IMPACT REPORT 2015 / 16 Our mission A busy year

Our mission is to help people determine their place in More than 1.4 million visits were made to Tyne & Wear Archives & the world and define their identities, so enhancing their Museums (TWAM) venues in 2015-16 and included in those were the tens of thousands of people flocking to see works by Leonardo self-respect and their respect for others. da Vinci and Picasso at the Laing Art Gallery. Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) manages nine museums Meanwhile we worked with to raise £3.8m and galleries and the archives for Tyne and Wear. The TWAM Joint Committee is made up of representatives of the four Tyneside local for the redevelopment of the , we saw Hadrian authorities. We also manage a museum and a gallery on behalf of Primary School decant their teaching to Arbeia Roman Fort as part Newcastle University. of the My Primary School is at the Museum project in partnership with Kings College, London, work was completed on the £500,000 TWAM is a Core Funded Museum receiving funding from Arts Northern Powerhouse project at Segedunum and our youngest Council in recognition of its commitment to the successful visitors were welcomed to the Creative Baby programme at the delivery of services to new and diverse audiences. TWAM is also Shipley Art Gallery. a Major Partner Museum supported by Arts Council. Cllr Ged Bell Iain Watson Chair of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Elsewhere, members of a diverse mix of community groups took Director Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Joint Committee We manage the North East Museum Development Programme part in our various outreach programmes, young people learned supporting smaller museums across the region and Culture Bridge new digital skills in our Future Makers events and 621 volunteers North East, working to make sure that every child and young gave their time to support TWAM. person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts and culture. Our work to instill a culture of enterprise across the organisation continued to pay off and we saw a 91% increase in overall donations and a fantastic 108% increase in income from events. TWAM continued to support museums across the North East through the Museum Development programme and we received a Green Apple Award for delivering the Make Carbon History project, Contents enabling 15 museums to achieve greater levels of environmental sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint. As you can imagine, it’s been another busy year at Tyne & Wear Our Achievements 5 TWAM in Newcastle 20 Archives & Museums and I hope you enjoy reading about some of The year in brief… 7 TWAM in North Tyneside 22 the highlights in this year’s Impact Report. People 11 TWAM in South Tyneside 24 Community engagement 12 TWAM working with Newcastle University 26 Children and Young People 15 Tyne & Wear Archives 28 Digital Audiences 17 Working in Partnership 29 Friends and other Organisations 18 Enterprise and resilience 31 TWAM in Gateshead 19 Summary of Financial Results 33

2 Cover image credit: A photograph from the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 3 collection, which can be found using our new Collections Dive. Did you know that in 2015/16 we achieved… 166,377 children took part in organised educational activities 1,464,919 743,070 102,813 More than 1.4 million visits visits to our website followers on social media were made to our venues

4,477 £186,433 £104,075 engagements with our 108% increase in 91% increase in outreach programme events income on-site donations

36,057 +91% 28,000 volunteer hours from increase in overall donations loan boxes used by children, 621 volunteers young people, teachers and adults

£558,516 31,300 +78% 11% increase in visits to the late shows, increase in private donations, retail performance our annual museums at including on-site gifts, appeals night event and patrons

4 Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 5 The year in brief...

Museum Development WallQuest In 2015 - 16 the North East Museum Development Through the WallQuest community archaeology Programme launched a three year initiative project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, responding to the needs of museums and the 500 volunteers from communities along Hadrian’s communities they serve. Two major strands of Wall have taken part in excavations or research. work have been Understanding Audiences - helping museums to better understand their The work of WallQuest volunteers led to the visitors and deliver the best possible experience, spectacular discovery at Wallsend of the original and Enterprising Museums - assisting museums Roman bath house at Segedunum and, this to develop commercial opportunities, business year, excavation work at the site continued to confidence and entrepreneurial skills. uncover the remains. A £500,000 grant from the government will now enable the remains of the Over 50 Accredited museums ranging from bath house to be preserved and go on show to the small volunteer-run museums to university, local public, alongside other significant developments authority and larger independent museums at Segedunum - a visible legacy of the efforts of benefited from professional advice and guidance. the community volunteers of WallQuest. Approximately £95,000 of grant funding was distributed to improve services and build resilience, £60,000 of which was awarded for capital improvements to increase the number of collections loans coming in to the region.

