ANNUAL REPORT 2019 / 20 REFLECTING TO THE WORLD, AND THE WORLD

TO BIRMINGHAM is an independent educational charity formed in 2012. It cares for Birmingham’s internationally important collection of one million objects which are stored and displayed in nine unique venues including six listed buildings and one scheduled monument. Birmingham Museums Trust is a company limited by guarantee.

Registered charity number: 1147014 CONTENTS

AUDIENCES COLLECTIONS 9 Children and young people 26 Acquisitions Case study MiniBrum co-production with Case study Waistcoat worn by Gillian Smith Henley Montessori School 27 Loans 10 Community engagement Case study Victorian radicals Case studies CreateSpace, Charity Awards 28 Collections Care 2019 – Overall Award for Excellence Case study Staffordshire Hoard monograph 11 Volunteers 29 Curatorial Case study Works on paper: digitisation Case studies Birmingham revolutions – power volunteers to the people and Dressed to the nines 12 Marketing and audience development Case study Royal Foundation visit to MAKING IT HAPPEN MiniBrum 13 Digital audiences 30 Workforce development Case study Planetarium upgrade 31 Development 15 Supporters Case study Corporate membership scheme

VENUES TRADING 17 Hall 32 Retail Case study The haunted house Case study All about Brum 18 33 Food and beverage Case study Herb Garden Café Case study Signal Box refurbishment 19 Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 33 Conference and banqueting Case study Home of Metal presents Black Case study Venue hire rebrand Sabbath 50 years 20 Museum Collection Centre ENGLISH CIVIC MUSEUMS NETWORK Case study Spirit store 34 English Civic Museums Network 21 Museum of the Case study Factory viewing window FINANCES 22 Case study Bakehouse 35 Finances 23 Case study Don’t Settle TRUSTEES & MANAGEMENT 24 Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum 36 Board of Trustees and Case study MiniBrum Senior Management Team 25 Castle Case study Castle Keepers EXHIBITIONS, TALKS & LECTURES 37 Exhibitions and display changes 37 Talks and lectures 38 Publications

3 CHAIR’S FOREWORD

When I joined as Chair of the Board in February no one could have imagined that we would be in the grips of a pandemic within only a matter of weeks.

The coronavirus crisis has changed many things and raised many questions. What remains constant is Birmingham Museums’ mission to ensure everyone in the region has the opportunity to experience Birmingham’s world class collections regardless of age, background or financial means.

Despite the period of this report being so dramatically impacted by the pandemic, we achieved many things. Over 100,000 children from around 2,000 schools engaged in museum learning, the highest number of school visits of any cultural organisation in the city. Over 1,100 people gave their time and expertise to support the charity through volunteering. Through our work with communities and audiences we are attracting a more diverse range of visitors to our sites, and our health and wellbeing programme supported many of the more vulnerable people in our community, particularly as we went into lockdown. The launch of our Digital Asset Management System made many of our artworks and images free to download, allowing millions of people worldwide to access Birmingham’s collections digitally.

I would like to thank and Arts Council for continuing as our core funders, enabling us to provide access for everyone. This year I am also very grateful to DCMS and Arts Council England for supporting our organisation through the Culture Recovery Fund.

At the start of the year Dr Ellen McAdam retired as Director after nearly seven years, and I would like to thank her for leading the organisation during this time. Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah are now appointed joint CEOs and I look forward to working with them at such a transformational moment for the charity.

While we know there are many challenges ahead, we will build on our successes and look forward with confidence and ambition in our response to the ever changing landscape of the pandemic. I am confident that our capacity for innovation, adaptability and resilience will stand us in good stead.

I look forward to the future, with plans to diversify the Board of Trustees, and to reflect the superdiverse demographic of this city more strongly within our public offer.

Finally, I would like to thank all our amazing staff, volunteers, corporate supporters and my fellow Trustees who have supported us over the year.

Niels de Vos Chair, Birmingham Museums Trust

4 DIRECTOR’S INTRODUCTION

As the pages of this annual report show, this was a year of many achievements, all unfortunately overshadowed by the arrival of coronavirus and lockdown in March.

