0161 235 8822 [email protected]
Myna Trustram, North West Hub Research Manager0161 235 8849 [email protected]
Jennie Crawford, North West Hub Communications &Events Officer01228 534781 [email protected]
Jane Fletcher, North West Hub Education DevelopmentManager07854 921522 [email protected]
Alex Saint & Andrew Palmer, North West Hub StrategicAudience Development [email protected] / [email protected]
Catriona West, Development Officer (Renaissance)01925 625056 [email protected]
Paul Webb, Development Officer (Standards)01925 625054 [email protected]
Carli Douglas, Collections for the Future DevelopmentOfficer: Roman Heritage 0161 306 1772 / 07867528370 [email protected]
Cont
act u
s
Caldew Lea School
Cu
mb
rian
Ne
wsp
ap
ers
Ltd
INITIAL TEACHER TRAININGRenaissance is funding the Once Upon a Timeprogramme that is being developed by museum-ledlearning networks across Cumbria from Barrowto Maryport.
Eight museums are working in partnership with the
Lakeland Museums Education Network and Cumbria
Coastal Learning Network to deliver a project for school-
age children that explores how information is passed on
through stories, tales, myths and beliefs.
The Ruskin Museum, The Quaker Tapestry at Kendal,
Senhouse Roman Museum, Penrith Museum, The Beacon,
Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Helena Thompson Museum
and The Dock Museum are developing locally-focussed
resources, services, events and activities that will feature
in an exhibition and a series of events to be launched at
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery in the autumn.
Contact: Julie Wooding, Education Manager at Tullie
House, [email protected]
AFTERNOON: Thematic workshops
1. Disposals: How can disposal be carried out ethically and responsibly?
2. Dynamic collecting: How can acquisitions be dynamic and relevant?
3. Strategic documentation: How can documentation deliver the needs of audiences and stakeholders?
4. Developing tomorrow’s workforce: What kinds of training and skills development are required by curators?
5. Access v. collections and curatorial expertise: How can curators balance the development of their subject
specialism alongside delivering access to collections?
Nick Merriman,
Director, Manchester Museum
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FORCOLLECTIONS?
Recent research has shown that
museums seem to be inherently
unsustainable institutions, in that
their collections continue to grow
without commensurate growth in
the resources available to look
after them. Nick Merriman will
examine how we might conceive a
sustainable approach to collections
development, drawing on literature
from environmental sustainability,
and the anthropology of memory
and forgetting.
Curating for the Future: a conference exploringthe curatorial role in the 21st century19 September 2007, Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, 10:00 – 17:00
What is the role of the museum curator in the 21st century? This is your opportunity to bechallenged and inspired, and take part in the debate about one of the hot topics in museumsand galleries today.
ProgrammeMORNING: Keynote Speakers
Jane Glaister,
Strategic Director, Culture,Tourism & Sport,Bradford City Council
TRANSFORMATIONALCOLLECTING V.TRANSACTIONAL CURATORS?
If museums are to continue to
flourish, have relevance to all our
communities, be financially efficient
and be seen to have significant
value by stakeholders, then the way
we acquire, exploit and manage
collections must be transformed.
But ‘transformational collecting’
requires transformational curators,
and Jane Glaister will argue that
the current professional culture
and training mitigates against this
– valuing transactional rather than
transformational processes
and skills.
Mark O’Neill,
Head of Arts and Museums,Culture & Sport Glasgow
CURATORSHIP: BY WHATAUTHORITY?
Museums make decisions about
what the public sees, and what they
are told about the meaning and
importance of what they see. The
authority to make these decisions is
based on a dual authority. One
authority is derived from the expertise
of staff – traditionally that of
curators, but also now of educators,
designers and management. The
other authority derives from the role
of museums as agents of civil
society, in a democratic public
sphere. Mark O’Neill will show how
these forms of authority can interact
creatively, with practical examples
from the experience of Glasgow
Museums, and in particular from the
redisplay of Kelvingrove.
Curating for the Future is organised by Renaissance
North West in partnership with the University of
Manchester and the North West Federation of Museums
and Galleries, as part of the regional programme to
deliver the Collections for the Future framework.
This conference is an opportunity for regional museums
and gallery staff to debate the future of curatorship.
Funded by Renaissance North West, places are FREE
but limited to 100 delegates.
Curating for the Future: a conference exploring the curatorialrole in the 21st century19 September 2007, Manchester Museum 10:00 – 17:00
Delegate Application Form
Name:
Job title:
Organisation:
Address:
Tel:
Email:
Please indicate your top three choices for the thematic workshops (1-5):
There are 100 places for regional delegates at this conference. To apply to attend this FREE event, please
describe why do you want to participate in Curating for the Future, and what you hope to take away for yourself
personally and for your organisation? (max 150 words or go to www.mlanorthwest.org.uk/trainingandevents/events
for an electronic version of this form.)
Please send your application to:Jennie Crawford, North West Hub Communications & Events Officer, Renaissance North West, Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL.
Applications must be received by 20 July 2007. We will let you know if you have secured a place by 27 July 2007.