Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund
Published:
Monday, October 8, 2018 - 10:45
Muholi Muholi Parktown by Zanele Muholi, 2016. © Zanele Muholi
Purchased by Bristol's Museums, Galleries and Archives. (Grant £3,940)
The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund has reopened with a grants budget of £724,000 for 2018/19. This is the first year that the Purchase Grant Fund will be provided by Arts Council England’s national lottery funding. The V&A will continue to administer the Fund.
The V&A said of the scheme "the Purchase Grant Fund is unique and unrivalled in its scope. Every year it enables regional museums and cultural organisations to strengthen the quality, relevance and standard of their permanent collections, improving audience experience and inspiring students, creative designers and makers and the public to engage with the best of material culture across the country."
The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund had a successful 2017/18, engaging with museums, galleries, record offices and specialist libraries across the country from Penzance to Newcastle and Aberystwyth to Norwich. Over 90% of the grants budget was allocated outside London.
Photographic works and archives of all periods costing between £500 and £500,000 is eligible for consideration, as demonstrated by some of last year’s grants, illustrated below. For more information, visit the website.
Credits for photographs of works purchased through the grant fund, courtesy of V&A, below from left to right:
Lantern slides of the construction of Beachy Head lighthouse, 1900-02 acquired by East Sussex Record Office. (Grant £2,451) © East Sussex Record Office
Yates's Wine Lodges, England, a series of photographs by Martin Parr, 1983 bought by the John Rylands Library. (Grant £13,700) © Martin Parr
The Nicholson family photographic archive, c.1890-c.1960 acquired by the National Trust for Sissinghurst Castle. (Grant £30,000) © The National Trust
Job Opportunities: Tate, The Photographers' Gallery and The National Gallery
Published:
Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 11:45
Photography & Imaging Manager at Tate Britain
Tate are looking for a London-based Photography and Imaging Manager to join their Collection Care division. The opportunity involves planning, management and development of Photography and Imaging operations across Tate inclduing managing the day to day operations of Tate’s Photography and Imaging teams across all Tate sites and on location.
The role will involve work with the Head of Collection Management in the strategic planning and leadership of the department and playing a leading role in developing the Photography and Imaging specialism. Therefore, Tate are looking for candidates with a museum or gallery background who have significant experience in managing a Photography and Imaging team.
To find out more and apply click here.
Digital Manager at The Photographers' Gallery
The Photographers' Gallery are looking for a Digital Manager to develop, manage and maintain TPG's webite and other key digital channels. A priority of the role is overseeing and supporting the implementation of the final phase of the gallery’s ambitious digital transformation project, which involves all areas of the gallery’s operations in particular ensuring smooth integration of website, CRM and e-commerce systems.
The position will be filled by an indiviual who is able to demonstrable expertise in managing and developing websites and related digital platforms, with "the ability to advise, shape and lead strategy and implementation around content, architecture and design, as well as having a strong understanding of how to engage and build audiences through excellent and inspiring user experiences and enhanced digital initiatives."
To find out more and apply click here.
Head of National Programmes at The National Gallery
The National Gallery are looking for an individual to fill the Head of National Programmes with the a key new strategic objective of the Gallery in to become 'a truly national Gallery' in mind. The role will therefore include devising a new national strategy for working in collaborative partnerships with both larger and smaller museums and galleries across the UK.
The Head of National Programmes is responsible for leading, developing and delivering the Gallery's national programmes and partnerships in collaboration with the Director of Public Programmes and Partnerships and the Heads of Education and Exhibitions.
The role will also involve close collaboration with colleagues across the Gallery in order to broaden and strengthen the range of innovative programmes in which the Gallery may participate in the future.
To find out more and apply click here.
Job Opportunity: Conservation Manager, Paper and Photographs, Tate Gallery
Published:
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 16:45
© Nigel Henderson Estate. Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported). Courtesy: Tate
Tate are looking for a London-based Conservation Manager to join their team. The opportunity involves being in charger of the growing collection of Paper and Photographic artworks in Tate's Collection including development of the team, supporting research and enhancing practice in standards of care.
In this role, the candidate will work closely with the Head of Conservation in the strategic planning and leadership of the department including co-ordinating the delivery of Tate’s public programme and being responsible for the operational planning, management and development of a team of specialists.
