2. 3
Contents
4 Introduction
6 How to Work with Designers & Architects
in Museums & Collections
6 Creating Family Backpacks,Resources & Trails
7 Education & Enterprise:
Income Generating Programmes
7 Planning an Inclusive Museum
8 Accessible Gallery Interpretation Training
8 Developing an Accessible Educational Programme
9 The Enterprising Museum
9 Planning and Writing your Interpretation
10 Handling Museum Objects
10 Preventative Conservation:
Integrated Pest Management Workshop
11 Creating Digital Learning Programmes
11 How to Organise an Exhibition
12 Documentation Nightmares and Due Diligence
12 Getting it There in One Piece:
Museum Courier Training
13 How to Run a Residency Programme
14 Innovative Leadership Programme
Cover image: Conservator Johanna Puisto works on the cast
of Michelangelo’s David in the Weston Cast Court
Image left: RIBA Study Room
3. 54
Are you considering a career in galleries and
museums? Are you already working in the heritage
sector and want to improve or acquire new skills?
Would you like to access the expertise of key staff
and contacts at a national museum?
Then why not join the V&A’s new short, intensive
courses which aim to provide the skills needed to
work in today’s museums and galleries.Taught by
V&A staff, the courses focus on practical training
and use V&A collections, best-practice and
current projects as case studies and examples.
Topics include, Collections Management,
Innovative Learning, Curating Exhibitions,
Interpretation Strategy,The Enterprising
Museum, and Object Handling.
HOW TO BOOK
Book online at vam.ac.uk/CPD or call 020 7942 2211
For further information about our programmes
please call 020 7942 2195 or
email m.balluck@vam.ac.uk
Learning Academy
Professional Development
National Programme
Image:The Clothworkers’ Centre for Textile
and Fashion Study and Conservation
4. 76
How to Work with
Designers & Architects in
Museums & Collections
Friday 15 April 2016
Museums and collections increasingly employ
architects, designers and artists to contribute to
the museum environment, for projects as small
scale as donation boxes to major capital builds. You
will investigate current and recent V&A projects to
examine the relationship between the museum and
world-class contemporary designers and architects,
drawing on expertise from project management,
design, exhibition and curatorial staff.This
workshop is targeted both at museum professionals
as well as freelance project managers, architects
and designers interested in working with museums,
historic sites and collections.
£195 / £175 concessions
Creating Family Backpacks,
Resources & Trails
Tuesday 10 May 2016
Join the V&A’s family programming team for
a detailed insight into the development of
award-winning, self-led resources for family
audiences. Learn about designing and developing
backpacks and trails, in-house and with external
companies. You will also put learning into practice
and create an idea for your own resource to trial
with your peers. Come away knowing how to
define an idea, how to make it happen, the
practicalities of managing self-led resources
and how to evaluate them.
£125 / £99 concessions
Image: Friday Late at the V&A
Education & Enterprise:
Income Generating
Programmes
Tuesday 24 May 2016
This day will explore the whys and wherefores,
and do’s and don’ts of running adult learning
programmes in order to generate profile, audiences
and income. It will include a consideration of
inspiration and ideas, speakers and presentation
styles, venues and facilities, audiences and effective
marketing. Explore examples ranging from
large-scale, high-profile talks, festivals, courses
and practical workshops.
£195 / £175 concessions
Planning an Inclusive
Museum
Tuesday 7 June 2016
An interactive programme that focuses on how the
V&A has made its galleries accessible for all visitors.
The course will consider the legal responsibilities
of a museum, how to implement an action plan,
design accessible spaces and introduce innovative
learning programmes. Participants will gain the
skills to implement their own version of an action
plan which provides access to more than twelve
million disabled people in the UK.
£195 / £175 concessions
Find full course programme and booking information
at vam.ac.uk/courses or by calling 020 7942 2211
5. 98 Image:The Weston Cast Court
Accessible Gallery
Interpretation Training
Wednesday 15 June 2016
This course is ideal for gallery educators or
designers who are interested in creating innovative
interpretation which enables everyone to enjoy
museum collections.This programme will focus
on how the V&A has made gallery interpretation
accessible for all visitors.The day will show how
to design an inclusive gallery by learning new
interpretation skills and techniques which help to
make collections engaging to everyone. By the end
of the programme participants will understand the
design considerations when planning a new gallery.
£195 / £175 concessions
Developing an Accessible
Educational Programme
Monday 27 June 2016
A course for gallery educators who wish to make
collections accessible to all audiences.The V&A
runs a varied and diverse programme offering
different approaches to learning. Participants will
learn how to plan and prepare programmes for
people with differing disabilities, backgrounds and
audience needs, including using touch objects, sign
interpretation and targeted projects to increase
social inclusion.
£195 / £175 concessions
The Enterprising Museum
Monday 11 – Friday 15 July 2016
Cultural organisations are increasingly required
to generate income and pay their way, but how
do museums, galleries, arts venues and heritage
sites learn how to identify and increase revenue
streams? This course is aimed at anyone working in
one of these industries who is seeking to improve
and expand their knowledge of commerce and
enterprise. Led by specialist staff from the V&A, this
course considers a selection of core topics - such
as how to create products, set up shops, members’
organisations, ticketed programmes, catering and
events - that will complement and support the
visitor experience, whilst also generating income.