Image above: WallQuest volunteers

6 Image left: Lady Waterford Hall, one of the museums supported through Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 7 our Museum Development programme. Hatton Future This year has seen recruitment of another 10 £3.8 million was raised as part of the Hatton volunteer tour guides who will be bringing the Roman Future campaign, in partnership with Newcastle sites in the North East to life for visitors, while the University, to fund the ambitious redevelopment WallWatch volunteer team has increased to 80. of the Hatton Gallery. Money from the Heritage In February the first community conference, the Lottery Fund, trusts and foundations was boosted Hadrian’s Wall Networking Day, was delivered with by donations from members of the public who great success as many individuals and community have supported this transformation of the Hatton groups attended and celebrated their association into a vibrant and modern exhibition space, with the World Heritage Site. scheduled to reopen in 2017. The programme of free exploration events has Environmental Records Information Centre continued covering a wide range of topics including (ERIC) Roman pottery and the management and conservation of the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail. ERIC now holds almost 2.8 million species records relating to wildlife in the region. ERIC works Contemporary collecting in partnership with organisations, groups and individuals to collate data on species, habitats and A Creative Case bursary from Arts Council sites which can inform wildlife conservation and allowed TWAM to work with external partners planning, and has recently signed new data sharing with disability arts backgrounds to review the agreements with Northumberland Badger Group representation of disability in our collections. We and Teesmouth Bird Club. worked with young people with learning disabilities who gave valuable insights which will shape the way This year the ERIC team assisted with managing we represent diversity in the collection. data for the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Cold-blooded and Spineless Alongside an exhibition at Discovery Museum about project which is encouraging invertebrate the Newcastle West End food bank, TWAM acquired recording in the North Pennines. a typical family food parcel for the collection, representing the issue of food poverty in Tyneside. A highlight of the public events programme was the North East Wildlife Recording Conference in Stories about people from the region were collected November 2015, attended by more than 90 people in the form of digital stories and oral histories as part who heard about the variety of wildlife recording of the Great North Greats programme (in partnership activity and projects taking place across the North with Great North Run Culture and supported by East from a range of speakers. the Heritage Lottery Fund), including stories of ordinary people with extraordinary achievements. Hadrian’s Wall Community Champions An experimental project called Data Bus was used Now in its second year, this Heritage Lottery Fund to test the idea of collecting data and sounds. funded programme continues to engage local Data relating to Newcastle’s number 31 bus route communities with the protection, understanding was collected in partnership with Newcastle and presentation of the Hadrian’s Wall World University’s Open Lab, resulting in an installation Heritage Site. at Discovery Museum.

8 Image: Items collected from the West End food bank Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 9 People

The profile of TWAM’s audience broadly reflects Culture Track the demographic profile of the region’s population Culture Track, supported by the Paul Hamlyn although it varies across our venues. 62% of visitors Foundation, is our volunteering programme are from Tyne and Wear, 48% visit with children aged tailored to young people aged 18 to 25 who are under 16 years, 37% are from socio economic groups facing barriers to employment. The volunteering C2DE and 14% of our visitors have a disability. opportunities help to prepare the young people Research carried out into our visitors’ experience for the world of work and a new volunteer role shows that levels of satisfaction are very high - 96% at Discovery Museum has been created as part of visitors to our venues would recommend them to of the scheme - Interactive Demonstrators. The others. 62% of visits are repeats and 20% of those volunteers are based in Discovery’s Science Maze, people visit our venues more than five times a year. explaining the interactive displays to members of the public and assisting with queries. Our Museum Volunteering Year three of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation-funded Our Museum project strengthened links between 621 volunteers gave 36,057 hours of their time in TWAM and its local communities. Our Museum is a 2015-16, completing a variety of placements across programme of organisational change, developing our venues. ways of working across the whole organisation that Amongst our volunteers this year were some are informed by a comprehensive understanding of award-winners, with Jack Walton being awarded the issues which matter to local people. Outstanding Contribution from a Young Volunteer The Alternative Management Team, consisting of aged under 25 at the North East Museums TWAM staff, volunteers and community partners, Volunteer Awards. Jack has now taken up a paid continues to discuss new ways of approaching role within the TWAM volunteering team. issues facing the organisation and has also Joan Milne and Fiona Southern, who volunteer developed a new framework for community in the costume stores at Discovery Museum, engagement which will be piloted at TWAM venues. and between them have volunteered for TWAM In January, TWAM hosted a seminar to share for more than 20 years, won the Marsh Trust experience gained from Our Museum through speakers Award for the North East. The award recognised and discussion groups. The event was attended by their contribution to improving the storage, 60 representatives from museums, galleries, local conservation and documentation of the collection, and national cultural organisations, community supporting the development of exhibitions where partners and staff from Newcastle and Durham costume is included, and delivering tours of the universities. TWAM’s Director also spoke at Our stores for adult learning groups. Museum showcase events in London and Glasgow.

