New Interpretations Training

Trainer:

Mady Beardmore, MB Heritage Consulting

What will be covered?

Thinking about changing your displays? Want to re-write object stories? Wondering how to explore the museum’s past in your displays?

In this full-day showcase, we will be demystifying how you approach any interpretation work and looking at practical steps you can take to improve your displays. We will start by going back to the basics of the principles of good curatorial practice. The principles are the same regardless of the subject matter and this showcase will highlight museums doing excellent work in re-interpreting their collections and how they went about it.

You will leave with tips and tricks for how to approach re-interpretation in your own museums.

Scroll down to see the programme for the day.

There will be an opportunity to apply for 1-1 support after the session.

Who should attend?

Trustees, managers, volunteers, beginners, intermediate.

Learning objectives

By the end of the session, attendees will:

• Have a basic understanding of the principles of good curatorial practice.

• Consider how to interpret your museum's varied histories.

• Learn how to think creatively about the work that labels do within an exhibition.

• Think creatively about exhibition design on a budget.

Accessibility

To help us ensure you get the most out of the session, you will be asked to email us with any access requirements you may have when you complete your order form. Please see the list of examples of adjustments we can make. This list is not exhaustive and we would be happy to accommodate other requirements where possible, please email us to discuss.

New Interpretations | New Perspectives

This is the first of two complementary showcase days highlighting dynamic collections and audience participation activity in museums. Both will give insights into how collections and audiences work are inextricably linked. Demonstrating practical tips, new practices, and current thinking, but also sharing key learning, pitfalls, and successes. The sessions aim to focus on case studies that are achievable and replicable, but also on those that design to inspire action in your own work.

In May there will be another full day showcase with the emphasis on Audiences, looking at New Perspectives. This is not yet on our booking page, but the link will be added here when it is.

Please note it is not necessary to attend both the New Interpretations AND the New Perspectives days, they do work individually if your needs are more specific, but ideally you will attend both days to confirm how collections technique and audience partnership are inseparable companions.

Trainer bio:

Mady Beardmore, MB Heritage Consulting

Mady has worked in museums for over 10 years, starting her career volunteering at Canterbury Museums before moving on to Canterbury Cathedral. After three years at the Cathedral Mady joined a number of projects over the following years that saw her developing museums old and new. From Sandwich Guildhall Museum, to the brand new Kent Mining Museum and then leading on the reinterpretation at Powell-Cotton Museum, Mady has always enjoyed taking on a challenge and ensuring that museums are telling untold stories and representing their communities. In her consultancy work she has worked with museum's to develop their interpretation, collaborating with existing teams and also delivering interpretation plans from concept to delivery.

Eligibility

MDSE is funded by Arts Council England (ACE) to support museums in the South East of England within ACE’s Accreditation scheme. The South East is defined as the local authority areas of:

• Bedfordshire (Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Borough)
• Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham)
• Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock
• Hertfordshire
• Kent and Medway
• Norfolk
• Oxfordshire
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• East Sussex and Brighton & Hove
• West Sussex

We prioritise places on our training programmes for museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. ACE publishes the official lists of Accredited and Working Towards Accreditationmuseums on its website. Where possible we will make places available for museums which do not meet these criteria but the number of places will vary depending on the event format.

London tickets

MDSE is working with Museum Development London (MDL) to deliver some of our training and development programmes.

If you are working or volunteering for a museum in London you are eligible to attend this session.

Terms & Conditions:

For full details of our programmes conditions, see our Terms and Conditions on our website

By booking a place on to a Museum Development South East training event, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:

• That you are from a South East museum which is in Arts Council England’s Museum Accreditation Scheme. Where this is not applicable you acknowledge that MDSE will facilitate your attendance if availability permits and that you or your organisation will pay any fees which may apply.
• It is a condition of receiving this ACE funded training that the online evaluation sent to the email address provided at the point of booking is completed by the specified deadline. This deadline is in the email notification unless a paper evaluation is specifically requested and submitted on the day of the training session.
• By booking a place you agree that you will make every endeavour to attend the event and you will give us at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel your booking. If you repeatedly cancel your booking without sufficient notice you agree that we may exercise our right to remove you from future event bookings.