In brief | Latest funding, projects, moves and more

Guidance launched on acquiring artefacts at low cost

The Art Fund and Arts Council England have launched a new publication, Everybody is a Winner: A Guide to Giving (and Selling) Art and Cultural Artefacts to UK Museums and Galleries. It outlines the schemes available to museums and galleries such as the Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance in Lieu.

The aim is to help organisations acquire cultural artefacts for free or at a much lower price than their market value. This is illustrated through never-before-told case studies with real life examples of the impact that these acquisitions have on museums and their audiences. The guide also highlights the benefits to owners who are lending and selling artefacts to museums and galleries.

Tetley art gallery prepares to leave building

The Tetley contemporary art gallery on Leeds’s South Bank is preparing to leave its home in the iconic Tetley building at the end of the year. Since opening in 2013, the gallery has presented 56 exhibitions, 1200 artists, and welcomed nearly a million visitors. It will close to the public from 17 December 2023, the last step of a phasing out plan that started in October.

Visitors are encouraged to stop by for a last chance to see the exhibitions Tiny Tetley Studio, and Bar & Kitchen before they close. In 2024, the gallery’s artistic programme will move off site alongside Inside Out, a new participatory art project aimed at fostering collaboration among children in the community. Plans for a new venue soon will be announced soon.

New research published on admission charging

The Association of Independent Museums has published new research on current admissions pricing policy in museums.

The work updates previous research commissioned by the association in 2016 and aims to help museums and galleries consider how they might optimise their income and position themselves effectively in the market, while maintaining their accessibility.

The research gives an overview of current charging approaches, along with benchmarking data and a range of case studies. An accompanying Success Guide condenses the findings and is designed to help inform museums in the process of reviewing their pricing strategies.

Ellerman Foundation Fund open now

The John Ellerman Foundation’s Museums and Galleries Fund is open for first round applications. The fund aims to support nationally significant work that is displayed by museums and galleries in the UK which highlights their curatorial skills. Currently, £520,000 has been allocated to this fund with an average share of £90,000. 

A wide variety of collections may apply, with exhibits on natural history and visual arts supported in the past. The foundation favours organisations with an income below £10 million and will not fund individual conservation projects or education and outreach work. The ambition is to help strengthen cultural institutions by celebrating regional treasures which hold a national benefit.

The foundation hopes to foster curatorial development in order to attract a broad and diverse audience to these organisations. The Museums and Galleries Fund is now open for first stage applications until 9 January 2024. Full details on the fund can be found on the foundation's website.

Prize fund to recognise environmental initiatives

The Association for Cultural Enterprises has launched the Seeds of Change fund worth £10,000. The fund aims to spark entrepreneurialism and innovation by awarding the most environmentally impactful initiatives. The association is looking for projects that promote community engagement, sustainable practices, and inspire the exploration of materials and technology that generate new income streams.

The initiative is supported by Green Tourism, the leading environmental accreditation organisation in the sector, highlighting the importance of environmentally friendly policies in cultural institutions. The projects which have the potential for replication across the sector will be favoured in the evaluations process.

Seeds of Change is open to any organisation or business in the supply chain that is a member of the Association for Cultural Enterprises in the UK. Application for the fund will close on 29 March 2024 and the winner will be announced the following June. See the association’s website for full details on the fund.

Norwich Castle Keep to become immersive digital experience

Norwich Castle is to reopen its 900-year-old Medieval Keep in summer 2024. The Grade I-listed tower has been redeveloped to emulate the experiences of its Norman inhabitants. More than 1,000 treasures of national importance will be displayed in partnership with the British Museum, including artefacts from the Norman Conquest to the reign of Henry VIII.

The keep will host an immersive experience for visitors that will stretch across five floor levels, featuring audiovisual projections cast across the Great Hall that aim to bring the characters who lived in the castle to life. This will be accompanied by virtual reality headsets in the basement’s digital zone, allowing users to explore Norwich in the 1100s.

Research survey seeks responses from museum workers

Museum workers are invited to respond to a short online survey that aims to record museum workers’ perspectives on the proportions of collections that are documented or digitised, the nature of documentation backlogs, and who works on documentation in museums.

The survey was created by Museums Association board member Kathleen Lawther, a curator and PhD student researching the history and practice of documentation in museums and its impact on digital collections.

For more information about the project, contact Kathleen at kel11@leicester.ac.uk.

Brunel Museum secures funding for textile research and conservation

The Brunel Museum has secured two grants towards research and conservation of its textile collection. The first grant, from the Costume Society, will go towards the conservation of a silk handkerchief on display in the museum for many years before being transferred to secure storage at the London Metropolitan Archives. The kerchief is one of two commemorating the Thames Tunnel believed to have been sold as souvenirs during its time as an underwater shopping arcade in the 1840s.

The second, a Madeline Ginsburg Internship grant, will support museum volunteer and textile historian Katie Anderson to research the museum’s textile collection.

Volunteer Leader of the Year 2023 announced

Sam Clift has been announced as the winner of the Heritage Volunteer Group Volunteer Leader of The Year Award 2023 out of a shortlist of nine. Clift is the volunteer resource manager at the London Transport Museum.

This award recognises innovative and outstanding examples of volunteer leadership and management in the heritage sector. It celebrates excellence in volunteer leadership and focuses on three key themes: innovation, collaboration and passion.

Judging panel member Chris Wade, the managing director of Time For Impact, said: “As judges we felt Sam has achieved incredible outcomes. Sam was especially celebrated for pioneering a new five-year volunteering strategy at the London Transport Museum. He took the lead in putting the volunteer voice at the heart of the strategy so it would be meaningful, achievable and reflective of volunteer needs. Sam did this alongside introducing buddy schemes, volunteer ‘take-over’ days, staff coaching, and developing bespoke opportunities for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties.”

The award also recognised two highly commended volunteer leaders; Alex Fitzpatrick, National Science and Media Museum Scotland and Paul Philburn Worsbrough Mill, Barnsley Museums.