10 Image: Jack Walton, who won Outstanding Contribution from a Young Volunteer Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 11 aged under 25 at the North East Volunteer Awards Community engagement “Before I couldn’t have managed with people, but now I can. With my leg and that, people would ask, “Why are you in a chair?” and that would really get my confidence down. But when people come up and ask There are four themes within TWAM’s community The Recovery RICH programme outreach programme, each with an advisory group me now, I’m alright with it... on this project, it’s like, This programme supports people in addiction and “Yes, I can do this, yes, I can do it!” of service users, sector professionals, TWAM staff justice recovery across Tyneside. In South Tyneside, and volunteers. This year saw more than 3,500 members of a group facilitated by NECA South Lesley Young, volunteer engagements with people through these outreach Tyneside in partnership with Barnardos are working programmes. with South Shields Museum, visiting the museum and taking part in creative writing workshops. In The Platinum programme Gateshead, members of CRI Gateshead Evolve, As part of the Platinum programme, created for a drug and alcohol recovery service for adults, people aged 55 and over, TWAM worked with now use the gallery three times a week to host a Age UK to roll out dementia awareness training women’s group and to facilitate a course focusing to museum staff in North and South Tyneside. on stages of recovery. TWAM also worked as the North East partner in the national Big Lottery Funded HistoryPin The Satellite community exhibition programme Connections project. Blind and visually impaired We work with communities across Tyneside to co- users of Gateshead’s Sight Service have taken create exhibitions which go on show in community part in object handling sessions and are recording venues. These have included West End Stories, a personal stories to be uploaded to HistoryPin. series of taster displays made in partnership with St James’ Heritage & Environment Group using objects The Wellbeing programme from TWAM’s collections and items donated by TWAM’s Wellbeing programme supports people residents of the West End of Newcastle. with mental health issues across Tyneside. TWAM worked with health professionals and service users Meet at the Museum in North Tyneside to co-deliver a six week course called Creative Wellness & Recovery Planning. TWAM’s Meet at the Museum programme brings Delivered by peer support workers, occupational together our adult learning opportunities including therapists and an artist from the North Tyneside talks, workshops and behind the scenes tours. This Community Mental Health team, the course helps year 215 adult learning events took place across mental health survivors take ownership in devising our venues. We rolled out new Culture and Cake individual wellness plans. sessions for people aged over 55 and the popular Arcs and Sparks tours, giving people access to the behind the scenes areas of Discovery Museum’s basement stores, accompanied by expert curators.

‘Everyone has the opportunity to experience and to be inspired by the arts, museums and libraries.’ Arts Council Major Partner Museum Goal 2

12 Image: Participants making proggy mats in the Recovery RICH programme Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 13 Children and young people

Family learning Partner schools Nearly 50,000 people took part in our family The MaGPiE (Museums and Galleries Partnership in ‘Every child and young person has the learning activities which included a new series of Education) initiative develops partnerships between opportunity to experience the richness events for families who have children with Autistic venues and schools to share best practice and Spectrum Disorder at Discovery Museum, the provide a better understanding of schools’ needs. of the arts, museums and libraries’ and South Shields Museum. Discovery Museum has been working with Our The Shipley Art Gallery trialled new workshops Lady and St Anne’s School in Newcastle, linking Arts Council Major Partner Museum Goal 5 designed to give parents and children quality their delivery of learning programmes with pupils time to spend together through an engaging achieving Arts Awards. learning experience. The Great North Museum: Hancock is working with West Jesmond Primary, with INSET days for staff Schools programme held at the museum. Further continuing professional The Great North Museum, Discovery Museum, the development events and a series of events for the Laing Art Gallery, the Shipley Art Gallery, South school will focus on specific learning challenges. Shields Museum, Arbeia Roman Fort and Segedunum Roman Fort were all Sandford Award winners. These In North Tyneside, partner schools are already are awarded to museums and heritage sites offering showing a deeper level of engagement with the high quality educational programmes. venues and the learning teams at our North Tyneside venues are now identifying opportunities Our venues engaged 97,439 pupils from local that will lead to mutual professional development schools in 2015-16. and improved experiences at the venues. In South Tyneside, Year 5 at Hadrian School moved into Arbeia Roman Fort from January until March. ‘School groups visiting the South Shields This was a part of the King’s College London action Museum can be confident of an interesting research project testing the hypothesis that there and engaging visit. The Museum is a may be beneficial learning and social outcomes for wonderful place to explore the local history primary children and their families if their school is of the area and the Learning Team are located in a museum. committed to providing a visit which will be The Shipley Art Gallery learning team has memorable and educationally valuable.’ developed a strong and mutually beneficial Sandford Award spokesperson. relationship with South Street Primary School, carrying out joint planning with the school staff through a whole-school CPD session at the Gallery. The school now uses visits to the Shipley as part of its rewards system, bringing pupils to the gallery every week as a reward for their achievements and 166,377 behaviour throughout the week. children took part in organised educational activities

14 Image: Pupils at Arbeia Roman Fort Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 15 Digital Audiences ‘I cannot tear myself away from this!’

