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Developing Co-curation, Collaborative Working and Embedding Diversity

Join us for an insightful in person workshop looking at collections-based co-curation.

The morning will focus on the innovative Embedding Diversity in our Collections programme at Walsall with Julie Brown, Collections Curator, including Here and Queer and Pride and Priviledge. Jon Sleigh, Freelance Learning Curator Consultant will be speaking about engaging new communities and legacy. The day will also include a tour of the current Class Act display by members of the community panel.

The afternoon presentations will focus on two case studies: Collecting Home at Royal Crown Derby with Alison Solomon and Dr Elizabeth Woledge and Creative Placemaking and public programming at the Royal Shakespeare Company Collection with Robyn Greenwood. There will be opportunity within a practical session for you to think about how you might approach co-curation in your museum.

Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Bookings close: 12noon, Thursday 9 November

Maximum two delegates per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. 

Accessibility

The event will be held at The New Art Gallery Walsall. Visit the New Art Gallery Walsall website for access information

If you would benefit from any adjustment or support for accessibility, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require. 

Dietary requirements

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please let us know any allergies or dietary requirements on the booking form when you book your place.

Developing Co-curation, Collaborative Working and Embedding Diversity
Tuesday 21 November, 11am-4pm
The New Art Gallery Walsall, Gallery Square WS2 8LG

If you can’t see the booking button, this event is now fully booked.

Introduction to Accreditation

This practical workshop is an introduction to the Museum Accreditation Standard and is aimed at museums who are considering applying for Accreditation for the first time.

Participants will gain an overview of:

The workshop also has practical exercises that will help participants plan their return. There will be a break in the middle of the workshop to allow delegates to step away from computer screens.

About Jennie Crawford

Jennie is the Midlands Accreditation Advisor for 23/24. She has extensive knowledge of the museum Accreditation standard having worked as an Accreditation Adviser with ACE (2011-15) and MDNW (2018-22).

Maximum two delegates per organisation. This is for all museums in the East and West Midlands.

Museums in the East Midlands can book their place here.

The webinar will be auto captioned through Zoom. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, including live captioning, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require.

All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email by the day before the event please contact us.

Introduction to Accreditation
Friday 17 November, 10am-12.30pm
Online

If you can’t see the booking button, this event is fully booked. To join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Heritage Volunteering Group West Midlands Forum

Heritage Volunteering Group West Midlands Forum

Friday 17 November, 2pm-4pm (optional Trench tour at 1pm)

Staffordshire Regimental Museum, Whittington WS14 9PY

The regional networking group covering Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Black Country, Birmingham and Telford and Wrekin. The group is for anyone who works with volunteers in the heritage sector in the West Midlands. It meets quarterly to problem solve together, share best practice and learn from each other.

Please email Nicola attendant@staffordshireregimentmuseum.com to attend the meeting, and let her know if you would be interested in joining the optional trench tour at 1pm.

To keep up to date with future HVG West Midlands events sign up to the mailing list.

Decolonising Museums in Practice 

Over the past few years many museums have started to ‘decolonise’. Why are they doing this, and what does it mean in practice? This session will briefly outline what decolonisation is and why museums need to think about it. After that, there will be case studies of smaller museums that have recently worked to decolonise their practice, through events, partnerships, co-curation projects, research and exhibitions. We’ll look at what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. There will also be opportunities for you to think about how you might approach decolonisation in your work, and opportunities to ask questions.

This online event will be delivered via Zoom using Chat, Breakout Rooms and activities on Padlet. If you have any concerns about accessibility or usability for these features please contact wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Who should attend?
The session should be of interest to museums that are completely new to this work, and museums with more experience that would like to hear about how others are approaching it.

About the trainer
For over 30 years Maurice Davies has been interested in diversifying the stories told in museums. Recently, among other work, he has co-led UK-wide programmes to support museums in improving their approach to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Maximum two delegates per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. 

Accessibility

This online event will be auto-captioned by Zoom. If you would benefit from live captioning or any other form of access support, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require. 

All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link to the training prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email the day before the event please contact us.

If you can’t see the booking link this event is fully booked. To join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Decolonising Museums in Practice
Thursday 9 November, 10am-12.30pm
Online

Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace

The impact of Covid-19, the cost of living and energy crisis, and ongoing funding and staffing cuts have affected us all, not just in the way we work but also in our day to day lives, our colleagues, friends and family.

All of this can have an impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.

West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD), Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and ted Learning are partnering to help build awareness of the challenges of maintaining good mental wellbeing and how we can all support each other.

Who should attend:

This workshop is open to anyone who wants to build a greater awareness of mental health.

If you are a leader we recommend that you also attend the afternoon workshop Mental Heath and Your Role as a Leader. Click here to find out more and book both workshops.

The workshop aims to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace and consider the language we use when referring to poor mental health and appreciate the impact this has.

It will explore what steps we can all take to help promote openness about mental health.

At the end of the workshop you will be able to:

Refreshments and lunch will be provided for all delegates.

Bookings close: 5pm, Friday 10 November

If you can’t see the booking button this event is fully booked. To join the mailing list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace
Tuesday 28 November, 9.30am-12.30pm
Coventry Transport Museum, Hales Street CV1 1JD

Mental Health Awareness Workshops for Leaders

The impact of Covid-19, the cost of living and energy crisis, and ongoing funding and staffing cuts have affected us all, not just in the way we work but also in our day to day lives, our colleagues, friends and family.

All of this can have an impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.

West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD), Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and ted Learning are partnering to help build awareness of the challenges of maintaining good mental wellbeing and how we can all support each other.

Who should attend:

The morning session, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, is open to anyone who wants to build a greater awareness of mental health.

