RESEARCH
I've read through the report, it's brilliant! I like the way you've broken down the audiences. It's already got me thinking about marketing / event programming in a different way. Very useful!
Programme Co-ordinator, Manchester Science Festival
Gawthorpe Textiles Collection & The Whitaker: Action Research
Working as Action Researcher for Gawthorpe Textiles Collection and The Whitaker who jointly received funding to commission an action researcher for a year as part of a bigger programme to increase the resilience and sustainability of their organisations by becoming more closely connected to their communities and understanding / evidencing their social impact. Involved acting as critical friend to the directors, researching the national landscape for more opportunities to develop their social impact potential, and evaluating the outcomes and potential impact of some selected activities. Ultimately we reviewed the wellbeing and social impact of the general visitors to The Whitaker; a reminiscence project for older people run by the Friends of The Whitaker; and a community textiles studio project run by Gawthorpe Textiles Collection in partnership with a local housing agency.
This work quickly resulted in positive organisational outcomes including a visitor destination award and regional PR support for The Whitaker; and a commission from the NHS's social prescribing budget for Gawthorpe Textiles Collection - all of which were underpinned by the evidence and know-how gathered through this action research project. It also helped the directors reassess their priorities and structure their workloads and teams differently. Museum of London & Frankly Green + Webb: Blended learning research
Working as Learning & Families Associate with Frankly, Green + Webb to research strengths and areas for development in Museum of London's blended learning for schools and families. The research included identifying if, how and why including digital technology alongside more traditional creative formats creates a different experience in workshops, tours or talks, and how much that matters to the museum's visitors.
Creative & Cultural Industries Exchange, University of Leeds: Identifying Impact
The Creative and Cultural Industries Exchange is University of Leeds' home for partnering academics and researchers with industry organisations in creative and cultural fields. Thanks to funding from the Higher Education Innovation Fund, over 40 projects have been created through such partnerships. The work involved exploring their impact to create a series of case studies showcasing the diversity and value of their activity, and identifying some of the ingredients for success, to help inform future programmes and development.
National Gallery Audio Guides
Working as an Associate of Frankly, Green & Webb to helping the National Gallery formulate some research questions and an evaluation framework to help them understand how different types of visitors experience these guides; and how they can be improved for the future.
(Photo: National Gallery) Manchester Science Festival
Following five years of Festival activity, this research analysed the festival's demographic patterns across the years alongside 52 other reports covering:
> other UK science festivals from 2008 onwards > science communication projects and evaluations > museum evaluation and visitor pattern data from partner museums, local, regional and national museum visiting information > local reports on cultural tourism in Manchester The research resulted in an in-depth understanding of who, exactly, comes to the festival and why, allowing the identification of four key visitor types and their visiting behaviours and preferences regarding venues and type of events. Earlyarts Resource Bank & Unconference
Researching international early years practice for Earlyarts, the UK's professional development network for anyone working creatively with children and families in the arts, cultural and early years sectors. The research helped Earlyarts plan their first Un-conference, looking at early years practice from around the world, by helping them identify themes for discussion, and special guest contributors to bring to the event. The final body of research resulted a new International Resource Bank for Earlyarts members.
Touring Exhibitions Group
TEG (Touring Exhibitions Group) is the UK's professional membership organisation concerned with the support and development of all aspects of organising and touring exhibitions. This major 2 year research project for TEG identified the shape of, potential for, and barriers to touring exhibitions in the UK.
The final published report Mapping the Touring Landscape summarises the following areas of touring exhibitions:
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Lancashire Museums: Autism Consultant
Working with the Lancashire Museums team, local and national autism charities and the families who use them, and exploring examples of autism friendly museums, to research ways for museums to become more autism friendly. The museumsandautism blog holds much of the research and examples and will be an ongoing space to improve relationships between museums and autistic people. As a result of this work, Kids in Museums invited me to chair their national 'Welcoming Families with Autism' We'd love to share what we've found out at more workshops, conferences, seminars etc and help other museums developed their approach, so please get in touch if you'd like to help more museums become more accessible for more autistic people.
Museum Support for School Transition
Commissioned by Curious Minds (Arts Council England's Bridge organisation for the NW, connecting children and young people with arts and cultural opportunities) to research the ways in which museums have been able to support children moving from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. The work was part of the wider DfE commissioned Museums & Schools programme. The research explored 16 examples of museum and other cultural transition work from around the country, identifying a range of models of practice in museums of different sizes and governance structures, financial arrangements, social and curriculum areas and benefits linked to the activity, and the extent to which schools use this kind of provision. The research informs the 2016-17 round of Museums & Schools and how they can support school transition in the future.
Image: from ss Great Britain 'Go Aloft', one of the transition activities included in the research. Children & Young People's Arts Participation in Rural Areas
Advising a consortium of arts organisations about work with children and young people in rural areas: how to increase the opportunities for and take up by young people in rural areas; how to develop good practice for a range of very different organisations and practitioners in a way that is appropriate and meaningful to them, and how to create a cohesive approach across the consortium for a county wide shared ethos and vision for the future. This culminated in a a report including principles of good practice and a series of case studies to inspire and reflect on.
Music Education Hub Case Studies
Working with Curious Minds to research partnerships between music organisations and schools. This formed the basis of a series of case studies looking at how the work of the Music Education Hubs can support schools working on or towards Artsmark and / or Arts Award. The case studies explored how day to day music education practice, and the projects that have something special about them, can create wonderful results in teachers, children, young people and their local communities.
Wellcome Collection Digital Engagement
Working as an associate with Frankly, Green & Webb to develop a research framework for the Wellcome Collection to help them identify a digital engagement tool to help interpret objects within a new space for visitors in the venue, and online. Our job was to understand the vision of the Wellcome Collection team, test it out in practice with potential visitors, and provide findings and recommendations to the team designing the new digital interactive.
Arts Council, Ireland & Early Years Arts
Working with Earlyarts to identify characteristics of successful early years arts practice around the world. By looking at case studies and interviewing established arts early years practitioners across the globe, and talking to practitioners in Ireland, we were able to create a research paper for the Arts Council of Ireland. This paper will contribute to the development of an arts policy for early years work across Ireland.
Artsmark: The Future
After ten years of Artsmark, the Arts Council of England's school audit, assessment and award process for arts provision in school run, the Arts Council paused the scheme to see how it could be improved and made more current in line with curriculum changes and advances in technology. Working with Flow Associates, our job was to research the potential for communities of practice among teachers and others. We were asked to review existing evaluations of the established scheme and a revised pilot scheme, and to talk to teachers about what they might need from a network of support, and if this could be something that would be used online or in other ways.
Tate Liverpool Higher Education Consortia
Researching and writing a module for Tate Liverpool's Higher Education network, and in particular the new Urban Education Masters at Manchester Metropolitan University. The module explored the role of the contemporary art collection, gallery and artist in facilitating learning and social development in areas of urban regeneration.
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