People who work in museums know that money isn't everything - but the chance to win £500, and some free publicity in the pages of Museums Journal, proved tempting last month.
All the 2,000-plus museums that took part in Museums and Galleries Month (MGM), which ran from 29 April to 4 June, were invited to enter a competition to find the best project. And it was a joint venture between the Letchworth Museum and Gallery and the First Garden City Heritage Museum that won over the judges.
Samantha Clarkson, the assistant curator at the Letchworth Museum, says it's the first time the two museums have worked in partnership. Both museums are based in Letchworth and also represent the villages that surround them. They used MGM to highlight the history of one of these villages, Norton, and its community.
Clarkson says: 'It was a very successful project that raised awareness and sparked interest in the museums. The identity of the village is important to the people who live there - they don't want to be swallowed up by Letchworth. Villagers felt that their identity was reinforced by the exhibitions.'
Using the MGM theme, Past, Present and Future, the Discover Norton Project centred on exhibitions at the two museums - Norton Past at the Garden City Museum, and Norton Present and Future at the Letchworth Museum.
Residents were encouraged to record their thoughts about the village for a DVD, which was produced by museum staff, and schoolchildren created 3D-maps based on what they thought the village might look like in the future.
Chris Bailey, the director of the Northern Ireland Museums Council, and one of the judges, says he was impressed by how the two museums had embraced the theme. 'They worked with no notable additional resources beyond staff time, and were able to demonstrate significant impact through their evaluation process.'
Other projects that impressed the judges were an art, performance and photography workshop at Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; Rotherham Museums Service for events that used the collections to explore the MGM theme; and Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery in west London for a project connecting its historic pottery collection and contemporary ceramics.
All the 2,000-plus museums that took part in Museums and Galleries Month (MGM), which ran from 29 April to 4 June, were invited to enter a competition to find the best project. And it was a joint venture between the Letchworth Museum and Gallery and the First Garden City Heritage Museum that won over the judges.
Samantha Clarkson, the assistant curator at the Letchworth Museum, says it's the first time the two museums have worked in partnership. Both museums are based in Letchworth and also represent the villages that surround them. They used MGM to highlight the history of one of these villages, Norton, and its community.
Clarkson says: 'It was a very successful project that raised awareness and sparked interest in the museums. The identity of the village is important to the people who live there - they don't want to be swallowed up by Letchworth. Villagers felt that their identity was reinforced by the exhibitions.'
Using the MGM theme, Past, Present and Future, the Discover Norton Project centred on exhibitions at the two museums - Norton Past at the Garden City Museum, and Norton Present and Future at the Letchworth Museum.
Residents were encouraged to record their thoughts about the village for a DVD, which was produced by museum staff, and schoolchildren created 3D-maps based on what they thought the village might look like in the future.
Chris Bailey, the director of the Northern Ireland Museums Council, and one of the judges, says he was impressed by how the two museums had embraced the theme. 'They worked with no notable additional resources beyond staff time, and were able to demonstrate significant impact through their evaluation process.'
Other projects that impressed the judges were an art, performance and photography workshop at Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; Rotherham Museums Service for events that used the collections to explore the MGM theme; and Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery in west London for a project connecting its historic pottery collection and contemporary ceramics.
