South East Museums

The South East Museum Development Programme runs various regional projects, many in partnership with other organisations.  On these pages you can find out what regional project opportunities and cultural partnerships are on offer for your museum.

We are re-launching our South East Museums Annual Data Survey: a survey to gather evidence to help demonstrate, and prove, the social and economic importance of museums both locally and regionally, to funders and stakeholders.

The SHOWCASE conference is back for 2016.  This time, the day will be a combination of case studies from our region's museums, and speakers presenting on significant topics affecting our sector.

The South East Museum Development Programme are excited to be working in partnership with the Collections Trust to offer free workshops for museums in the South East of England.

Led by the Association of Cultural Enterprise, the Retail Resilience project is a training programme that is all about developing the knowledge and skills for retail in the museum sector.

Culture24 will support hundreds of museums struggling to start their digital journey by providing them with simple, structured, and accessible online ‘pathways’. These will address common challenges and issues, focus on digital skills and be tailored to museum contexts.

Apply for your museum to be partnered with one of 6 successful arts organisations, idenfitied through research carried out for the South East Museum Development Programme by experts Dawn Langley and Susan Royce of consultancy Alchemy. Embark on a journey of peer learning, supported with an investment budget from the South East Museum Development Programme.

Across the region, the South East Museum Development Programme supports Boards of Accredited Museums, and those working towards Accreditation, in their aspirations to become more diverse, and thus more effective and resilient. The project is part of confirming diversity as a core value in all areas of Museum Development activity.

Tuesday 2–Thursday 4 May 2017. A study visit to the Netherlands sharing your good practice in Creative Commercial Collections practice. We'll explore how museums are working with designers and producers to develop contemporary product ranges, with an emphasis on positioning collections as a primary source for creative inspiration, with significant social and economic value. Applications for places are now open, closing at 5pm on Wednesday 18 January 2017.

'Creative Commercial Collections' Study Visit

Lucy Marder is the Cultural Partnerships Officer for the South East Museum Development Programme.

Lucy's role supports collaborations in the Hampshire Solent area, sharing best practice, and acting as a source of advice for others in the South East. She champions collaborative working and support the significant culture change this requires. 

This project is being piloted in the BOB and SEWS sub regions in 2016/7. It consists of a purchasing syndicate for museums with a turnover of c.£15,000 or less; 'How-To' guides; and retail audits and action plans for individual museums.