Birmingham Museums Trust won the Overall award for excellence at the Charity Awards 2019 for the National Lottery Heritage Fund-funded Collecting Birmingham project. This focused on working with audiences in four inner-city wards to collect objects that would enable us to tell stories about growing up, living and working in this young, superdiverse city. This is perhaps the project that, more than any other, has signalled the change in Birmingham Museums’ approach to audience engagement. BMT has now earned an international reputation for its innovative and socially engaged practice, as I discovered when I was invited to give a paper on the project at the Best in Heritage conference in Dubrovnik in September. The change in practice is reflected in our increasingly diverse audiences.

In 2019 we opened MiniBrum at Thinktank, a new gallery curated by under 8s and designed to enable children to explore what it means to live in a big city. Poppy, the elected Mayor of MiniBrum, welcomed the Duchess of Cambridge to her city in January 2020. The popularity of the new gallery would have meant the best year for Thinktank since the museum opened, had lockdown not intervened. At the time of writing all our venues are still closed.

In February Professor Ian Grosvenor, our Chair since 2016, stood down. Professor Grosvenor helped to steer the Trust through a critical period in our history, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for all his work. We welcome Niels de Vos as his successor.

This is my last annual report, as I too am standing down after nearly seven years as Director. Leading one of the UK’s greatest regional museum services has been a unique and challenging experience, and I wish all the team the best for the future.

Dr Ellen McAdam Director, Birmingham Museums Trust

5 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

VISITS TO OUR VENUES, 47% FIRST-TIME VISITORS 923,145

DIVERSITY 22% AWARDS of visitors from BAME Overall award for excellence, backgrounds Charity Awards 2019, for 25% Collecting Birmingham visitors from Best Modern or Impressionism socio-economic (1840 to WWII) – Group or groups C2DE Theme exhibition, Global Fine Art Awards 2019 4% Best Visitor Attraction in Birmingham, for Birmingham visitors consider Museum & Art Gallery, themselves Birmingham What’s On disabled Readers’ Awards 2020

Best Art Gallery/Exhibition DIGITAL Venue in Birmingham, for Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham What’s On Readers’ Awards 2020 1,277,249 Best Independent Café/ visits to Birmingham Museums Coffee Shop in Birmingham, Trust’s website for Edwardian Tearooms at Birmingham Museum & Art SOCIAL Gallery, Birmingham What’s On Readers’ Awards 2020

Best Exhibition in the Midlands 229,629 (Runner-Up) for Leonardo da Vinci: a life in drawing, social media followers Birmingham What’s On Readers’ Awards 2020

6 VOLUNTEERS SCHOOL BOOKINGS 106,420 School children from 2,053 schools took part in our education programmes 1,119 volunteers gave 24,221 hours of support 89,154 pupils made onsite school visits

LOANS

17,226 pupils were engaged through outreach and 9,700,000 Museum in a Box kits visitors saw 3,716 loans in the UK and abroad

INFORMAL LEARNING 50 children and young people participated in accredited Arts Award programmes

VISITOR SATISFACTION 192,198 visitors participated in VAQAS informal learning standard achieved for 7 museum venues

7 AUDIENCES

8 CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Birmingham Museums Trust • 194,350 children, young • As part of Leonardo da • We created new continues to provide children people and families Vinci: a life in drawing, we educational spaces and and young people across all took part in informal delivered an exciting cross- resources for schools, educational settings with learning through outreach, curricular CPD programme families and visitors access to high quality arts, holiday activities and our for 10 educators across at Soho House and heritage and STEM learning. Planetarium programme. Birmingham to explore art, Blakesley Hall. We are proud to host the highest number of school • Our first formal early years design and STEM learning. • 50 children and young visits of any cultural engagement programme This exhibition also people received an organisation in Birmingham. of onsite learning and supported and nurtured Arts Award, awarded by a further 10 young artists Highlights include: pilot-based outreach Trinity College London activities was offered at from College of in association with Arts • 92,500 children and young MiniBrum, our new early Art and Design to explore Council England. people from schools or years gallery at Thinktank. STEM themes within art alternative educational using the collections of establishments engaged • 73 teachers accessed Birmingham Museums with our museums through continuing professional Trust and the Royal facilitated activities and development (CPD) Collection. guided resource learning activities relating to our across all key stages. exhibitions via our work with the local Secondary Visual Art Network.