£1,450 incl.VAT
Subsidy for delegates from UK Public Institutions,
who pay £950 incl.VAT
Find full course programme and booking information
at vam.ac.uk/courses or by calling 020 7942 2211
Planning and Writing
your Interpretation
Thursday 8 – Friday 9 September 2016
This course will help participants understand
the questions that need to be addressed when
developing an interpretation strategy for your
museum or gallery. You will be given the useful
tools to help plan and ultimately design a gallery
space or display. You will also learn how to write
engaging, informative and effective text panels
to accompany your objects.
£295 / £240 concessions
6. 10 11
Find full course programme and booking information
at vam.ac.uk/courses or by calling 020 7942 2211Image: Netsuke; Figure of a cicada on a twig
Handling Museum Objects
Wednesday 28 September 2016
How do you handle delicate objects like glass
without damaging them? How do you move large
objects such as furniture without dropping them?
Inappropriate or mis-handling is one of the most
frequent causes of damage to museum collections.
This one-day workshop, led by V&A conservators
and technicians, demonstrates the best and safest
ways to handle objects.The training focuses on
different materials and object types, and covers
ceramics, glass, sculpture, textiles, books, metals,
and paintings. It addresses display and storage
solutions, the use of support materials, the risks
of lifting, manipulating and moving, and when
to request professional help.
£195 / £175 concessions
Preventative Conservation:
Integrated Pest
Management Workshop
Tuesday 11 October 2016
This workshop introduces a range of insect
pests and shows the damage they can cause.
It will outline pest management in a museum
environment and will cover insect monitoring,
checking insect traps, insect identification,
risk assessment for treatment and
treatment options.
£195 / £175 concessions
How to Organise
an Exhibition
Monday 17 – Wednesday 19 October 2016
A three-day course covering a wide range of
practical aspects associated with developing a
temporary exhibition, from concept to opening.
Delivered by members of the V&A’s Exhibitions
Department, the course will use a range of recent
V&A exhibitions as case studies to explore the key
elements involved in managing an exhibition,
from planning and lender liaison, to design
development and object installation.
£550 / £495 concessions
Creating Digital
Learning Programmes
Thursday 13 October 2016
This workshop will show how to initiate a digital
learning programme that will bring your collections
to life and work for all your visitors.The course will
consider how to choose equipment for different
budgets, how to develop and maintain your
programme, and the first steps towards creating
exciting sessions for your audiences. Led by pioneers
in digital learning, the V&A’s Digital Programmes
Team have been using technology in learning
programmes with families, schools, adult learners
and the creative industries since 2008.
£125 / £99 concessions
7. 1312 Image: Spirit of Gaiety
Getting it There in One Piece:
Museum Courier Training
Tuesday 8 November 2016
This course is suitable for museum professionals
who need to develop an awareness of the
responsibilities involved in acting as a courier of
cultural objects.The objectives are to understand
the different stages of the trip and best practice
associated with courier work, to appreciate the
personal qualities required, and to be able to
mitigate risks to objects and undertake a
courier trip effectively.
£195 / £175 concessions
How to Run a
Residency Programme
Tuesday 17 January 2017
This workshop will provide an overview of
the financial, curatorial, legal and practical
considerations of establishing a residency
programme.The course will focus on the
practicalities of working with resident artists,
from the fundraising stage to the selection
process, the production of new work, displays,
copyright, contracts and learning/public
engagement programmes.
£195 / £175 concessions
Find full course programme and booking information
at vam.ac.uk/courses or by calling 020 7942 2211
Documentation Nightmares
and Due Diligence
Monday 31 October – Tuesday 1 November 2016
Almost every museum has a documentation
backlog and a ‘cupboard of doom’ where those
objects of uncertain status hide. Part of the
Accreditation requirements are to have a plan to
deal with these backlogs. Find out how the V&A
deals with unaccessioned objects and accessioned
objects without database entries. Learn about
putting a plan together, ways of investigating and
recording the objects, and putting procedures in
place to prevent backlogs from happening again.
In the second part of the day we will discuss the
principles of due diligence and its importance in
helping museums to only acquire and borrow items
if they are legally and ethically sound.
£295 / £240 concessions
8. 1514
Innovative Leadership
Programme
Applications open May 2016
Induction Day Wednesday 12 October 2016
Full 2016-17 programme dates to be confirmed
The V&A Innovative Leadership Programme has
been helping people develop new skills, insights and
opportunities for more than a decade. Our one-year
Masters level programme for middle and senior
managers brings together seminars, workshops,
action learning, individual coaching, mentoring and
online learning resources to create a powerful tool
for personal and professional growth.
Over the course of 12 workshops, you will be
immersed in a unique learning environment.
You will explore how to engage your passion with
the practicalities of leading and managing in an
ever-changing and increasingly complex world, and
how to lead innovatively in the creative industries.
As well as theoretical reflection, you will acquire
hands-on management skills and have the
opportunity to develop your own style of leadership.
Perhaps most importantly, you will develop a
tight-knit, supportive network with your peers;
people who are amongst the most talented and
dedicated working in the arts, creative and
cultural sector today.
In the last ten years the V&A has welcomed over
200 participants onto the programme.We have
seen graduates move on to take up leadership roles
in institutions including the National Theatre, Royal
Albert Hall,Tate, the British Film Institute and the
British Museum, and our illustrious network of
alumni continues to grow.
For more details, contact James Wilson
j.wilson@vam.ac.uk
Image: Edmund de Waal, Signs and Wonders, 2009