Collections Dive user

Future Makers Tributaries Collections Dive

An innovative series of participatory events attracted An immersive audio stream that explores the daily Our new online discovery engine, developed in partnership with more than 300 members of the public to our venues, reality of life, loss and love on Tyneside during the Microsoft Research, Newcastle University and Collections Trust, to use new technologies for designing and making. First World War was created with artist Halsey has been successfully launched, giving people online access to Burgund. Tributaries took the form of a free objects ranging from Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces to glass eyes. The Future Makers events were produced with mobile app which took inspiration from historical internationally-acclaimed innovation lab and documents in our collections. Collections Dive was created as a new way of exploring more festival FutureEverything and included a wearable than 32,000 museum objects, allowing people to lose themselves gadgets workshop at the Shipley Art Gallery, a Highlights include retellings of the handwritten in a labyrinth of artworks, artefacts and photographs. hackathon for coders at Stephenson Railway diaries of a Gateshead resident caught between Museum and a workshop introducing children to her role in making munitions at Newcastle’s The project tripled the number of users who engage with TWAM electronics using toys at Discovery Museum. Armstrong Armaments factory and her pacifist collections - 7,444 users engaged with the system more than ideals, and letters between long distance lovers. 10,000 times between July and December 2015. You can dive The events aimed to inspire a new breed of makers, These dramatic accounts are juxtaposed with in at www.collectionsdivetwmuseums.org.uk challenge preconceptions of what museums mean newspaper articles, classified ads, sports results in the digital age, and use our venues as spaces for and recipes that illustrate the sense of normality experimentation and creative thinking. that continued throughout the time. www.tributaries.org.uk

16 Image: The Shipley Art Gallery’s Future Makers event Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 17 tyne & wear archives & museums working in gateshead Friends and other organisations Shipley Art Gallery

Friends organisations, volunteer groups and learned societies play an This year the Shipley Art Gallery has seen an influx of young invaluable role in supporting the nine museums and galleries. visitors for its new Creative Baby! sessions. These monthly events 26,327 help parents and babies to experience the Shipley’s exhibitions visitors over 12 months Friends of Discovery Museum in new ways, using sensory play and exhibition tours designed Friends of the Hatton Gallery especially to engage babies aged 0 to 12 months. 5,904 Ceramicist Katharine Morling’s intricate works took over the children took part in organised Friends of the Laing Art Gallery educational activities Shipley for her exhibition Porcelain Edge, in partnership with Friends of Segedunum the Balman Gallery. Friends of the Shipley Art Gallery Exhibitions including Surface Deep showcased the Shipley’s own ‘I revisited the gallery to Natural History Society of Northumbria collection while Naomi Alexander’s exhibition Domesticity showed see the Tintoretto painting North Tyneside Steam Railway Association paintings, drawings and prints of interior scenes including some of Christ washing the created as part of a residency with Gateshead’s Jewish community. Society of Antiquaries of disciples’ feet. It once hung This exhibition helped the Gallery to continue to build its relationship in the Cathedral Church The Arbeia Society with the local Jewish community; the exhibition opening event was of St Nicholas, Newcastle The Society unveiled its brand-new website this year, with more attended by many people from the community who hadn’t visited the upon Tyne. It is amazing, improvements to follow over the next few months. The new website Gallery before and sessions for families were held in partnership worth a visit, and the allowed us to the launch the Arbeia Society Local History Notes, free with Gateshead Children’s Centres and the Matov Children’s Centre. chances are (as they were downloadable PDFs on various aspects of local history. The Society with me) that there will be held another successful conference in partnership with the community The Shipley’s partnership with Northumbria University continued with the Henry Rothschild Ceramics Bursary programme and someone there to help you archaeology project Wall Quest, on the topic of Roman baths. The appreciate its wonder.’ re-enactment arm, Quinta, held five major events, and took part in two the annual Henry Rothschild Memorial Lecture. The White days of filming, playing starring roles in a short film to promote Arbeia. Shirts exhibition, curated by Gael Henry and Tony Brotheridge of Visitor - Trip Advisor Northumbria University with support from TWAM, featured work by BA Fashion students, reinterpreting the concept of the white shirt.