MINIBRUM CO-PRODUCTION WITH “The finished museum is a replica of HENLEY MONTESSORI SCHOOL the children’s original designs and Children of Henley Montessori School provided an inspiring ideas, testimony to the whole process example of co-production in the creation of the MiniBrum they were involved in. An opportunity gallery. Montessori education encourages children to be independent, resilient learners, confident to follow their own that none of them will fully realise interests and test new ideas, and this was perfect for the co- production ethos of MiniBrum. From choosing their favourite the significance of in their education objects to designing models and engaging interactions, the until they are older.” children led all aspects of the design while working alongside exhibition designers, curators, conservators and learning and engagement officers. Everything you can see and do within Helen Everley MiniBrum has been created in response to their ideas. Head Teacher, Henley Montessori School 9 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• In 2019/20, our community friendly tours led by museum • We introduced Birmingham “Just able to do art, engagement programme enablers. In June 2019, we Museum Trust’s Community reached around 3000 people launched CreateSpace, a Welcome Pass, offering not be excellent. across the city through 100 new partnership project free supported access to No pressure, makes events and projects. supporting adults to use Thinktank for community you feel good art and heritage for their groups in the city working • As part of our Faith in wellbeing. 15 CreateSpace with vulnerable people. and good about Birmingham gallery, local sessions were run in 2019/20. The first groups taking part your achievement Buddhist, Mandaean included those working with and Bahá’i communities • Inspire 19, our fourth annual wherever you’re at.” young carers, children with celebrated and shared their youth art competition, disabilities and refugees. faiths. The Faiths in tune launched in February 2019. Attendee In the first month of the festival brought music, dance A selection from hundreds Createspace scheme, over 100 people and art from different faith of entries on the theme of visited with the Community communities into Birmingham ‘family’ went on display at Welcome Pass. Museum & Art Gallery. Blakesley Hall. • The Don’t Settle project • Our wellbeing programme • Our community engagement at Soho House saw the continued to grow. We team supported the development of new offered our Creative Carers development of Power to the interpretation, tours and Programme for the fourth people, Dressed to the nines, events led by young people year running, created a new and Webster and Horsfall: 300 of colour, helping us tell mindfulness audio guide years of innovation, as well previously untold stories. and ran Be well at BMAG as the reinterpretation of activities and dementia Sarehole Mill.

“This is a charity that has shown real innovation within the sector and had a powerful impact on its local community.”

Su Sayer Chair of the Charity Awards judges, Charity Awards 2019

CHARITY AWARDS – OVERALL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

In June 2019, Birmingham for our Collecting Birmingham consultation, people from equally grateful to Civil Society Museums Trust was delighted project; a project that some of Birmingham’s most Media and their sponsor, to accept the Overall award addressed the need to truly ethnically diverse and socially Charities Aid Foundation, for excellence at the Charity reflect the city’s multi-cultural deprived areas became an for the honour of receiving Awards 2019, the longest- and socio-economic diversity integral part in curating the the award. running and most prestigious in our collection. Consulting new exhibitions that would awards scheme in the charity with 3,500 individuals at 83 interpret and reflect their lived sector. As well as winning the events and workshops, we experience. We are incredibly top prize in the arts, culture acquired 1,800 new objects. proud of the new relationships and heritage category, we were By choosing these items and we have cemented with our chosen as the overall winner themes through community local communities and are

10 VOLUNTEERS

• 1,119 volunteers gave us • Seven volunteers dedicated • Our Volunteer of the Year Housing, Communities & 24,221 hours of their time. 220 hours to support the Award was presented during Local Government, NatWest, engagement of visitors National Volunteers Week, Network Rail, PWC, RBS, • Volunteers welcomed and the evaluation of and Student Volunteer of Selfridges, Siemens, TA visitors, assisted with family Birmingham revolutions – the Year during Student Cook, Phoenix Group, Turner activities, worked with our power to the people and Volunteering Week. We & Townsend, Virgin Media, collections team, supported Dressed to the nines. awarded 19 three-year, Combined conservation work, advised 58 five-year and 12 10-year Authority and WSP. us, engaged with our • We offeredtwo accredited service awards in December communities, supported training courses and • 15 organisations supported 2019. our curators, gardened and regular in-house training us with our Meet the worked on other projects. opportunities for the • Our Corporate volunteering and expert programme: Aston volunteer team. Meet the expert programmes University, Birmingham City • Working with Home of saw 630 employees from 39 University, De Montfort Metal, we recruited 27 • Events for the volunteer companies and organisations University, Institute of Sheet volunteers who gave team included a day trip to across the West Midlands Metal Engineers, Leicester 1,000 hours of their time Leicester to explore other volunteering with us for a day. University, MOLA, RSPB, to support Home of Metal museums, our Volunteer Social Mobility Foundation, presents Black Sabbath 50 Summer picnic at Blakesley • We offered corporate Teddy Bear Hospital, years. Hall to celebrate National volunteer activities , Volunteers Week, and to employees of AIG, • As part of the Don’t Settle University of York, Warwick Birmingham Museum Arcadis, Avison Young, BT, project led by Beatfreeks, University, Wildlife Trust, Trust’s Thank you party Claremont, Environment we welcomed six volunteers Woodlands Trust and WWF. for staff and volunteers Agency, Groupon, HS2, to our new Young Advisory in December 2019. HSBC, Lloyds, Ministry of Board at Soho House.

