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South West Museum Development Programme Opportunity: Small Grant Big Improvement is open for applications!

Published: 
Friday, March 1, 2019 - 11:45

South West Museum Development’s Small Grant Big Improvement scheme is back for 2019/20 and is now open for applications.

Grants of up to £1,000 are available to support museums to make improvements to their museums and/ or their museum’s activities in three areas aligned to the museum Accreditation Standard in Organisational Health, Collections managementand Users and their experiences. Partnership grants for 3 or more organisations of up to £7,000 are also available to support projects under Organisational Health and Users and their experiences.

Examples of appropriate appolications include governance reviews to collections care activities to marketing campaigns to testing new ways of working and more. This year, and for following rounds in our 2018-22 Programme,South West Museum Development are particularly welcoming applications that seek to improve representation of local communities within museums and through museum’s activities including co-production, embarking on outreach work, diversifying your volunteer workforce or re-interpreting your collections or anything else along these lines.

The scheme is now open for applications with a deadline of Friday 3 May 2019 for applications from museums in the South West within the Accreditation scheme in local authority areas which financially contribute to the South West Museum Development programme, excluding National Portfolio Organisations. All applications require 25% match funding and museums have a maximum of eight months to undertake their project (01 June 2019 – 31 January 2020).

For full information please see our Scheme Guidance and Application Form
Contact museum.development@bristol.gov.uk if you have questions and they be happy to discuss your project further.

Information courtesy of South West Museum Development.

2019 Explore Your Archive Campaign

Published: 
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - 16:00

Image courtsey of Explore Your Archive

Explore Your Archive have launched this year's #ExploreYourArchive campaign, with daily hashtag themes during Launch Week as well as overall #ExploreYourArchive hashtag. 

Explore Your Archive is a year-round campaign, in which you are encouraged to freely use #ExploreYourArchive to accompany any campaign, activity or event that you are planning at any time. If using Explore Your Archive resources can help you promote your service, collection or work in the UK and Ireland in any way, the branding is yours to use.

See above for each month's suggested campaign and visit Explore Your Archive's website for more information.

Work opportunity: we are recruiting a Manager for the PCN

Published: 
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - 11:15
Photo: Photographer Mattis Mathiesen at work on Jan Mayen, anonymous From the Daily Herald Archive at the National Media Museum, via Flickr Commons.

Photo: Photographer Mattis Mathiesen at work on Jan Mayen, anonymous.
From the Daily Herald Archive at the National Media Museum, via Flickr Commons.

We are seeking a Manager for the Photographic Collections Network. The initial contract will be for 15 months, freelance, part-time, but our intention is to make this a permanent position, subject to funding. The fee is £36,000.

Late in 2018 the PCN had a second grant confirmed from Arts Council England. This allows us to build and strengthen the network, and our programme of events, knowledge sharing, advocacy and research. We are seeking a manager to co-ordinate that process and deliver the programme, working with the PCN director and our specialist steering group. The person we appoint will be highly motivated, self-driven, trustworthy, diplomatic and a great communicator. They will have significant experience of project management and some knowledge of organisational development. They will be fluent with IT, experienced at writing reports and proposals, and possibly have links or experience in the photography, art, cultural, museum or collection world.

The deadline to apply is 17:00 on 15 March 2019.

Click on the title of this post to view the full article. Then download one of the documents below for full details (they are identical apart from their format).

Photo: Photographer Mattis Mathiesen at work on Jan Mayen, anonymous
From the Daily Herald Archive at the National Media Museum, via Flickr Commons.

Job Opportunity: Archives Cataloguer (Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections)

Published: 
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - 12:30

Manchester Metropolitan University are looking for an Archives Cataloguer to join their team, based in Manchester. This new role will help them open up more of our archives and make them discoverable and accessible to students, researchers and members of the public. In this role, you will:
- Assist in cataloguing a wide range of archive material, working with the Special Collections Archivist
- Sort, appraise, arrange and describe the archives using collections management software and according to ISAD
- Work as part of their interdisciplinary team to support the service we deliver as a museum to all our users and visitors

Do you have:
- Strong communication skills with a commitment to providing a high-quality service?
- Good organisational skills with an ability to manage multiple projects whilst delivering results on time and to a high standard?
- Knowledge of relevant digital technologies and data management agendas?
- Enthusiasm, dedication and a willingness to learn?