18 Image: Members of the North Tyneside Steam Railway Image: Creative Baby! Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 19 Association at Stephenson Railway Museum tyne & wear archives & museums tyne & wear archives & museums working in newcastle working in newcastle Discovery Museum Laing Art Gallery

The year began with Journey to Justice, an exhibition about the US Picasso’s Weeping Woman was a huge draw for visitors when it civil rights movement, telling the extraordinary stories of the men, 387,046 featured in the Laing’s first major exhibition of the year.Conscience 247,155 visitors over 12 months visitors over 12 months women and children involved. and Conflict examined the response of British artists to the Spanish Civil War and succeeded in generating more than £24,000 from A sporting theme emerged in the autumn with Great North Greats, 54,240 ticket sales in its first month. 14,645 in partnership with Great North Run Culture and supported by the children took part in organised children took part in organised Heritage Lottery Fund, forming a part of the year-long celebration educational activities The Laing Art Gallery worked in partnership with Amber Film & educational activities of the millionth finisher of the Great North Run. 200 sixth form Photography Collective to create For Ever Amber. The exhibition students from around the region attended a conference featuring was the first major retrospective of the ground-breaking work of contemporary Great North Greats in a variety of fields, including TED Amber Collective which has explored the lives of marginalised ‘The place is truly amazing ‘Having visited the Laing prize-winning Professor Sugata Mitra, Royal Institution Christmas communities in Newcastle since 1968. well worth a visit and there Gallery many times I know Lectures host Danielle George and Olympic athletes Peter Bakare is a surprise every time what to expect; beautiful and Nathan French. The year continued with Picture This, a British Library exhibition you go, you will never get charting the illustration of 10 classic children’s books. architecture, a peaceful Discovery’s Rucking All Over the World exhibition proved to be bored with this place.’ The Arts & Crafts House: Then and Now went on show in October tranquil setting, incredible popular with the fans who came to Newcastle as part of the 2015 and the Laing worked closely with the National Trust to adapt this art from local and Rugby World Cup. The day before New Zealand played Tonga at St Visitor - Trip Advisor exhibition for the North East, adding a focus on North East Arts internationally acclaimed James’ Park, players from Percy Park Rugby Club under 15s squad and Crafts properties such as Cragside and Wallington. artists, and even a cheeky visited the museum and were surprised by a visit from three of the visit to the gallery shop.’ All Blacks’ stars, Ma’a Nonu, Aaron Smith and Ben Franks, who spent The year ended on a high with Leonardo da Vinci: 10 Drawings from time with the group answering questions and signing autographs. the Royal Collection. This highly anticipated exhibition lived up to Visitor - Trip Advisor all expectations and visitors queued to be amongst the first to see these 500 year old masterpieces. February and March 2016 saw a 40% increase in visitors compared with the previous year.

20 Image: Journey to Justice Image: Visitors at the Laing Art Gallery, in the Leonardo da Vinci: 10 Drawings from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 21 the Royal Collection exhibition tyne & wear archives & museums tyne & wear archives & museums working in north tyneside working in north tyneside Segedunum Roman Fort Stephenson Railway Museum

Segedunum’s 15th birthday was marked with the launch of the During a very busy February half term, Stephenson Railway Museum museum’s new Empire & Frontier gallery and the British Museum 52,066 welcomed its half millionth visitor this century. 45,323 visitors over 12 months visitors over 12 months touring exhibition Roman Empire: Power & People. This was the largest ever UK exhibition of Roman artefacts on loan from Heritage train rides, including special themed events for Halloween, the British Museum, using more than 160 objects to illustrate one 9,688 Easter and Christmas, continued to attract large numbers of visitors 779 of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. children took part in organised and during the Easter bank holiday all the museum’s locomotives children took part in organised educational activities were displayed in the train yard. The continuing relationship with educational activities The new Empire & Frontier gallery, supported by the DCMS Wolfson Newcastle College Rail Academy has led to learners from the Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, responds to feedback College using the Museum as a live railway site experience. from visitors and schools about the type of contextual information ‘The museum is just ‘Lovely little museum, they would like to see and it sets the scene for Segedunum within As part of TWAM’s Future Makers programme, a 10 hour Railway fabulous, I can’t believe I Codes hack event invited people to use the Museum’s collections many different forms of rail the wider Roman Empire and British province. haven’t been before! We transport from the past, also and railway data to create digital, screen-based works. Railway coloured, ‘dug’ for hidden a few interactive displays Following last year’s exciting discovery of Segedunum’s original and heritage enthusiasts worked alongside coders and creative treasure, and much more to show how things work. Roman baths by the community archaeology project WallQuest, extra stuff today however technologists and mentors from Newcastle University , The best part by far though archaeological work on the remains has been completed and work would deffo recommend producing apps, data visualisation, games and websites. (and the reason we visited) on making the newly discovered remains a part of the visitor offer the place as well as being 5,600 visitors booked up for the Museum’s Thomas the Tank was the opportunity to take at Segedunum is nearing completion, funded by a £500,000 educational it was very a ride on the steam train up Engine train rides. The four-day event sold out, generating nearly award from the Government’s Northern Powerhouse initiative. interactive, my kids aged to Percy Main. It felt like you 9 loved it too. I have to say £50,000 in shop and ticket sales. had travelled back in time. the staff here are great too, Really nice experience.’ knowledgeable friendly and very encouraging to the kids.’ Visitor - Trip Advisor