“Not only has this volunteering provided me with object handling and documentation experience, it has also given me the chance to work with fascinating pieces of art.”

Volunteer Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

WORKS ON PAPER – DIGITISATION VOLUNTEERS

The works on paper project began in July 2018. A component of our “I love volunteering Rapid Digitisation Project, it aims to digitise and inventory all works at Blakesley – it gives on paper in the collection including paintings, sketches and prints. Working with our collections digitisation assistant, nine volunteers me more than I give have dedicated 1,150 hours of their time to support this project. it, which doesn’t The volunteer team are working through the collection one object seem right, but it is at a time, measuring, condition checking and photographing them and updating the digital records. This year they have digitised 6,601 true. Thank you for works on paper, many of which are now accessible on our digital asset the opportunity.” management system. In recognition for all this hard work, the team were finalists in the West Midlands Volunteer Awards 2019, awarded Volunteer by West Midlands Museum Development. Blakesley Hall 11 MARKETING AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

• Birmingham Museums • A new membership online MiniBrum also crowned Trust attracted 923,145 sales system and website its first Mini Mayor, eight- visitors in 2019/20. There was launched in October year-old Poppy Jordan, at were significant increases 2019, with the aim of a ceremony with the Lord for Blakesley Hall (24,013 increasing member renewal Mayor of Birmingham, visitors, up 34% on the rates via autorenewal and Councillor Mohammed previous year), Soho House allowing gift memberships Azim. Poppy went on be (10,557 visitors, up 29% to be sold for the first time. interviewed for local radio on the previous year), There was a huge growth and newspapers. and Thinktank (243,308 in membership sales with • Our press office achieved visitors, up 5% on the membership income rising £3,936,787 of media previous year). by 37% to £131,515. coverage, far exceeding • We saw a significant rise • As well as hosting a visit by target and up from in BAME visitors, with The Duchess of Cambridge, £3,835,167 the previous the proportion across all MiniBrum staged the year. There was particularly venues increasing to 22%. Midlands broadcast of extensive regional and • Awareness of Birmingham BBC Children in Need, national media coverage Museums Trust’s charitable with over 130 guests for MiniBrum and Home status amongst visitors helping to showcase of Metal presents Black rose from 46% to 54%. the space on live TV. Sabbath 50 years.

ROYAL FOUNDATION VISIT TO MINIBRUM

The Duchess of Cambridge visited MiniBrum within the gallery, were amongst those who at Thinktank on 21 January 2020 to launch the welcomed Her Royal Highness. The visit achieved landmark UK-wide survey 5 Big Questions, aimed far reaching coverage, with many media pieces to spark the biggest ever conversation on early featuring images and videos which highlighted childhood. MiniBrum was delighted to be chosen MiniBrum, including BBC Breakfast, Vogue, The and were able to showcase the innovative way Times and The Telegraph. the gallery was designed and created with young children. Pupils from Henley Montessori School who curated their very own Mini Museum

