Great North Museum: Hancock

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has today been awarded just over £400,000 over the next three years from Arts Council England’s Museum Development Fund.

The funding will allow Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, which manages 12 cultural venues in the North East, to provide professional support and advice to other museums in the region, particularly small museums.

Iain Watson, Director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said:

“For the past three years we have worked extensively with other museums in the North East to offer professional support in areas such as conservation, audience development and care of collections. This funding means that we can continue this work over the next three years, helping to maximise the benefits of museums to people in the region.”

In recent years, the Museum Development programme has delivered a number of projects in the North East, including Green Museums, which has helped more than 30 museums to become more environmentally sustainable. The ‘I Like Museums’ project has also helped to promote all 70+ museums in the region, through a dedicated website (www.ilikemuseums.com), brochure and advertising.  

Alison Clark-Jenkins, Regional Director, Arts Council England said:

“Tyne & Wear Archive & Museums are expertly placed to be awarded Museums development funds. As one of Arts Council’s Major partner museums, the group has already been recognised nationally as a beacon of best practice in many aspects of museums development. From the support and guidance they can offer other museums in collections care and conservation, to the outstanding region-wide audience development initiatives they have developed, Tyne & Wear Archive & Museums will work with North East museums to help deliver Arts Council’s goal of achieving great art and culture for everyone.”

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is one of nine successful applicants to the Museum development fund. The successful applicants will provide a national network of professional advice to all museums, particularly supporting smaller museums. Their priority will be to improve the sustainability and resilience of the museums sector, helping to maximise benefits to audiences and communities.

Museum development funds will target areas of work that will increase the resilience and sustainability of these museums. Programmes of work will include business planning, workforce development, attracting new audiences and organisational improvement. The museum development providers will work closely with the roles supporting the Accreditation standard and the other elements of the Renaissance programme including the Major partner museums announced in January.

Together, these nine museum development providers will receive £8,071,077 between 2012 and 2015. With a museum development provider in each of the nine regions, support and expert advice will be available nationwide.