1. Heritage changes lives: How partnerships between museums & community organisations are making positive differences to people’s lives Laura Crossley PhD Researcher University of Leicester lfc10@le.ac.uk

2. Introduction  Funding under New Labour  Coalition government cuts  Effects of the cuts on museums’ community engagement work  Ecological museum model

3. The museum sector in crisis?  The cuts crisis  The language of crisis: endangered; fight for survival; cuts biting hard  UK Museums Association 2015 Cuts Survey:  18% talked of closures  fundraising and income generation top priority in 2016

4. My PhD Research  Exploring if and how the changed funding landscape has le to developments, or change, in English museums’ community engagement practices.  Took a look behind the headlines to find out how museum professionals are responding to the cuts.  Semi-structured interviews with 19 museum professionals in different roles at a range of museums in England – provides a snapshot of current community engagement practice in 2013 and 2014.  Expected to uncover a negative picture of the impact of the cuts on community engagement practice.  Museums are adapting to the new funding climate

5. Overview of findings  The cuts seem to have led to a decrease in the number of community engagement projects.  Museum professionals are successfully adapting their practice to meet requirements of new financial climate.  This evolution of practice means that museums are continuing to change lives through community engagement work despite the cuts.

6. Community engagement as core museum practice  Community engagement being embedded into museum practice in England to protect it from funding cuts  Move away from tokenistic community engagement  Move towards ‘real’ community engagement  Lessons to be learnt from small, independent museums with little or no core funding

7. Partnership working  Widening of ‘ecosystems’ to reach out to and create sustainable relationships with partners  New funding and shared resources  Supporting move away from tokenistic engagement  Museums making an effort to keep in contact with partners

8. How are partners chosen?  Priorities of funders e.g. Arts Council, Local Authorities  Priorities of Directors and staff members  Who will work with museums  Who will share money and resources  Who shows commitment to projects  Who has the same aims as the museum

9. Belief that museums can change lives  Strong belief in the ability of museums to change lives  New Museology now ingrained in museum training and practice?  Perception that the museum sector has a positive impact on people’s lives  Interviewees said that they work in museums because they want to do a job that changes people’s lives

10. Jung’s ecological museum model  Ecological museum model places museums as institutions that are part of their larger communities and societies  Species that do not evolve risk extinction  ‘Quick fix’ solutions ultimately lead to extinction  Museums in England seem to be effectively evolving to meet the challenge of reduced funding for community engagement  Community engagement practices are being embedded in favour of ‘quick fix’ solutions Jung’s ecological museum model (2011)

11. Learning lessons for the future?  Uncertain funding future  To be resilient, museums cannot solely rely on money/funding  What are the hallmarks of resilient community engagement practice?  Money AND…  Prioritising community engagement practice; moving beyond tokenism  Partnership working  Evaluation and advocacy  Passionate and creative staff Image from Shutterstock.com