12 DIGITAL AUDIENCES

• Our open access policy has • We ran a Remix event • Our social media reached • We were praised by art been very successful this Digital storytelling in the 793,074 people for critic and TV presenter year, following the launch museum, a projection Home of Metal present Bendor Grosvenor in the public version of our takeover day, in conjunction Black Sabbath 50 years; a the Financial Times digital asset management with BBC Digital Cities in campaign that successfully for having “seized the system (DAMS) in May September 2019. engaged people, while potential” of the restored 2019. Over the year • We commissioned artist operating within the Jan Brueghel the Elder it quickly outstripped Cold War Steve to produce copyright restrictions on painting shown in the BBC our targets, achieving new artwork inspired the use of Black Sabbath television show Britain’s 1,712,539 image views by images in our online music or images. Lost Masterpieces, and 18,933 downloads. image resource and • We ran a successful aired in November 2019. A partnership with Unsplash, worked with Black Hole crowdsourcing call out We shared the images one of the world’s leading Club to commission an for fashion photos to put on DAMS and made a photography websites, emerging artist to create in a video to accompany video highlighting the began in January 2020. a new digital artwork. Dressed to the nines, painting’s transformation, In the three months to and created several successfully reaching March 2020, our images • The number of 135,401 people across Birmingham Museums other videos to promote had over 67 million views exhibitions, sites, the our social media channels. and 344,344 downloads. Trust social media followers increased by online shop and wayfinding 10.5% to 229,629 across to the museum. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLANETARIUM UPGRADE

The new 4K planetarium system launched in Thinktank in April, offering brighter, sharper images and crystal- clear surround sound. The updated system has created opportunities for new show development, programming and collaboration. We have launched five new shows – Ice Worlds, The Hot and Energetic Universe, Moon Shot, Winter Sky and Spaceports, three of which were made in-house, written and narrated by museum enablers and members of the learning team. Since September 2019 there has been a regular evening programme of events aimed at adults. Planetarium Lates have comprised science talks, art and music using the planetarium dome. Collaborations have included working with students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, some of whom have composed music for our shows.

13 ALL OUR SUPPORTERS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE WORK WE DO

MAJOR FUNDERS

14 WE OWE A SPECIAL DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO Patrons and Corporate Patrons of Birmingham Museums Trust / Friends of Birmingham Museums / Public Picture Gallery Fund / All the donors and supporters of our Annual Appeal

THANK YOU TO ALL FUNDERS AND SUPPORTERS OF BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS TRUST Anonymous donors / Armed Forces Covenant Trust / Art Fund / Arts Council England Subject Specialist Network Fund / Arts Council England / V&A Purchase Grant Fund / Arts and Humanities Research Council / Association of Science and Discovery Centres / Birmingham City University / Birmingham Gems 2020 / Birmingham Municipal Fund / British Council / British Museum / Contemporary Art Society / Cooper Parry / Coutts Bank / European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme / Fazenda / Garfield Weston Foundation / Henry Moore Foundation / HSBC / Inspiring Science Fund co-funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome / LoveBrum / Mott MacDonald / Newcomen Society / Opus Restaurant / Savills (UK) Ltd / Smallpeice Trust / Stavros Niarchos Foundation / Staying Cool / The William A Cadbury Charitable Trust / The Wolfson Foundation / True Vue / University of Birmingham / Webster and Horsfall / Westhill Endowment Fund / Woodmansterne Art Conservation Awards

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL SUPPORTERS OF BIRMINGHAM HERITAGE WEEK 2019 Birmingham City Council / Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District / Scan Tech Digital

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC AND OUR VISITORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS DONATIONS

15 VENUES

16 • 31,602 visitors. • scored 89% THE HAUNTED HOUSE • £163,546 in income via in VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance admissions, donations, Aston Hall is a house brimming with Scheme and once again events, retail, catering atmosphere and mystery, so it is no surprise received their visitor and venue hire. that it received significant coverage and attraction Accolade for a rather unusual accolade in the press this • Aston Hall delivered a Best Told Story. very successful events year when one of the country’s leading programme once again • We were honoured to be teams of paranormal experts named it this year. The line-up finalists, alongside the the UK’s most haunted heritage site. This included the ever-popular best of the region’s tourist boosted the popularity of our ghost tours Fright nights and Aston attractions, for Small Visitor and of our immersive Fright nights, with Attraction of the Year in in Wonderland, as well tickets selling out time and time again. the West Midlands Tourism as brand new additions This heightened interest in the paranormal Awards 2020. such as Mythical beasts also led to the successful addition of a and fantastic creatures • 2019/20 saw increasing Ghost dinner in the 2019/20 programme, and our Festive market, demand for group travel an event that combined a thrilling tour all generating significant packages at Aston Hall, with a delicious meal in the Stable Yard Café. income for the site contributing to a healthy and attracting new growth in admissions, retail, audiences. and food and beverage income.

