Museums and heritage

A new initiative hopes to engage young people in debating the future of the museums sector in the UK.

Organised by Kids in Museums (KIM), ‘The Future is Now’ symposium will take place at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum on 12 May.

The event, which is aimed at 16-to 25-year-olds, comes on the back of DCMS research that found only 12% of that age group believe London museums are telling stories that are relevant to them.

“There is a huge need to consult young people about what they want from museums in order to change perceptions,” a spokesperson for KIM said.

On the day there will be talks and panel discussions on a range of topics.

“We want to create a space where young people can discuss, learn, advocate and build new networks with their peers," the spokesperson added.

“Their voices will be heard on a national level and generate fresh new ideas for the heritage sector.

Booking for the event, which is being funded by an £11,000 grant from Movement for Good Award from Benefact Group, opens in March.

Submissions are currently being invited from young people under 25 who would like to speak at the event.

The Royal Opera House is ending its sponsorship relationship with oil giant BP after 33 years.

In a statement the opera house said an agreement between the two parties to not renew the funding partnership has been made.

“We are grateful to BP for their sponsorship over 33 years which has enabled thousands around the country to see free opera and ballet through our BP Big Screens,” a spokesperson told the Guardian.

The move leaves just two major arts institutions – the British Museum and Science Museum – with fossil fuel sponsorships.

The British Museum is currently in a five-year funding deal with BP, which is due to finish on 19 February, but it is yet to comment publicly on whether or not the partnership will be extended.

The Science Museum is currently sponsored by Shell and Adani despite long-running protests and the resignation of several board members.

Director of Campaign Group Culture Unstained Chris Garrard said: “What we are witnessing is a seismic shift, a near total wholesale rejection across the arts of BP’s brand and the climate-wrecking business it represents.

“By bringing down the curtain on fossil fuel funding, the Royal Opera House can now play a leading role in creating the culture beyond oil we so urgently need.”

A number of staff at Poole Museum are to be made redundant by Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council as the venue undergoes a major redevelopment project.

The council-owned museum is set to be closed until the end of 2024 to allow for restoration works on its three historic buildings to take place.

A spokesperson for the council told the Bournemouth Echo a “small number of positions” are likely to be made redundant, with the council “actively seeking redeployment opportunities elsewhere in the council” for those affected.

Some museum employees are being consulted to work on a "on the move" project, which will see some of the museum’s exhibits taken into the community during the closure, the spokesperson added.

When the museum reopens, it will feature new and updated communities facilities, alongside three new galleries showcasing the museum’s maritime collection.

Proposed cuts to council funding for Derby’s museums could result in reduced hours or closures, leaders of the charitable trust running them have warned.

Derby City Council told Derby Museums, which runs several of the city’s museums, that its grant is set to decrease from £710,000 to £639,000 from April this year.

“Due to a perfect storm of rising costs and inflation, the council has to make an unprecedented level of savings to balance its budget”, a council spokesperson said, adding that all services were being asked to reduce their budgets by 10%.

In an open letter, Derby Museums' Executive Director Tony Butler warned that the proposed cuts could have a “devastating effect” at a time when museums’ own costs were spiralling.

The trust currently runs the city's museum and art gallery in The Strand, as well as the Museum of Making, and Pickford's House.

“The proposed cuts will be compounded by the challenging financial climate,” he said.

“High inflation has increased our costs. We currently spend £160,000 a year on gas and electricity and that could double… The current financial model leaves little headroom and as things stand, I fear we may run out of road.”

He added that the cuts could force museums to take measures including site closures, reductions in opening hours and staffing and the introduction of admissions charges.
    
 

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £4.9m for the restoration of historic buildings at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

The work, which will be overseen by Barts Heritage will focus on conservation of the Great Hall and the Hogarth Stair, a staircase featuring two seven-foot-high canvasses painted by William Hogarth, depicting stories from the Bible.

The paintings require specialist cleaning and conservation, and the hall is also set to undergo extensive restoration work, including the repair and strengthening of the timber staircase and conservation work on an 18th Century chandelier. 

“We’re thrilled that our funding will be used to conserve these unique examples of Hogarth’s work and revitalise the stunning stair Hall for more and more people to appreciate and enjoy when visiting the historic buildings,” said Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The project includes an outreach component via a programme offering cultural and educational activities such as therapeutic artmaking courses, sensory heritage walking tours and mindfulness activities. 

Young people interested in heritage conservation can apply for placements, apprenticeships and volunteering roles.

Will Palin, Chief Executive of Barts Heritage said the project combines “the much-needed restoration of the one of the most important historic hospital buildings in the UK with a pioneering heritage and health programme”. 

“We are thrilled to have secured this transformative grant from the Heritage Fund and look forward to welcoming the public both during restoration works and after the project is complete,” he said.
 
 

Selby District Council (SDC) has approved a plan to increase public art in the area.

The Public Art Plan, which covers the North Yorkshire areas of Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster, will seek to increase quantity and quality of public art in a bid to add joy to the local community and boost tourism to the area.

SDC’s Executive approved the plan in a meeting last week.

In the same meeting, the Executive also approved a Heritage Interpretation Masterplan which will promote Selby’s heritage offer to “increase civic pride, revitalise communities and bring new audiences to the area”, according to a project report.

Selby, which features in Arts Council England's (ACE) list of priorty places for investment, will also be represented in ACE's national portfolio for the first first time when the funder's new portfolio begins in spring, with visual arts organisation Mediale set to receive £196,000 a year.

Cardiff Council is considering turning the Museum of Cardiff into a mobile attraction as part of a consultation into its 2023/24 budget.

The move would result in the loss of the museum’s current building and most of its staff.

Cardiff residents will be asked to vote on the proposal to “take the museum out of the Old Library and make it a mobile attraction” - which the council says would save £266,000 a year – as part of a public consultation opening tomorrow (23 December).

The consultation proposes moving the museum’s displays and activities around Cardiff, with the museum retaining “a small key team” to continue with community engagement and care of the collection.

If plans to mobilise the museum go ahead, the consultation adds the museum could return to a permanent fixture “if a suitable location was found and funding secured”.

Members of the museum and heritage sector have criticised the plans. Community-based organisation Heritage & Cultural Exchange said “a closure or moving to virtual museum would be a tragedy”.

Museums Association Director Sharon Heal says it’s “a real shame the council has chosen to consult on closing Cardiff Museum”.

“We know that local authorities are facing a tough time and finding it difficult to make ends meet, however closing a much-loved local museum is not going to solve the council’s financial woes.

“Cardiff Museum is award-winning and its staff have worked with communities across the city and surrounding area to make sure that diverse stories are captured for future generations.”

“To take that away is short sighted and will mean a vital part of Cardiff’s cultural landscape and the story of the nation’s capital is missing.”