Mobility Scheme: Glasgow Museums proposal

Glasgow Museums has a long history of innovation in learning and access to its museums and its collection. Glasgow Museums 9 museums include: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Burrell Collection, St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, The Gallery of Modern Art, and the soon to open Zaha Hadid designed Riverside Museum of Travel and Transport. The collection is as diverse as it is large – with 1.4 million items. These range from world class collections of fine art to one of the finest arms and armour collections in Europe to natural history, social history, costumes and textiles, transport and technology and world cultures. Over 60% of the collection is of national or international significance.

Central to all our work is engaging people with their culture and heritage through diverse creative learning programmes and experiences. We do this in our museums and beyond their four walls through the Open Museum, our community outreach service.

Glasgow Museums have over 300 active volunteers and placements involved in a range of diverse roles annually. www.glasgowmuseums.com

Type of mobility

Placement

Study visit

Length of stay

Placement: max 2 weeks

Study visit: max 2 days

Characteristics of applicants

Individuals applying for placements should preferably have a background in museums or galleries and be able to demonstrate the following:

• What they hope to learn through the placement
• What experience they will bring to the placement
• How the placement will be contributing to their professional development
• How they will disseminate their learning within their own organisation.

They will be required to provide details of their experience and career  to date as this will assist us with matching applicants to placement opportunities

Period and activities

Glasgow Museums can offer experience in the following areas of museum practice:

• Integrated approach to learning and public programming
• venue and programme management
• Research and conservation
• Publicly accessible Museums stores

Mobility time slots:

May 2012 – July 2012

September – November 2012

March – May 2013

Examples of placement areas include:

a) Venue teams (learning, venue management and curatorial)

May 2012 – July 2012

September – November 2012

February – May 2013

• Assist with developing and delivering the public programmes for different audiences (all our museums have year round schools, early years, family, children and young people, adults and community programmes and some have community exhibition space). The public programmes are all collections focused with much of the activity taking place in gallery spaces.
• Assist exhibition project teams in delivery of exhibition programmes
• The Open Museum is Glasgow Museums Outreach service – the job shadower/placement would have the opportunity of working with the Open Museum team to assist with development and delivery of outreach projects and services. This could include curatorial development for working with collections in outreach and through community engagement; technical development: working with technical and conservation staff on care and development of travelling exhibitions and loans kits.

Major projects / events between 2012 and 2013

• May 2012 and May 2013 : Festival of Museums Major annual Scottish event: assist venue teams to develop and deliver a large event across different venues.
• May 2012 – January 2013: Curious at St Mungo Museum. Major Legacy UK funded project delivering a community led exhibition, adult learning programme (for staff, volunteers and organisations)  on cultural diversity, schools programme and conference
•  500 years of Italian Art Major Exhibition , Opens KG April 2012
• Glasgow International Contemporary Art : GoMA and City wide April 2012

Study Visits: An opportunity for colleagues to come to Glasgow and see and discuss how we work in Glasgow. We are offering study visits on the following themes:

Themes:

• Intercultural dialogue through collections
• Learning through collections
• Engaged practice through collections: outreach and /or museum based

Numbers that can be accommodated

Placement:  A total of 12 during the mobility period

Study visit:  max 10 per group; max 1 study visit per 10 weeks

Job Shadow/Placement Application process and GM Volunteer Policy:

 LEM partners will using  the established GM process for placements and volunteer requests: This will involve completing a Vol/placement application form which highlights the individuals personal and professional development reasons for placement, experience and interests which will help us place their request.

The placement opportunity will be covered by our Volunteer and Placement policy: this outlines both the individual and organisation’s responsibilities during the voluntary placement.

All costs incurred during the placement (Housing, subsistence, travel, other materials) are at the cost of the individual/organisation undertaking the placement opportunity.

Study Visit application process:

Organisations requesting a study visit will need to complete a request form outlining:

• Study Visit Theme
• Suggested dates (which will have to fit with GM staff availability)
• Information on their organisation : (e.g. the local/national context they work in, strategic aims, structure, current experience and examples of work)
• What they want to learn from the visit
• Any questions for the Host organisation on the chosen study theme