17 • 24,013 visitors. • Blakesley Hall continued HERB GARDEN CAFÉ • £92,797 in income via to create and deliver successful events for our admissions, donations, The existing tearoom in the visitor visitors. The programme events, retail, catering centre at Blakesley Hall was refurbished included Apple day and and venue hire. and rebranded as Herb Garden Café Falconry day alongside in November 2019. The new look café • Birmingham Museum new events such as a has been very popular with visitors and Trust’s annual exhibition car boot sale, Summer Inspire 19, was exhibited at fete and Public Services contributes to a more relaxed and pleasant Blakesley Hall for the first day. The annual events ambiance in this space overlooking the time from July–September Blakesley Hall ale & garden. Thanks to the changes made, 2019, displaying artwork cider festival and Santa income increased by 30% compared to the created by young people at Blakesley remained previous year. Blakesley Hall also worked aged 0–19 years around popular attractions, raising in partnership with Midlands-based charity the theme of family. significant income for Aquarius, to provide young people with • We expanded our work the site and attracting work placements in the Herb Garden Café. with local communities new audiences and To help ensure the café reflects its new and groups by hosting partnerships. name, volunteer groups have also worked the Happy healthy holidays • Blakesley Hall continued on plans for herb planting in the borders playscheme in August 2019 its successful volunteer around the café. which enabled access to programme with several activities and educational corporate volunteer programmes for local groups joining our regular children over the school volunteers to support us holidays. in improving the grounds.

18 • 570,435 visitors. • A gallery installation of HOME OF METAL • £1,275,006 in income via three films by Yugesh Walia explored cultural PRESENTS BLACK schools, donations, events, SABBATH 50 YEARS retail, catering and venue moments and experiences hire. for Birmingham’s Black and Asian communities A celebration of Black Sabbath from the • In June 2019, we in the 1980s. perspective of their fans, this exhibition in welcomed Home of Metal partnership with Home of Metal showcased • Birmingham Museum presents Black Sabbath 50 the band as pioneers of Heavy Metal & Art Gallery scored years. This exhibition, in and highlighted their significant role in partnership with Home of 90% in VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality British music heritage. Formed in Aston, Metal, attracted a diverse Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath are audience of 24,000 visitors Assurance Scheme. For the inextricably linked to the West Midlands. over its three-month run. sixth year running we were awarded their Quality Food The exhibition explored how the music of • The history of an important and Drink Accolade for the four working class lads captured the hearts local family business was Edwardian Tearooms. and minds of fans globally. Opened in June told in Webster and Horsfall: 2019 by band members Tony Iommi and 300 years of innovation • In the What’s On Readers’ Awards 2020, we won Best Geezer Butler, the exhibition attracted thanks to generous 24,000 visitors from across the country funding from the company. Independent Café/Coffee Shop in Birmingham for and overseas to view the rare collection of • Two exhibitions Birmingham the Edwardian Tearooms, personal memorabilia from band members, revolutions – power to the Best Visitor Attraction and to witness how fans have paid tribute people and Dressed to the in Birmingham, and Best to their idols over the last 50 years. nines were created to test Gallery/Exhibition Venue in story ideas for the museum’s Birmingham. We were also longer-term development. awarded Best Exhibition in Firm favourites with the Midlands (Runner-Up) visitors, including Man and for Leonardo da Vinci: a life His Sheep (1989) by Ana in drawing. Maria Pacheco, were displayed as part of Thoughts on Portraiture.

19 • 2,389 visitors. This project has shed new SPIRIT STORE • Our Heritage Open Day light on this fascinating area of our collection, was even more successful Working with a specialist, we completed and has supported us than 2018’s record-breaker, an inventory of our fluid preserved to undertake condition attracting 1,180 visitors specimens, known as the Spirit Collection. surveys, hazard checks who enjoyed vintage bus Photographing each object and recording and improve the storage rides, model railways, food information such as description, dimensions of this collection. and drink, storytelling, and condition, the inventory enabled us and the chance to explore • We continued engagement to identify which objects in the collection the store. with HS2, mitigating against were deteriorating and required further • We developed a the impact of the major conservation action to be taken. Inventory infrastructure project. Dust volunteering programme projects such as this provide invaluable and vibration monitoring to support our open data that both aids the management of are now in place to establish afternoons, allowing us the collection, and informs the decision a benchmark against which to increase the number making on its care and future use. This type any increase through of visitors who can attend of activity is essential to our role in caring each session. construction work can be measured. Along with for and developing the collection, and such • We continued to facilitate Birmingham City Council, inventories form a routine part of our work. collections programmes we began the process of including the Arts Council legally transferring areas England NPO-funded of land on the site that Science & Industry project. are needed by HS2.