Tate are looking for candidates with a museum or gallery background who have a proffesional qulification in Conservation. They also want someone who has management experience, in order to develop a team and effectively manage people, budgets and resources effectively.
To find out more and apply click here.
Job Opportunity: Public Programme Coordinator at Photo London
Published:
Thursday, August 23, 2018 - 11:15
© Somerset House
This is an opportunity to join the team at Photo London, a major international photography fair that takes place annually each May at Somerset House, London.
Photo London are seeking a Public Programme Coordinator who would be responsible for working with a small team of highly committed professionals to deliver our critically acclaimed Public Programme. This includes being responsible for managing relationships with the Fair’s venue partner, artists, galleries, curators, the production team and a range of suppliers as well as being responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Public Programme.
Photo London are looking for a candidate with experience in the arts or creative sector. The role will involve working closely with the Fair’s Directors, to develop artistic content for Photo London and to produce a high quality Public Programme which aims to be engaging and grow audiences.
To find out more, read the full job description here
Creating Collections - a taster of our latest specialist blog
Published:
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 - 11:15
Photo: Trans Pride, Window on my World. Penny, 2016. Image courtesy of Photoworks.
Coinciding with Pride season, Into the Outside is the Photographic Collections Network 'Featured Collection' for August - September 2018. Check out our homepage for more images, and read below for a taster of our interview with Juliette Buss, Learning & Engagement Curator at Photoworks. Juliette led the collaborative ‘Into the Outside’ (ITO) project which supported young people in Brighton to engage with and create LGBTQ+ heritage.
Hi Juliette, to start off, please tell us about your personal role in ‘Into the Outside’?
I devised the original project concept of creating a new archive with young people, then put the framework together with artist Helen Cammock and managed the project.
And how did this project come about?
We developed the programme as a follow on from Queer in Brighton a multi partner LGBTQ+ history project. Consultation with young people identifying as LGBTQ+ or U (unsure) revealed significant levels of anxiety, vulnerability and isolation. Brighton, the queer capital of the UK, has a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, but many young people just coming out, or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, weren’t yet part of this community, so couldn’t learn or benefit from the lived experience of others.
Which photographic archives were involved?
The group engaged with archives held at The Keep, a world-class centre for archives including Brighton Ourstory (set up in 1989 to collect and preserve lesbian and gay history) and the National Lesbian & Gay Survey - a collection of personal writing and ephemera submitted between 1986 and 1994 addressing issues such as coming out, homosexuality and the law, and the impact of HIV and AIDS. People of all ages contributed to the survey, but a significant proportion of writing by young people in their late teens, made it particularly relevant.
Tell us a bit about the partners and participants?
The project was led by Photoworks in collaboration with Brighton & Hove Libraries Services, the Mass Observation Archive, the East Sussex Records Office and Queer in Brighton and supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. Partners helped steer the project, and provided additional resources, expertise and capacity. We also engaged local (Stonewall Champion) schools. About 20 young people committed to the entire 18 month project - although we’re committed to working with LGBTQ+ communities long term and Into The Outside activity is still continuing in other guises including further youth projects, teacher training and through the online platform...
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Opportunity for Curators: Headley Fellowships with Art Fund Announced
Published:
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 - 13:30
Timothy A. Long, Curator of Fashion & Decorative Arts and Dr Danielle Thom, Curator of Making, inside the Costume Store at the Museum of London © Andy Smith
Headley Fellowships with Art Fund have launched a new curatorial fellowship programme which aims to give curators time and resources in order to deepen collections expertise throughout the museum and art gallery sector, through focused attention to areas of their collections.
The programme is looking for applications that lay out a significant public outcome for their museum, highlighting areas of the museum's collections that may not yet have received specialist expertise.
Applicants should be those with curatorial backgrounds working with collections in accredited museums or galleries and must be nominated by their institution, therefore demonstrating the impact that the programme would have on the specialist knowledge of the organisation overall.
Applications now open. Deadline: 15th October 2018.
Find out more about the course and how to apply here: https://www.artfund.org/assets/downloads/headley-fellowships-2018-guidance-final.pdf
Exhibition: Killed Negatives: Unseen Images of 1930s America at the Whitechapel Gallery
Published:
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 - 11:45
Russell Lee, Untitled photo © Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Killed Negatives: Unseen Images of 1930s America features thousands of archival negatives by American photographers that were systematically destroyed by Roy E. Stryker, head of the Information Division of the Farm, in the 1930s.