Visitor - Trip Advisor

22 Image: Roman Empire: Power & People Image: Participants at the Railway Codes event Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 23 tyne & wear archives & museums tyne & wear archives & museums working in south tyneside working in south tyneside Arbeia Roman Fort & Museum South Shields Museum

Three of TWAM’s venues - Arbeia and Segedunum Roman Forts and The nostalgia of seaside summer holidays was brought to South the Great North Museum: Hancock - were marketed jointly under 33,386 Shields by the Seaside Shields exhibition which ran throughout the 126,803 visitors over 12 months visitors over 12 months the Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside banner last year. To continue this summer. Real seaside donkeys and deck chairs attracted passers-by campaign, nine days of high profile events took place across the into the museum and visitors enjoyed trying their luck on a range of venues including displays of gladiator weapons and equipment 5,668 vintage arcade machines which also served as an additional income 2,516 and spectacular gladiatorial combat at Arbeia, attracting visitors children took part in organised stream for the museum - £5,727 worth of old pennies were sold, children took part in organised who came to experience the region’s Frontiers of the Roman Empire educational activities equating to 28,635 plays on the machines. educational activities World Heritage Site. The Museum’s varied collection is now showcased in its new Visitors to Arbeia were able to see a selection of objects uncovered ‘Excellent historical site Treasures gallery which opened to the public on 2 November. ‘Always took my at the site, which went on show at the museum this year. manned by passionate, Items on show include ship models from South Tyneside yards grandchildren here now it’s knowledgeable staff that and a camera used to photograph the Jarrow Crusade. my great grandchildren and Arbeia’s events programme included concerts, a Magical Myths & take huge pride in sharing we never get fed up going. Monsters Halloween event and a visit from a replica World War I Young visitors were in for a treat as the Spineless exhibition brought what they know with the There is always a different tank as part of the commemorations to mark the centenary of public. Definitely a visit. the world of creepy crawlies to life, and we marked the museum’s display on i.e. reptiles, the First World War. Really loved it.’ 140th birthday in February with a day of family events featuring art, historical relics, and many of the historical characters of South Tyneside. We were also delighted to host the Chief Executive of Arts Council of course the Catherine Visitor - Trip Advisor Cookson story. Fab place to England and to give him lunch in the spectacular Commanding The start of 2016 saw the launch of Always Ready, an exhibition in visit and it’s all free.’ Officer’s Summer Dining Room. partnership with the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, to mark its 150th anniversary. A feasibility study led by Jura Consulting has made the case for the Visitor - Trip Advisor importance of Arbeia on the Roman frontier and outlined proposals for future capital investment at Arbeia.

24 Image: Harry Slater photography Image: The Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Richard Porthouse and the Mayoress, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 25 Patricia Porthouse, with TWAM’s Adam Bell at the launch of the Treasures display. tyne & wear archives & museums tyne & wear archives & museums working with newcastle university working with newcastle university Great North Museum: Hancock Hatton Gallery

