1. Tim Corum
Deputy Head, Bristol Museums Galleries and Archives
tim.corum@bristol.gov.uk
Bristol Museums Galleries and Archives
2. How Bristol Museums created spaces for people to
meet and share ideas
• Are we always successful in making spaces for sharing ideas?
• What were the main events and lessons that led us to improve our
museums?
• What are the most important characteristics of the museum to
foster shared ideas and decision making ?
• How can we continue fostering shared ideas and decision-making ?
3. Are we always successful in making spaces for sharing ideas?
• Low funding and low aspiration
• Inflexible spaces inhibit display change and events
• Concentration on existing audiences rather than developing new
• Doing things ourselves and not working in partnership
• Staff see the Museum as a neutral space for objects and knowledge
• Concentration on existing collections not developing new collections
• Lack of training for all staff in visitor services
• Not linking public programme and collections development
4.
5. What were the main events and lessons that led us to improve our
museums?
Celebrating the museum as a space for ideas and discussion
A new learning programme focussed on enquiry and the city
Programming challenges and transforms spaces & expectations
M Shed celebrating the city its people and their stories
Developing staff and visitors
6. Celebrating the museum as a space for ideas and discussion
• share understanding of the Bristol experience
• promote understanding of the built and natural environment
• promote internationalism, diversity and global connectivity
• support industry, science and society
• develop knowledge, democracy, creativity and participation
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Structures
Structures
AA Board of Trustees has been appointed that is
Board of Trustees has been appointed that is
diverse across all Equalities strands
diverse across all Equalities strands
Recruitment practice involves young people inin the
Recruitment practice involves young people the
interviewing process
interviewing process
AA decision-making structure is employed that
decision-making structure is employed that
empowers apprentices, trainees, volunteers toto
empowers apprentices, trainees, volunteers
Strategy
Strategy integrate and contribute atat the highest levels of the
integrate and contribute the highest levels of the Systems
Systems
AA truly participatory public programme which
truly participatory public programme which organisation
organisation AA new set of indicators is in use that is owned
new set of indicators is in use that is owned
integrates audience development and collections
integrates audience development and collections by all staff, and which measures the quality of
by all staff, and which measures the quality of
development
development community participation and decision-
community participation and decision-
making,
making,
Community organisations embed the use of
Community organisations embed the use of
museum collections inin their everyday work
museum collections their everyday work Staff peer reviews have been conducted with
Staff peer reviews have been conducted with
community partners
community partners
All staff are working with communities inin
All staff are working with communities Shared Values
Shared Values
different ways
different ways AA 3 year consultation programme enables
3 year consultation programme enables
AA new strategic vision co-developed with
new strategic vision co-developed with
communities
communities communities toto inform the programme,
communities inform the programme,
Community partners share museum business
Community partners share museum business
and social space
and social space
Skills
Skills Bristol people love their museum and their
Bristol people love their museum and their
All staff have taken part inin reverse
All staff have taken part reverse Style (Culture)
Style (Culture)
collections
collections
mentoring with community partners
mentoring with community partners Accreditation achieved for the Investors inin
Accreditation achieved for the Investors
Volunteers award and the Hear by Right
Volunteers award and the Hear by Right
All staff have taken part inin a tour Bristol’s
All staff have taken part a tour Bristol’s
neighbourhoods and inin a “work-swap”
neighbourhoods and a “work-swap” Community volunteering for community
Community volunteering for community
with a a community partner
with community partner partners has been regularly carried out by staff
partners has been regularly carried out by staff
Staff AA re-designed staffroom which is an effective
re-designed staffroom which is an effective
Staff
Ambition Ambassadors, the diagonal cross- creative conversational space isis being used by
creative conversational space being used by
Ambition Ambassadors, the diagonal cross-
section of staff, visibly and strongly guiding all staff and community partners together
all staff and community partners together
section of staff, visibly and strongly guiding
change inin partnership with communities
change partnership with communities
AA collaborative PhD unites museum,
collaborative PhD unites museum,
communities + + universities in a community of
communities universities in a community of
researchful practice on collections for
researchful practice on collections for
community activism
community activism
20. What are the most important activities for encouraging people
to share ideas?
• Volunteering
• Participatory decision making
• Working in neighbourhoods
• Sharing in a spirit of enquiry
21. What were the main events and lessons that led us to improve our
museums?
Celebrating the museum as a space for ideas and discussion
A new learning programme focussed on enquiry and the city
Challenging and transformational programming
M Shed celebrating the city its people and their stories
Developing staff
22. What are the most important characteristics which foster shared
ideas and decision making ?
• a focus on visitors and non-visitors needs
• Visitors feel they own the building and collections
• secure and good funding / sustainable business model
• good facilities
• flexible spaces
• linking inside to the outside
• principle of sharing decision making in all areas
• branding linked to national and city strategy (creativity & city identity)
• public events and exhibitions project your identity in the city
• developing commerce and enterprise
• build strong partnerships (harbour side and uni)
• reflecting this approach in collections and research projects
Editor's Notes
Low funding and low aspiration Before 2002 there was over 2 decades of low funding levels Inflexible spaces Spaces could not be changed and were of ter designed as permanent and therefore cheap spaces to open to the public Concentration on existing audiences rather than developing new Staff see the Museum as a neutral space objects and knowledge – this led to displays and exhibitions which were presentation of knowledge by experts and left few opportunities for visitors to share ideas Concentration on existing collections rather than developing new collections Lack of trainig for all staff in visitor services Charging for general entry
It was a phrase used by one of our community associates to describe what they wanted the museum to offer. We are currently running a long-term engagement programme funded by Paul Hamlyn, an organisation which supports radical thinking in the cultural and learning sector. The programme has enabled us to establish a group of community associates staff and stakeholders who will work together over the next three years to develop One of the suggestions the group loved was that the programme should change museums into spaces where people felt safe and enabled to share and discuss important and challenging ideas. We liked the idea. Our vision of museums is that they are spaces for exchanging ideas. All our museums are expected to support core endeavours, All musuems are different, this vision reflects who we are and where we are locaetd, our history and the needs of the people of Bristol. PHF have helped us see how we can do this Volunteering, Participatory decision making, Working in neighbourhoods, Enquiry
Almost 200k new visitors were brought by the show Changed the way people saw the museum Changed the way we saw the museum
Low funding and low aspiration Before 2002 there was over 2 decades of low funding levels Inflexible spaces Spaces could not be changed and were of ter designed as permanent and therefore cheap spaces to open to the public Concentration on existing audiences rather than developing new Staff see the Museum as a neutral space objects and knowledge – this led to displays and exhibitions which were presentation of knowledge by experts and left few opportunities for visitors to share ideas Concentration on existing collections rather than developing new collections Lack of trainig for all staff in visitor services Charging for general entry