Stryker commissioned photographers between 1935 and 1944 to document American rural poverty following the Great Depression. Each photograph features a blask disc, created by Stryker with a hole puncher during his relentless editing for the final selection.
The exhibition includes work by Paul Carter, Jack Delano, Walker Evans, Theodor Jung, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Edwin Locke, Carl Mydans, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, John Vachon, Marion Post Wolcott.
The exhibition is on display at the Whitechapel Gallery until the 26th August.
Find out more here: http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/killed-negatives-unseen-images-1930s-america/
Exhibition: Living Memory Project (Sandwell)
Published:
Monday, June 18, 2018 - 13:00
The Living Memory project aims to record and celebrate photo collections and life stories from across the Black Country.
On 21 June the Heritage Lottery Fund supported project presents its first exhibition of local photo collections, new work from photography students at Sandwell College, as well as community + school displays and events. Highlights include previously unseen 1940s to 1970s family photographs from the Ron Moss collection, photographs and material gathered through and a sharing of work in production from project workshops so far.
Exhibition and events programme runs 21 - 30 June at Haden Hill House Museum, which is part of Sandwell Museums.
More here: https://livingmemory.live/exhibition-and-events-at-haden-hill-house-museum/
Follow the project blog: https://livingmemory.live/category/blog/
Social History Curators Group Conference 2018 (19-20 July)
Published:
Wednesday, June 6, 2018 - 15:45
SHCG Conference 2018: A True Reflection? Displays, Stories and Exhibitions
Deadline for registration is approaching for the SHCG's 2018 conference: A True Reflection? Displays, Stories and Exhibitions on Thursday 19th July at Beamish: The Living Museum of the North and Friday 20th July at The Great North Museum: Hancock.
"This year’s conference includes interactive workshops, tours and presentations on a wide range of themes including interpretation and community engagement. Conference is a great opportunity to hear about the experiences and learning from a range of institutions across the country, to take part in valuable knowledge building workshops, and to have the opportunity to network with others in the sector."
SHCG Conference 2018 looks forward to exploring co-curating and contemporary collecting, LGBTQ+ histories, women's suffrage, slavery, diversity and representation, inclusion, historic houses, women artists, audio, activism, community engagement, social media and #MuseumsAreNotNeutral
On Twitter? Check out #SHCG2018 to see what conversations have already started!
Free place - North East Region: North East Museum Development will fund one free place at the SHCG Conference for a first time delegate from the North East region. You'll find the application form and email contact at the link below - deadline for free place applications is Wednesday 13th June 2018 at 5pm.
General registration deadline: 5pm on Fri 15 June 2018
Read more / book: http://www.shcg.org.uk/Conference2018?platform=hootsuite
Cataloguing Communities - a taster of our latest specialist blog
Published:
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 - 11:00
A family celebrate a birthday at home with a Punjabi meal (Wolverhampton, 1979). Image courtesy of Black Country Visual Arts CIC
Apna Heritage Archive is our Featured Collection from May - June 2018 - find out more below in this taster of our blog interview with Curator Anand Chhabra.
Anand Chhabra, Founding Director of Black Country Visual Arts and Curator of the Apna Heritage Archive (AHA), spoke to us about how a personal interest in photography and Wolverhampton's Punjabi community led to an award-winning archive that reveals a hidden heritage, has people and learning at its core, produced an exhibition and continues to inspire, preserve and share stories and histories online.
What was the motivation behind forming Black Country Visual Arts and creating the archive?
I mainly work as a photographic artist and became involved in the Apna Heritage Archive through a series of incidents that started at the beginning of 2014. I had already started exploring memory, family and place for another personal fine art photographic project I had been working on. Firstly, I knew that personally there were great images within my own family’s albums. Through this project I found others in the community who also held amazing historical family photographs. Secondly, it bothered me that there were no ethnically based arts organisations, in the realms of photographic art, with real representation in the Black Country region that were profiling the minorities stories, especially whole communitites who’d been around over 50 years in the region. After conducting other research and visiting other arts organisations and enquiring about their work with minorities, I found that within this region there was very little impact being made by those organisations to communities and profiling their stories...
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Anand Chhabra will be speaking at the Family Ties Network: Transnational Family Research Seminar on 8 June at Coventry University. Places are free but booking is required. You can read more here and book your place here.