Museum Futures / Exploring Partnerships and Public Engagement

MUSEUM FUTURES GROUP EXHIBITION & EVENT

London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle, London SE1 6SB

28th – 30th March 2011

Partnerships, collaborations and alliances have become buzzwords in an era of public sector cuts and increasing pressure on institutions to do more with less. On 29th March the Museum Futures Group, a research and consultancy collaborative at the London College of Communication is holding an event focused around creative collaborations and the potential to build sustainable relationships that benefit students and engage with local community groups and key stakeholders.

From Monday 28th to Wednesday 30th March the event will feature an exhibition of work by LCC student groups around the theme of museums, sustainability and collaborative practice. In the LCC Gallery there will be work by year 2 BA (Hons) Interior Design students including a collaborative project between LCC, the Cuming Museum and the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and new designs for a refurbished LCC Gallery. Students designed and built the installation and curated the exhibition space.

Located in the blue container in the Triangle area outside the college are pop-up environmental installations produced from recycled and sustainable materials by year 2 BA (Hons) Surface Design and BA (Hons) Graphic Product Innovation students. The red container is temporarily transformed into a bird hide featuring work focused around renewable sources and sustainable habitats by FDA Interior Design students in partnership with the London Wetlands Centre.

Throughout the afternoon and evening a range of activities will take place including: ‘museum interventions’, work produced by BA (Hons) Creative Advertising Strategy students and curated by Paul Glavey; a discussion about self-organisation and radical educational practices with Janna Graham from the Serpentine Gallery and Ashley Whitfield from the South London Gallery facilitated by Adriana Eysler: and a conversation between Hannah Guthrie from the Cuming Museum and Alaistair Steele about the benefits of cross-sector creative collaborations. These activities and the essays written for the catalogue by Paul, Adriana and Alaistair reflect research interests emerging from their recently completed PhD proposals.

Following the address by Sandra Kemp, Head of College there will be a presentation about the Museum Futures Group and feedback on consultation about the design and brand identity of the LCC Gallery. The aim is to open up membership of the MFG to a wider academic community and to consult on the form, function and future direction of the LCC Gallery.

The evening will conclude with a discussion focusing on partnerships and public engagement with invited speakers Sharon Heal, Editor of the Museums Journal, Sally MacDonald, Director of UCL Museums & Collections, Dr Ken Arnold Head of Public Programmes at the Wellcome Trust and Professor Graeme Evans, Director of the Cities Institute at London Metropolitan University, facilitated by Nicky Ryan. After the debate there will be an opportunity to relax over a glass of wine in the LCC Gallery, view the exhibition and network with colleagues.

EXHIBITION & EVENT PROGRAMME

top ↑

Exhibition in New Gallery and Containers

Monday 28th – Wednesday 30th March

The LCC Gallery features work by year 2 BA Interior Design students including a collaborative project between LCC, the Cuming Museum and the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and new designs for a refurbished LCC Gallery. The students designed and curated the exhibition space.

The two projects in the containers are a joint assignment between year 2 BA Surface Design and BA Graphic Product Innovation aimed at creating pop-up environmental installations from recycled and sustainable materials; and a partnership between the FDA Interior Design students and London Wetlands Centre focused around renewable sources and sustainable habitats.

Museum Event

Tuesday 29th March

EVENT CATALOGUE — Activities will take place throughout the day and evening organised into the following strands:

Strand 1: ‘Museum Interventions’
Films and interventions exploring the rituals of behaviour in cultural institutions by year 2 BA Creative Advertising Strategy students.

Strand organiser: Paul Glavey
Location: LCC Gallery and other sites
Time: Intermittent throughout day

Strand 2: ‘Critical Practices’
Roundtable discussion with Janna Graham, Education Project Curator at the Serpentine Gallery and Ashley Whitfield, Young People’s Coordinator at the South London Gallery about alternative cultural spaces and radical exhibition and pedagogic practices.

Strand organiser and facilitator: Adriana Eysler
Location: LCC Gallery
Time: 2.00-3.00pm

Strand 3: ‘Museums and Regeneration’
A conversation between BA ID 2 students, Hannah Guthrie from the Cuming Museum, Artist and Photographer Eva Sajovic and Cristina Monteiro of muf architecture art LLP about the benefits of cross-sector creative collaborations.

Strand organiser and facilitator: Alaistair Steele
Location: LCC Gallery
Time: 3.30-4.30pm

Strand 4: Launch of Museum Futures Group/LCC Gallery Brand Identity
Call for participation and expertise from colleagues across LCC/UAL. Consultation about the design and brand identity of the LCC Gallery.

Strand organisers: MFG
Location: Main Lecture Theatre
Time: 5.00-6.00pm

Strand 5: ‘Partnerships and Public Engagement’
HOC Address.
Discussion including Sharon Heal, Editor Museums Journal, Sally MacDonald, Director of UCL Museums & Collections, Ken Arnold, Head of Public Programmes, Wellcome Trust and Professor Graeme Evans, Director of the Cities Institute at London Metropolitan University.

Strand organiser and facilitator: Nicky Ryan
Location: Main Lecture Theatre
Time: 6.30-7.30pm

Drinks/Exhibition/Networking
Location: LCC Gallery
Time: 7.30-8.30pm