The Great North Museum: Hancock’s summer exhibition, Spineless, In February 2016 the Hatton Gallery closed for a £3.8 million was created by the museum team and was a colourful and immersive 515,271 redevelopment. Improvements will include conserving the 26,792 visitors over 12 months visitors over 12 months look into the world of invertebrates. Giant spiny Madagascan stick architectural and historical elements of the building while insects and hissing cockroaches from the museum collection were modernising the gallery. When it re-opens in September 2017 the on show alongside loans from the Natural History Museum in an 68,902 Hatton will be a vibrant and modern exhibition space bringing 2,637 exhibition and events programme which helped attract nearly children took part in organised about a new era for art and learning in the city. children took part in organised 150,000 people to the museum. educational activities educational activities Leading up to the gallery’s closure an exhibition of key works from Family activities in October half-term attracted more than 22,000 the Hatton was shown. Collection included works dating from the people, contributing to the highest October footfall (51,007) since ‘If you are visiting early Renaissance to the late 20th century by artists including 2009. Events for very young children saw a 130% increase in Newcastle upon Tyne then Victor Pasmore, Richard Hamilton, Francis Bacon, Sickert and Goya. ‘Another great engagements with children under 5 and their families. this place is a must see, Tate Director Nicholas Serota visited the gallery and delivered northern gem.’ full of fantastic things The year ended with the launch of two more exhibitions curated a lecture on the importance of the Hatton collection and the to boggle the mind, Visitor - Trip Advisor by the Great North Museum: Hancock’s team. Polar Explorers encapsulate your thoughts pioneering Basic Design approach to training developed in was created for a family audience, using objects from the natural and to learn about history. Newcastle by Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore and others. science and world cultures collections. Children were invited to A must see, a must go to, The exhibition programme throughout the rest of the year included become ‘polar explorers’, venturing inside the museum’s igloo and a MUST.’ investigating ways of life in freezing places. Space Stations by Antony Gormley which was complemented by Visitor - Trip Advisor Speculations, curated in collaboration with Newcastle University. The Extraordinary Gertrude Bell was the result of a collaboration Space Stations was a solo show of works on paper while Speculations between the museum and Newcastle University. The exhibition brought together archival material with the work of contemporary artists. explored the life of the Washington-born archaeologist, writer and imperial administrator, who played a major role in planning and establishing the state of Iraq.

26 Image: The Spineless exhibition at the Great North Museum: Hancock Image: Fred Brookes, who helped move ’ Merz Barn wall to the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 27 Hatton Gallery in 1966, at the Hatton Gallery closure event. Strange. Hidden Extraordinary. Newcastle Forgotten. tyne & wear archives & museums

Tyne & Wear Archives Working in Partnership

Fenwick Unwrapped went on show in winter 2015 and was the International partnerships expanded this year In Kosovo, we took part in the British Council’s first major museum exhibition to be led by staff from Tyne & Wear 4,160 with TWAM staff sharing expertise on income Moving Museums project which is designed to visitors over 12 months Archives. The Fenwick Archive, containing Fenwick’s seasonal generation, audience development, programming attract new audiences to museums across the advertising campaigns and photographs of the department store’s and digital work with museum, gallery and archive Western Balkans. TWAM led a four-day workshop famous Christmas window over many years, is held in Tyne & Wear 1,398 staff across the globe. sharing examples of best practice in youth and Archives and formed the basis of the exhibition. The exhibition children took part in organised community engagement and outreach projects. traced the history of the shop’s well-loved Christmas window educational activities Director Iain Watson joined the National Archives displays and during the 10 week run more than 80,000 people of the Netherlands, the National Archives of EU Erasmus Plus funding enabled TWAM to work came through the doors of Discovery Museum. Taiwan and the National Library of Singapore at with partners from Germany, France and the ‘This blog, and the resources the Digital Memories Conference in Beijing to UK to collaborate on the Latitudes European Work on cataloguing the Vickers Armstrong collection, including provided by TW Museums talk about TWAM’s acclaimed Hidden Newcastle project with the aim of creating a methodology plans, personnel records, minutes and annual reports, is nearing online are amazing. You have app. Delegates were keen to hear about TWAM’s for collaborative cultural projects involving young completion. A series of blog posts kept online audiences up to turned a passing moment innovative approach to digital memory exhibitions people with a social impact focus. date, while a partnership with the Newcastle Journal and Evening of research into a rich and and how embracing new technologies has enabled Chronicle has resulted in many of these posts appearing in print, rewarding experience. This us to provide greater access to museum and For the 10th time we also hosted visitors from the reaching a region-wide audience. approach is so helpful, and archive resources. He also visited Rio de Janeiro British Museum’s International Training Programme, I commend such personal and Sao Paulo as the guest of the British Council to putting together a 10 day training package. New albums of digitised photographs have been added to the attention to detail and care talk about museum developments in the UK. Tyne & Wear Archives Flickr page which exceeded 17.5 million to bring these stories to life. views this year. Thank you!’ The year ended with invitations for TWAM to speak in both China and Kosovo. At the UK-China Museum Visitor, via TWAM blog TWAM became one of 10 partners working with the British Library Dialogue, TWAM led a discussion about how we to digitally preserve the nation’s most at-risk and vulnerable audio have approached income generation and increased collections and open them up online to new audiences. Save our commercial opportunities across the organisation. Sounds will transform access to the UK’s sound collections and safeguard them for the future.

