Lucie Fitton, Inclusion Programme Manager at the Museum of London was kind enough to show me around the museum’s London Wall site and share some of her experiences in managing inclusion programmes for participants from a range of socially disenfranchised groups.
Participants
Lucie works with a range of people including long term unemployed, offenders, youth, those affected by mental health and asylum seekers
Tangible program outputs
Often the programs that Lucie is involved with will result in an exhibition or part of an exhibition that is then displayed in the gallery space.
For example several floor display cases have been curated by participants during various programs. Each of these programs involved specialist staff such as multimedia artists, conservators, curators and archaeologists. These staff deliver technical knowledge to the participants equipping them with the necessary skills to complete the designated project.
The involvement of specialist staff increases the value and credibility of the program. I think for the participants this must also give them a self-esteem boost and sense of validation being welcomed to participate in a high quality, well resourced program which is able to broaden their skills base.
According to the Museum of London - collections on line section of their website the Brixton Riots 1981 was the most significant outbreak of civil disorder in 20th century London.
At the time Brixton’s Afro-Caribbean community comprised roughly 25% of its population. Unemployment was particularly high especially for Black men, where rates were up to 50%. The area was known for its high crime, and in April 1981 the Metropolitan Police initiated ‘Operation Swamp’. Within days, a huge police presence on the streets had led to almost 1,000 people – mostly young Black men – being stopped and searched.
On 13 April 1981, Police tried to assist a young Black man who had been stabbed in the back. Rumours ran rife that the police were trying to arrest the injured man, rather than take him to hospital. Racial tensions escalated. The next day, the arrest of another man outside a minicab office sparked an outpouring of violence. Within hours, the streets had become a battle zone. People threw petrol bombs and set alight police cars.
By the time hostilities subsided, over 360 people had been injured, 28 premises burned and another 117 damaged and looted. Over 100 vehicles, including 56 police vehicles, were damaged during the disturbances. The police arrested 82 people.
In 2008 the Museum of London delivered a Brixton Riots community project. Participants of this project delved into the lives of people who experienced the Brixton Riots of April 1981. After an intensive training week including historical research and social reporting workshops, participants accompanied by photographer Frewine Solomon met with and interviewed Brixton residents who experienced the Riots of April 1981.
The resulting interviews uncovered some of the fascinating and intimate stories surrounding this significant piece of London’s social history. The participants wrote a blog about their experiences during the project and material they gathered during the program forms part of the permanent World City: 1950s-today exhibition.
Sustainability considerations
An important consideration when planning and facilitating inclusive programs is sustaining benefits for participants. We need to avoid the “flash in the pan” type scenario whereby circumstances for the participants after the program is completed revert back to the way they were.
Broadening the participants’ skill base through the recruitment of specialist staff is one way to achieve more sustainable positive outcomes.
Another strategy Museum of London is using at the moment is the establishment of a youth panel to work on projects associated with the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Stories of the World, project. This panel will be involved in subsequent inclusion programmes, ensuring the continuance of positive outcomes for its members i.e. further skill development and continual sense of validation and support.
Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with community groups
Processes associated with establishing and maintaining partnerships with community groups have become increasingly formalised at the museum. Standard templates and forms for negotiating and communicating with community groups and set proposal procedures for groups wanting to work with the museum have been created. These allow for more effective working relationships to be established. Relationships based on clear communication of outcomes and expectations. An example of such templates includes a partner agreement document which is used to outline goals and objectives of the relevant program and what is expected from each party.
Challenge
Reaching social excluded members of the community who aren’t associated with any particular community group.
Recruiting Participants
This is done mainly through the community organisation/s involved. Given Lucie and her team’s successful track record, the Museum of London has developed a high level of credibility in terms of providing quality inclusion and community collaboration. Therefore many community organisations approach the museum to design and implement projects. Networking is a big part of finding good community organisations to partner and work with.
How does inclusion and access become part of the core business of a museum or gallery rather than just an added extra?
A restructure of Museum staff, staff training, formalisation of a community collaboration and inclusion strategy and development of a community collaboration and inclusion committee are all ways the Museum of London have made social inclusion and community collaboration part of their core business.
With the museum’s current staff structure inclusion officers, community program managers, curators and designers work together as a team during exhibition and event development so that social inclusion and community collaboration are considered at the beginning and throughout exhibition and event conceptualisation.
The formalisation of a social community collaboration and inclusion strategy provides a clear direction for inclusive programs and avoids the delivery of adhoc programs that are difficult to measure in terms of success and validity.
Training in how to work successfully with members of emerging communities for staff from all museum departments is a useful tool in ensuring program participants have a holistic positive museum experience.
Helpful hints
- Try and start with a smaller program when working with a new group of participants and then embark on a larger project later.
- You don’t have to have a welfare background to run inclusive programs. Just good working relationships with community groups and welfare professionals.
- It is important for Museum professionals to take stock of their wealth of knowledge and access to collections and use this as a unique selling point.
Program contents ideas
- photography
- development of an art work that represents or interprets a collection or significant event featured in the museum or gallery.
- training participants to be reporters and asking them to capture oral histories of members of the community.
- participants developing short films and displaying these as part of a multimedia showcase in the gallery space.