The afternoon session, Mental Health and Your Role as a Leader, is designed specifically for anyone with managerial or leadership roles in a museum; team leaders, supervisors, volunteer managers or trustees, whether paid or voluntary. As it builds on the learning from the morning session, leaders must have attended Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace in the morning.

If you are not a leader please book the morning session with this link.

Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace (9.30am-12.30pm)

The workshop aims to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace and consider the language we use when referring to poor mental health and appreciate the impact this has.

It will explore what steps we can all take to help promote openness about mental health.

At the end of the workshop you will be able to:

Mental Health and Your Role as a Leader (1.30pm-4.30pm)

The workshop aims to enable leaders to confidently engage in conversations with those colleagues they suspect may be suffering from mental health problems, by developing the appropriate supportive skills and behaviours.

It with help you to understand what you can do as a leader to proactively create a mentally healthy workplace.

At the end of the workshop you will be able to:

Refreshments and lunch will be provided for all delegates.

Bookings close: 5pm, Friday 10 November

If you can’t see the booking button this event is fully booked. To join the mailing list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Mental Health Awareness
Tuesday 28 November, 9.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm
Coventry Transport Museum, Hales Street CV1 1JD

The Role of Trustees in Income Diversification

Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) are delighted to be working with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy to offer a suite of fundraising workshops for 2023/24.

The programme consists of eight, two-hour online workshops which will explore income generation from digital fundraising to developing on-site retail. Each workshop will present key theories and case studies, allowing for discussion on practical application. There is no requirement to attend every session, although they complement each other, they also work as stand-alone workshops. Read about the full programme of events.

The Role of Trustees in Income Diversification
Thursday 14 December, 10am-12noon
Specifically for Trustees, this workshop will assist you in considering your role and responsibilities in supporting income diversification strategies and delivery. The session will cover key compliance requirements, particularly in relation to fundraising, consideration around the return on investment of different areas of income, and what approaches might be best for your museum.

Places are very limited, maximum one delegate per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.

Accessibility 

This event will be auto-captioned through Zoom. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, including live captioning, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require.

This event is run in partnership with West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD), Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and Cause4. The event will be hosted by Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy (Cause4) on their Zoom account. By booking onto this event you give permission to share your name, email address and access needs with the event partners for the purpose of the event administration. The Cause4  privacy policy can be viewed here, WMMD’s GDPR policy can be viewed here and MDEM’s policy can be viewed here.

All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link to the training prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email the day before the event please contact us.

If you can’t see the booking button the course is fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Developing Onsite Retail

Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) are delighted to be working with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy to offer a suite of fundraising workshops for 2023/24.

The programme consists of eight, two-hour online workshops which will explore income generation from digital fundraising to developing on-site retail. Each workshop will present key theories and case studies, allowing for discussion on practical application. There is no requirement to attend every session, although they complement each other, they also work as stand-alone workshops. Read about the full programme of events.

Developing Onsite Retail
Tuesday 21 November, 10am-12noon
Providing practical tips on launching a shop, consideration of what you have and examples of quick wins on both product and pricing. This workshop will support you to develop your onsite retail offer.

Places are very limited, maximum one delegate per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.

Accessibility 

This event will be auto-captioned through Zoom. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, including live captioning, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require.

This event will be hosted by Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy (Cause4) on their Zoom account. By booking onto this event you give us permission to share your name, email address and access needs with them for the purpose of the event administration. The Cause4  privacy policy can be viewed here

All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link to the training prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email the day before the event please contact us.

If you can’t see the booking button the course is fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Rethinking Freelancer Support

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Cultural Leadership Board freelancer working group commissioned a report in spring 2023 to better understand what support is available for freelancers both regionally and nationally.

The report showed that there were over 200 different support offers in place. Given the board is now looking at how freelancers can be better supported going forward, the findings have raised some questions about whether more support is needed – or if the problem is actually around finding or accessing existing support for freelancers.

WMCA are inviting freelancers, cultural organisations and anyone involved with the cultural sector to attend a presentation by Jenny Smith from Curiosity Productions on the key findings of the report – as well as join a discussion about how to best shape future support offer.

Join WMC at Birmingham Open Media (BOM) on Thursday 28 September from 12.30pm until 3pm. This event is free, lunch will be provided and bursaries are available. The insight from this event will inform the future support offer for freelancers by the West Midlands Combined Authority, including the £4.1m Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/freelance-skills-launch-event-tickets-705990585847?aff=oddtdtcreator

Grow your Digital Community – webinar 2

How to engage grassroots communities and build local relevance using digital technologies

Are you looking for innovative ways to collaborate with partners and volunteers to enhance your organisation’s capacity and the quality of your initiatives? Are you curious about the potential of digital tools and platforms to assist in achieving your goals?

Over the past two years, The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has supported 25 digital projects as part of the Digital Skills for Heritage initiative. The funding has helped projects innovate how they work with volunteers and with digital and community partners, to better meet organisational goals. The NLHF is hosting two free webinars in September to hear from these projects, who will share practical insights, advice and takeaways. They will help unpack and demystify “digital” approaches and the tools they used for working with volunteers and partners.

Thursday 28 Sept 10am-12noon (on Zoom)

How to engage grassroots communities and build local relevance using digital technologies

In this webinar you will hear about:

The first webinar, on Thursday 21 September, is How to work with partners and volunteers to improve capacity and quality of heritage data collection and interpretation.

The webinars are for anyone working in small to medium sized organisations, working with heritage. In particular, it will be useful for:

Sessions include speakers from a wide range of organisations including  Wikimedia, Portland Museum, Glasgow Women’s Library, Museum of London Archeology, Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, Nerve Centre, VocalEyes, Royal Horticultural Society, University of Exeter, and Butterfly Conservation