About the Special Collections
As the University Museum, the Special Collections are an accredited museum and an important research resource nationally and internationally. The Collections include fine and decorative arts, historic and modern books, Victorian greetings cards and ephemera, posters and artists’ papers. The archival holdings include the private papers of artists associated with the book arts, the practice and teaching of architecture in the Manchester region and the history of the Manchester School of Art. Access to the collections and exhibitions is free and open to all.

Contract Type: 6 months Fixed Term, 35 hours per week
Deadline for applications: Friday 22nd February 2019

For full job description / to apply, click here.

Funding Opportunity: The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Published: 
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - 10:15

The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust offers grants for the conservation and preservation of manuscripts and archives. Since the NMCT was founded in 1990 it has awarded grants of over £3m, which have enabled the conservation of hundreds of musical, literary, architectural and other vital historical documents. The grants ensure that these important collections can once more be made accessible to the public and researchers.

The Trust:
- welcomes grant applications from non-national institutions such as county record offices, museums, university archives/special collections, cathedral archives and libraries, as well as owners of manuscripts that are exempt from capital taxation or owned by a charitable trust
- grants can cover conservation, binding and other preservation measures, including digitisation (providing it is part of a wider conservation project)
- are particularly interested in projects that have a training element (e.g. internship, enhancing skills of experienced conservators, later career conservators passing on their knowledge by supervising a younger conservator etc.). [Not mandatory, but welcome]

Next deadline for the submission of applications: 1st April 2019
Results will be announced in early July.

Click here to read more  on the AIM website.
Click here to apply via the NMCT website.

Job Opportunity: Archivist (The Photographers' Gallery)

Published: 
Monday, February 4, 2019 - 10:45

The Photographer's Gallery is seeking to appoint an Archivist to oversee the acquisitions, management, preservation and dissemination of the collections within The Photographers’ Gallery’s Archive. 

The principle job objective of the Archivist is to oversee the acquisitions, management, preservation and dissemination of the collections within The Photographers’ Gallery’s Archive. Core duties will include:
- Appraising, prioritising and safeguarding material for preservation and retention;
- Cataloguing and digitising The Photographers’ Gallery’s collections;
- Overseeing and maintaining the Archive’s database system;
- Setting/adhering to, and regularly updating, policy guidelines concerning the Archive (preservation, cataloguing, digitization and public access);
- Supporting funding bids for the Archive and activities related to it;
- Line managing the Archive Assistant, ensuring that their work contributes to a wider framework;
- Overseeing copyright clearance for identified material.

The ideal candidate will be someone with knowledge and experience of 21st century archiving practice within a visual arts organisation. The post holder will be diligent, resilient, flexible, proactive and a good problem solver with a keen eye for detail. Among other criteria, they will have 3 or more years' experience in an equivalent post, a strong commitment to digital preservation and a passion for photography and the visual arts.

About TPG
The Photographers' Gallery is the UK’s leading centre for the presentation and exploration of photography in all its forms and a dedicated home for an international photographic community. Established in London in 1971, the Gallery has been instrumental in reflecting photography’s pivotal role in culture and society and championing its position as a leading art form through a rich programme of exhibitions, talks, events, workshops, courses and other activities.

Click here to read the full job description / apply.
 
Deadline for applications Mon 25 Feb 2019, 12.00
Interviews to be held: W/C 11 Mar 2019

Call for papers: Social History Curators Group 2019 Annual Conference

Published: 
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - 12:15

The SHCG Annual Conference will this year be held in Edinburgh on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th July 2019 around the theme of 'The Future of Social History: Who are we Curating for?' More specifically the conference "will explore how we represent our audiences and communities in the museum space, and question whether social history collections can do more to improve representation across collections and exhibitions."

SHCG are inviting speaks to discuss how we can transform our collections to make them representative and redress imbalances in the museum space. This includes proposals of activities, round table discussions, presentations, and workshops on the theme of representation in museums.