28 Image: Fenwick Unwrapped Image: Hidden Newcastle Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 29 Enterprise and resilience

Enterprise is at the heart of TWAM’s planning as Connect Through Culture we work to become a more resilient organisation. We continue to receive support from our corporate A 108% increase in events income and a 78% funders including: increase in private donations show that we Gold Members: continue to reap the benefits of our income generation strategies and we are realising the value of the changes we have made, particularly in retail, wedding hire, visitor giving and the introduction of ticketed exhibitions and events. In order to boost retail sales and generate income Silver Members: through ticket sales, a programme of one-off, high footfall event days has been introduced across TWAM venues. At the Great North Museum: Hancock, a two- day visit from Bjorn the Polar Bear helped to generate £6,200 in retail sales, £1,800 of which Bronze Members: was generated from polar bear products. In North Tyneside, Thomas the Tank Engine’s appearance achieved ticket sales of £42,000 and shop sales of £7,900 - more than 80% of the museum’s annual target. The Laing Art Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibition and The Late Shows also benefited Dedicated retail teams in Discovery Museum and from generous sponsorship from Port of Tyne. the Great North Museum: Hancock have helped to boost shop income at these sites, while Christmas Environmental sustainability events at Discovery Museum, Stephenson Railway Museum and South Shields Museum welcomed TWAM continues to work towards becoming a over 7,000 paying visitors and generated £69,000 regional leader in environmental sustainability. in ticket revenue. This year further improvements have been made including increased use of energy efficient Facilitated visits from schools to our venues resulted humidity controls and improvements in the in more than £68,000 of income, while dedicated lighting used in galleries and display cases. ‘donation week’ campaigns during busy periods helped to increase on-site visitor giving by 91%. In our largest building, Discovery Museum, energy loss has been reduced by the installation of new entrance doors while electronic recruitment, finance and minuting systems across the service have reduced paper consumption and use of Skype and video conferencing has saved on travel costs.

30 Image: A wedding at the Laing Art Gallery. Photo by GASP Photography Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 31 Summary of financial results 2015 / 16

£10.69m £3.87m Gross expenditure Contributions from councils and Newcastle University £1.63m £4.13m External trading activity Grants received from Arts Council England £860k Other grants and contributions

32 Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 33 Where the money came from 2015 / 16

Arts Council England 38.7% 2014/15 description 2015/16 change Client Contributions 36.2% £000 £000 % £000 Income Generation 15.3% (£4,011) Client Contributions (£3,870) 36.2% £141 Other Grants & Contributions 8.0% Other Income 1.4% (£3,692) Arts Council England (£4,129) 38.7% (£437) Transfer to/(from) Reserves 0.4% (£1,210) Other Grants & Contributions (£860) 8.0% £350 (£1,280) Income Generation (£1,634) 15.3% (£354) (£264) Other Income (£150) 1.4% £114 £49 Transfer to/(from) Reserves (£45) 0.4% (£94) (£10,408) (£10,688) 100% (£280)

What the money was spent on 2015 / 16

Employees 54.2% 2014/15 description 2015/16 change Running Costs 37.4% £000 £000 % £000 Trading Activity 8.4% £6,119 Employees £5,794 54.2% (£325) £3,544 Running Costs £3,995 37.4% £451 £745 Trading Activity £899 8.4% £154 £10,408 £10,688 100% £280

Analysis of client contributions 2015 / 16

Newcastle City Council 41.5% 2014/15 description 2015/16 change Newcastle University 25.1% £000 £000 % £000 North Tyneside Council 11.8% (£298) Gateshead Council (£276) 7.1% £22 South Tyneside Council 11.3% Gateshead Council 7.1% (£1,673) Newcastle City Council (£1,604) 41.5% £69 Sunderland City Council 3.2% (£479) North Tyneside Council (£457) 11.8% £22 (£478) South Tyneside Council (£438) 11.3% £40 (£115) Sunderland City Council (£124) 3.2% (£9) (£968) Newcastle University (£971) 25.1% (£3) (£4,011) (£3,870) 100% £141

34 Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - impact report 2015 / 16 35 You can now dive into our collection at www.collectionsdivetwmuseums.org.uk

Thank you for your support There are lots of ways you can help us, by making a donation, leaving a legacy, volunteering your time, sponsoring an activity or becoming a member. For more information on how to help, please visit www.twmuseums.org.uk/supportus

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Development Trust is a Registered Charity no. 1137867 and a Company Limited by Guarantee no. 7334262.