‘Unapologetically ambitious’: Birmingham Museums Trust launches five-year strategy

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is to fully reopen and a new citizens research centre will be established under a five-year strategy launched this week by Birmingham Museums Trust.

The “unapologetically ambitious” strategy sets out a vision for change in the context of Birmingham City Council’s financial constraints and wider sector funding challenges. The plans include steps to secure capital funding and alternative revenue streams, while continuing to advocate for public investment.

In a joint foreword, the trust’s co-chief executives Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah described how the near-bankruptcy of the council in 2023 had triggered the “worst financial crisis in the history of Birmingham’s civic museums”.

“Currently we don’t have the funding to open all our venues, or even all of BMAG,” they said. “Even before the cuts, Birmingham had the fewest museums by population of any of the UK’s large cities outside London: our citizens had fewer opportunities to visit museums than most people in Britain.”

The business plan attempts to address the funding crisis while outlining a “vision of the world class and world changing institutions [Birmingham’s museums] have the potential to become”.

Guided by a citizen’s jury that published its conclusions in January – and has been nominated for a Museums Change Lives Award – the strategy places an emphasis on greater community engagement and cultural democracy, setting out a vision for a “radical reinvention of the museum as a catalyst of cultural and social change”.

The charity aims to put Birmingham at the forefront of research in this area, with plans to develop a Cultural Citizens Research Centre (CCRC) that will integrate “collections, audiences and participatory research and [enhance] university and community partnerships”.

“To create the CCRC, we will define our research strategy goals and initiatives, mapping current projects and partnerships against these,” says the strategy. “We will identify under-researched areas of the collection and where research could support local and regional needs, for example, in public health.”

The centre will develop research partnerships and projects with civic organisations, universities and public bodies that fit its research strategy, and will set up the structures to facilitate working with partners.

Mission

Bring Birmingham out by shining new light on people’s stories, collections and creativity.

 

Vision

A radical reinvention of the museum as a catalyst of cultural and social change.

 

Impact on Birmingham

Birmingham is a vibrant, interconnected city where cultural richness thrives, citizens are empowered, communities find joy and belonging, trust is nurtured, inequalities are diminished, and sustainability and equity are central to our society.

 

Principles

Democratic | Informed & Considered | Intrapreneurial | Fair and ethical | Self-renewing | Sustainable

The strategy also outlines plans for capital projects, including the refurbishment and full reopening of BMAG by the 2031, and a transformation of the Museum Collections Centre to create a “publicly accessible modern collections centre on the current site”.

The business plan includes enhancing the visitor experience at Thinktank, before eventually redeveloping it into a new museum of science and industry in the 2030s.

“The future museum will elevate Birmingham Museums Trust’s role as a leader on Steam [science, technology, engineering, arts and maths] engagement – including natural science – across the city, supporting communities to share their stories about the role of local people in science and industry – past, present and future,” says the strategy.

Other plans include increased digital access to collections and the launch of new immersive exhibitions.

“Our museums are at a critical crossroads,” said Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust.

“This strategy is about resilience, reinvention and making sure Birmingham’s cultural treasures remain accessible and relevant to all.

“It is an unapologetically ambitious plan to invest in the city’s greatest cultural asset, to create a world class museum service, which can be at the forefront of making Birmingham a great place to live, work, play and visit. And even beyond this, to deliver our mission as part of the wider arts and culture sector. 

“We are committed to fostering a more democratic, inclusive approach to heritage, ensuring that every community sees themselves reflected in our spaces and stories.”

A collective statement from the citizen’s jury said: “We acknowledge our museums are fighting for their survival; they must take risks in their bid to be inspiring, educating, engaging to all.

“It is important for our museums to involve and represent the communities they are responsible to, that is, the people of Birmingham and they shouldn’t be precious about doing so.

“We deserve museums that are proud of us, that we can be proud of, that celebrate what’s unique about Birmingham.”

The business plan was developed with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Established as an independent charity in 2012, Birmingham Museums Trust operates nine museum sites on behalf of the council: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, Museum Collection Centre, Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House and Weoley Castle.