Museums are to take the lead in promoting the government's social, environmental and educational policies through a new cultural initiative targeting local communities.
Cultural Pathfinders, a joint initiative between the Local Government Association and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), is being launched to demonstrate the way culture can contribute to government priorities at a local level.
So far four programmes showcasing partnerships between museums and local authorities in Manchester, Canterbury, Hampshire and Richmond upon Thames have been awarded the Cultural Pathfinder title.
Currently none of the museums will receive any funding from either the LGA or the DCMS for their Cultural Pathfinder programmes. Instead, the initiative has been marketed as a 'badge of honour' that demonstrates innovative cultural thinking at a local government level.
'Although we're disappointed that we won't get any direct financial support, it's a status mark that will allow us to raise our profile among potential funders,' said Emma Anderson, the project manager at Manchester Art Gallery.
Krystyna Matyjaszkiewick, the art and education officer for Canterbury City Council Arts and Museums service, said that the initiative is a positive step towards closer working relationships between local authorities and museums. 'This sort of endorsement shows that culture is starting to be taken very seriously as playing an active part in regeneration in the UK,' she said.
Canterbury will run a two-year initiative working with local schools on the refurbishment and expansion of the main building of the Canterbury Royal Museum and Art Gallery.
In Manchester, the Cultural Pathfinders project will involve the Manchester Art Gallery working alongside a new staff member at the LEA to engage teachers with the learning opportunities on offer at the gallery.
The Orleans House Gallery in Richmond-upon-Thames won the title after building a programme around the needs of local children in care homes.
The Hampshire programme is not yet finalised, but will involve the development of new discovery centres, where local people can access libraries, art galleries and other cultural initiatives.
Another nine local authorities have also been named as Cultural Pathfinders.
Cultural Pathfinders, a joint initiative between the Local Government Association and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), is being launched to demonstrate the way culture can contribute to government priorities at a local level.
So far four programmes showcasing partnerships between museums and local authorities in Manchester, Canterbury, Hampshire and Richmond upon Thames have been awarded the Cultural Pathfinder title.
Currently none of the museums will receive any funding from either the LGA or the DCMS for their Cultural Pathfinder programmes. Instead, the initiative has been marketed as a 'badge of honour' that demonstrates innovative cultural thinking at a local government level.
'Although we're disappointed that we won't get any direct financial support, it's a status mark that will allow us to raise our profile among potential funders,' said Emma Anderson, the project manager at Manchester Art Gallery.
Krystyna Matyjaszkiewick, the art and education officer for Canterbury City Council Arts and Museums service, said that the initiative is a positive step towards closer working relationships between local authorities and museums. 'This sort of endorsement shows that culture is starting to be taken very seriously as playing an active part in regeneration in the UK,' she said.
Canterbury will run a two-year initiative working with local schools on the refurbishment and expansion of the main building of the Canterbury Royal Museum and Art Gallery.
In Manchester, the Cultural Pathfinders project will involve the Manchester Art Gallery working alongside a new staff member at the LEA to engage teachers with the learning opportunities on offer at the gallery.
The Orleans House Gallery in Richmond-upon-Thames won the title after building a programme around the needs of local children in care homes.
The Hampshire programme is not yet finalised, but will involve the development of new discovery centres, where local people can access libraries, art galleries and other cultural initiatives.
Another nine local authorities have also been named as Cultural Pathfinders.
