Welcome to Your March Newsletter!
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From April, we will be providing support, programmes and grants across the South West area, including Hampshire Solent, under the revised name Museum Development South West. Our Prospectus for the upcoming year is now available on our website, take a look at what's in store! In this newsletter we have an update on our programme, and an update on how the Travelling Together cohort museums have been implementing their learning and using their project grants. You can also read about what we got up to at the Cornwall Heritage Awards 2024. |
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This February we joined the fabulous showcase of museums at the Cornwall Heritage Awards, as well as the Hampshire Solent Forum in Portsmouth where museums shared the power of small grants from Museum Development to unlock new ways to connect with communities and build effective partnerships. The Forum was a fantastic spring board for our future collaboration with museums in Hampshire Solent and we are delighted to share our new prospectus of development opportunities for 2024-26. |
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Under our new name, Museum Development South West, we will continue to invest in our local Museum Development Officer (MDO) network in partnership with our five MDO support organisations Cornwall Council, South West Heritage Trust, Dorset Council, Wiltshire Council and Hampshire Cultural Trust. Specialist support in Conservation and Collection Care, Sustainable Volunteering and Technical Accreditation Advice will also be available to museums across the South West. Our budget for small grants will double, providing more and new ways to support your ambitions, enable you to reach wider and further into your communities and importantly to invest in the development and wellbeing of our workforce.
We encourage everyone working in and with museums in the South West area to subscribe to this newsletter so that everyone has access to the opportunities, sector news and regular updates.
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As we move in to the next phase of our National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England funded project Travelling Together, our eight cohort museums and seven Champions are putting their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training into practice. |
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Each of our cohort museums have received a £1,500 project grant to embed EDI for the long term in their organisations. The American Museum, Museum of Gloucester, Roman Baths and Torre Abbey are using their grants on wider EDI Training for their workforce and volunteers. Haynes Motor Museum are in the process of carrying out an access audit for staff, volunteers and visitors, and South Somerset Heritage Collection are planning some audience research to better understand which audiences they are reaching. The Museum of East Dorset will be using their grant to film a BSL tour of their museum and the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol are rolling out Race and Representation Training across their teams.
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Meanwhile, our Champions have been hosting in-person and online peer networking sessions on wide-ranging EDI topics for museum professionals. Focusing on topics aligned with their individual passions and supported by specialist expertise, the peer networking sessions have been popular and well attended even during half term. You can still sign up to the last few sessions which are running across March.
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The Cornwall Heritage Awards returned on Monday 19 February at Kresen Kernow to celebrate the staff and volunteers of heritage organisations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Cornwall Museums Partnership has produced the Cornwall Heritage Awards in partnership with South West Museum Development annually since 2018 and the event has become a highlight of the calendar.
The afternoon kicked off with time for networking and to browse collaborator stands, before coming together for the Cornwall Heritage Awards Symposium. Three case studies were presented from the many projects submitted to the awards, and attendees heard from Programme Manager Vic Harding about the upcoming changes to our programme from April onwards.
After the symposium the winners of eight different categories were announced: Collaboration, Innovation, Heritage Heroes, Leader of the Year, One to Watch, Exhibition of the Year, Object of the Year, and Spirit of the Awards for organisations demonstrating outstanding commitment to inclusivity and environmental responsibility. The Isles of Scilly Museum Association scooped three awards, and there were wins for NT Lanhydrock, Bodmin Keep, Royal Cornwall Museum, St Ives Museum, Kresen Kernow and Mevagissey Museum. Huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners! |
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Grants to attend London Gallery WeekendLondon Gallery Weekend (LGW) unites the galleries of the capital, as they present exhibitions by major international names and emerging artists, alongside an expanded public programme of events that includes performances, talks and activities for families. For the third year, Art Fund and London Gallery Weekend are partnering to offer grants to support travel and accommodation costs (up to two nights maximum) for curators working at regional museums across the UK to visit London Gallery Weekend, 31 May - 2 June 2024. To apply for a bursary, please submit your application via the online form. The deadline to apply is Sunday 24 March, 5pm.
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Museum Estate and Development Fund Round 4 launched
Arts Council England (ACE) has published guidance for the next round of the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).
£23.8m is available for capital infrastructure and maintenance for non-national Accredited museums, and/or local authorities who are responsible for maintenance of non-national Accredited museum buildings.
Grants are available for between £50,000 and £5m. The Expression of Interest form opened yesterday; the deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is midday Thursday 18 April 2024.
The full online application will open on Tuesday 12 May; the deadline for submitting full applications is midday Thursday 15 August 2024.
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Sustainable Lending and Borrowing: call to take part in new TEG ACE researchArts Council England (ACE) has commissioned Touring Exhibitions Group (TEG) to look into ways that shared initiatives could reduce the carbon impacts of lending and borrowing objects to exhibitions. As part of this research, TEG are launching a new survey today to understand practices on lending and borrowing; loan agreements, environmental conditions and couriering. The deadline to complete the survey by is Monday 18 March. The research will be used to make recommendations to Arts Council England, DCMS (Dept for Culture Media and Sport, UK government) and the sector.
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Youth Investment Fund Phase 2The Youth Investment Fund Phase 2 is predominantly capital grants combined with some revenue for not-for-profit organisations in England, including local authorities and Community Interest Companies (CICs), to create, expand and improve local youth facilities and services that will deliver positive outcomes for young people. Expression of Interest Forms may be submitted at any time up to Sunday 31 March 2024.
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The Michael Marks Charitable TrustA limited number of small and larger grants are available through the Michael Marks Charitable Trust to registered charities working in the areas of the arts, education and the environment. The vast majority of grants made by the Trust are to arts charities. Apply by Friday 31 May 2024.
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The best ways to get in touch are via the form on our website or emailing museum.development@bristol.gov.uk
If you think a colleague or friend would like to keep up to date
with South West Museum Development, please forward this email or encourage them to join our newsletter by clicking below:
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Limited online access?
If you know of colleagues who are not able to access emails at home we would be happy to send a newsletter in hard copy. Please do call/email us to request this. |
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Photo credits (in order as they appear):
- Canva
- Roz Bonnet
- Clare Ferdinando
- Roz Bonnet
- Roz Bonnet
- Canva
South West Museum Development content: |
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