- participants developing some sort of performance piece which can be captured on film or be performed as part of a public program.
Participants
Lucie works with a range of people including long term unemployed, offenders, youth, those affected by mental health and asylum seekers
Tangible program outputs
Often the programs that Lucie is involved with will result in an exhibition or part of an exhibition that is then displayed in the gallery space.
For example several floor display cases have been curated by participants during various programs. Each of these programs involved specialist staff such as multimedia artists, conservators, curators and archaeologists. These staff deliver technical knowledge to the participants equipping them with the necessary skills to complete the designated project.
The involvement of specialist staff increases the value and credibility of the program. I think for the participants this must also give them a self-esteem boost and sense of validation being welcomed to participate in a high quality, well resourced program which is able to broaden their skills base.
According to the Museum of London - collections on line section of their website the Brixton Riots 1981 was the most significant outbreak of civil disorder in 20th century London.
At the time Brixton’s Afro-Caribbean community comprised roughly 25% of its population. Unemployment was particularly high especially for Black men, where rates were up to 50%. The area was known for its high crime, and in April 1981 the Metropolitan Police initiated ‘Operation Swamp’. Within days, a huge police presence on the streets had led to almost 1,000 people – mostly young Black men – being stopped and searched.
On 13 April 1981, Police tried to assist a young Black man who had been stabbed in the back. Rumours ran rife that the police were trying to arrest the injured man, rather than take him to hospital. Racial tensions escalated. The next day, the arrest of another man outside a minicab office sparked an outpouring of violence. Within hours, the streets had become a battle zone. People threw petrol bombs and set alight police cars.
By the time hostilities subsided, over 360 people had been injured, 28 premises burned and another 117 damaged and looted. Over 100 vehicles, including 56 police vehicles, were damaged during the disturbances. The police arrested 82 people.
In 2008 the Museum of London delivered a Brixton Riots community project. Participants of this project delved into the lives of people who experienced the Brixton Riots of April 1981. After an intensive training week including historical research and social reporting workshops, participants accompanied by photographer Frewine Solomon met with and interviewed Brixton residents who experienced the Riots of April 1981.
The resulting interviews uncovered some of the fascinating and intimate stories surrounding this significant piece of London’s social history. The participants wrote a blog about their experiences during the project and material they gathered during the program forms part of the permanent World City: 1950s-today exhibition.
Sustainability considerations
An important consideration when planning and facilitating inclusive programs is sustaining benefits for participants. We need to avoid the “flash in the pan” type scenario whereby circumstances for the participants after the program is completed revert back to the way they were.
Broadening the participants’ skill base through the recruitment of specialist staff is one way to achieve more sustainable positive outcomes.
Another strategy Museum of London is using at the moment is the establishment of a youth panel to work on projects associated with the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Stories of the World, project. This panel will be involved in subsequent inclusion programmes, ensuring the continuance of positive outcomes for its members i.e. further skill development and continual sense of validation and support.
Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with community groups
Processes associated with establishing and maintaining partnerships with community groups have become increasingly formalised at the museum. Standard templates and forms for negotiating and communicating with community groups and set proposal procedures for groups wanting to work with the museum have been created. These allow for more effective working relationships to be established. Relationships based on clear communication of outcomes and expectations. An example of such templates includes a partner agreement document which is used to outline goals and objectives of the relevant program and what is expected from each party.
Challenge
Reaching social excluded members of the community who aren’t associated with any particular community group.
Recruiting Participants
This is done mainly through the community organisation/s involved. Given Lucie and her team’s successful track record, the Museum of London has developed a high level of credibility in terms of providing quality inclusion and community collaboration. Therefore many community organisations approach the museum to design and implement projects. Networking is a big part of finding good community organisations to partner and work with.
How does inclusion and access become part of the core business of a museum or gallery rather than just an added extra?
A restructure of Museum staff, staff training, formalisation of a community collaboration and inclusion strategy and development of a community collaboration and inclusion committee are all ways the Museum of London have made social inclusion and community collaboration part of their core business.
With the museum’s current staff structure inclusion officers, community program managers, curators and designers work together as a team during exhibition and event development so that social inclusion and community collaboration are considered at the beginning and throughout exhibition and event conceptualisation.
The formalisation of a social community collaboration and inclusion strategy provides a clear direction for inclusive programs and avoids the delivery of adhoc programs that are difficult to measure in terms of success and validity.
Training in how to work successfully with members of emerging communities for staff from all museum departments is a useful tool in ensuring program participants have a holistic positive museum experience.
Helpful hints
- Try and start with a smaller program when working with a new group of participants and then embark on a larger project later.
- You don’t have to have a welfare background to run inclusive programs. Just good working relationships with community groups and welfare professionals.
- It is important for Museum professionals to take stock of their wealth of knowledge and access to collections and use this as a unique selling point.
Program contents ideas
- photography
- development of an art work that represents or interprets a collection or significant event featured in the museum or gallery.
- training participants to be reporters and asking them to capture oral histories of members of the community.
- participants developing short films and displaying these as part of a multimedia showcase in the gallery space.
- participants developing some sort of performance piece which can be captured on film or be performed as part of a public program.
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