Submission should be filled in via the link to the SHCG's website below. Submissions should be sent to Lauren Ryall-Waite and Alison Grange by 8th February 2019. All applicants will be notified of the Conference Organisers’ decision by 1st March 2019.

For guidance on topics for discussion and to download the full call for papers visit SHCG's website.
 

Opportunity: Collections Trust Board

Published: 
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - 11:00

Collections Trust are looking for two new trustees to join their board. In particular, they would like to hear from people with one or more of the following attributes:
- Legal expertise
- Financial expertise
- Museum professional seeking their first board experience
- A connection with university museums

The roles are voluntary with expenses paid for by Collections Trust to attend the four meetings a year. Some trustees also serve on an audit committee that meets twice a year. Meetings are usually held in London, in the board room of Rich Mix.

To apply, send your CV with a covering letter by 31 January 2019. The board will consider applications in early February and will interview shortlisted candidates as soon as possible after that. As Collections Trust is committed to increasing the diversity of its board, staff and audience you must also complete an online equal opportunities form. It is completely anonymous and cannot be linked to your application. When the form has been completed, add the code you will find at the end of the form to your covering letter. The code is the same for all applicants.

Applications can be emailed to recruitment@collectionstrust.org.uk

Visit Collections Trust's website for more details.

Art Fund and Association of Art Museum Curators Foundation Conference Travel Fellowship

Published: 
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 - 09:30
AAMC Conference Travel Fellows 2017

AAMC Conference Travel Fellows 2017. Photo courtesy of AAMC Foundation and Michael Seto Photography.

The Art Fund and Association of Art Museum Curators Foundation Conference Travel Fellowship will support eight UK-based curators to participate fully in AAMC’s 2019 Conference in New York City in May 2019, including significant additional funding to support follow-up activities. The fellowship sees Art Fund partnering with AAMC Foundation - a US based organisation which, like Art Fund, provides support and advocacy for curators - for the first time. Art Fund said:

"This new programme aims to enable UK curators to engage meaningfully and with authority on the international stage, developing their own experience and learning while also raising the profile of their institutions and collections abroad.  Through the travel fellowships we hope that new relationships will be brokered between institutions in the UK and internationally, stimulating collaboration on all areas of activity from loans to public programmes."

The programme is open to all art curators at museums, galleries or charitable organisations. Applicants must live and work in the United Kingdom. Priority will be given to applicants without existing strong ties to US partners and to the overall international curatorial network. Applications from curators without access travel funding and/or professional development support are particularly encouraged to apply.

As well as attendance at the conference, applicants will be invited to take part in introductory weekend tours; benefit from a pairing with a peer US-based curator to offer collegial partnership throughout the conference; receive an invitation to the AAMC Foundation’s Program Alumni Reception, a networking event allowing attendees to connect with others engaged in professional development and with AAMC; and enjoy a 2-year AAMC membership allowing access to AAMC’s suite of curatorial development opportunities.

Following the conference, recipients of the travel fellowships will be eligible to draw down additional research and development grants to activate ideas and develop relationships with their international counterparts.

Full details on the aims and scope of the programme can be found at https://www.artfund.org/aamc.  
Applications are open now with a deadline of 12 February.
 

Photographic Collections Network secures £70,000 Arts Council funding

Published: 
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - 13:00

The Photographic Collections Network (PCN) has been awarded Arts Council England funding of £69,800 to supports its work on building networks, knowledge, support and advocacy for anyone working with or interested in photographic collections and archives in the United Kingdom.  

The funding will enable the PCN – a subject specialist network – to deliver a significantly enhanced programme during 2019-20.  This includes:

- Researching and delivering a major conference on the subject of digital legacy
- Identifying and acting as an advocate for threatened photographic collections
- Organising a series of community roadshows and digitisation events
- Developing the programme of workshops and study days to encourage networking, learning, research and advocacy
- Enhancing the involvement of PCN members
- Building links with specialists in other related disciplines

Director of the PCN Paul Herrmann said: “We are delighted that Arts Council England has recognised the importance of Britain’s photographic collections and the key role that PCN has in securing, documenting, and making available these important resources for future generations.

The grant will support the next phase of PCN’s development, in particular, the work on digital legacy which will secure the collections of today’s photographers for the future.”

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