20 • 18,370 visitors. on Smith & Pepper’s iconic FACTORY • £133,673 in income via snake range. These are VIEWING WINDOW admissions, donations, available to buy in store and online. The jeweller events, retail, catering In November 2019, the Museum of and venue hire. in residence is funded by a generous donation the Jewellery Quarter embarked on a • The Museum of the from one of Birmingham redevelopment of the reception and retail Jewellery Quarter Museum Trust’s Patrons. spaces. As part of the renovation we created delivered a successful a viewing window giving visitors a chance to • We hosted a number of programme of events see into the historic Smith & Pepper factory selling shows in our gallery including regular heritage workshop from the reception area. The focus space, including Jewellery walks exploring the of the project was to boost conversion to the Quarter type by artist Tom Jewellery Quarter and guided tour of the factory by providing visitors Explore the factory floor Hicks and East meets West in collaboration with China with a preview of the fascinating spaces open access days. The explored on the factory tour. museum also held a series West Midlands. of popular jewellery • The Museum of the Alongside the creation of the new viewing making workshops for Jewellery Quarter scored window, the redevelopment also included both adults and children. 88% in VisitEngland’s improvements to the retail space, a much- • The museum welcomed Visitor Attraction Quality needed refresh of the paintwork and flooring its second jeweller in Assurance Scheme and and the relocation of the reception desk residence, Vanessa Miller. received their Best Told towards the front of the space. The latter Vanessa created a range Story Accolade. has greatly improved the visitor welcome of silver jewellery based at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.

21 • 14,316 visitors. • The food and beverage BAKEHOUSE • £59,373 in income via experience has been greatly enhanced, with admissions, events, retail, February 2020 saw the completion of produce from the new catering and venue hire. the bakehouse project made possible by bakehouse now available generous donations from the HB Allen • We celebrated the in the Millers Tea Room. successful completion of To compliment this, we Charitable Trust and from the community the bakehouse project in have also introduced via a crowdfunding campaign. The project February 2020 which has barista coffee which has restored the original bakehouse back enabled baking to take proven very popular with to working order, with modern facilities place regularly on site for our visitors. installed to enable baking to occur on a the first time since the late regular basis. With a baker now employed, • We saw the continued 19th century. Sarehole Mill once again can boast a success of events such working bakery for the first time since the • As part of this project, the as Folk day, Pancake day historical interpretation and the sell-out Pumpkin 1870s, with daily bread available from our across the property has flotilla. shop. We are working towards a future been reimagined with new where Sarehole Mill be able to once again display panels and the grind its own flour, taking visitors on the addition of sound boxes full journey from grain to loaf. recreating the noises of a working mill.

22 “Being part of a project with the specific aim of delivering visible diverse stories to a traditional heritage site alone has made me feel empowered. Being aware that the work we were doing was actually serving a purpose that would potentially engage a wider and more diverse group of people in collating history has really inspired me. Even through having conversations in my group about all the creative ways we could potentially diversify history has really been inspiring.”

Amira Young Curator

• 10,557 visitors. • Soho House teamed DON’T SETTLE • £48,951 in income via up with Beatfreeks, an organisation that provides admissions, events, retail, Reimagining Soho House was our first-year a community for young catering and venue hire. project with Don’t Settle, a partnership creatives. Five young project empowering young people of • Soho House saw a curators supported us significant increase in in bringing Soho House colour from Birmingham to change the visitor numbers and back into the heart of the voice of heritage. Five young curators participation compared Handsworth community. worked with the Soho House team to to the previous two years. reimagine Soho House in the 21st century. • We welcomed our new Our summer events Focusing on businesswomen from Young Advisory Board to programme inspired Handsworth, Birmingham’s reggae music Soho House. This group of more people to explore scene and how the industrial revolution six volunteers is helping this significant historic could have affected our climate today, property. to shape the direction and future of Soho House the young curators learnt skills in planning, • We celebrated the 200th and provide an important designing and displaying an exhibition anniversary of ’s connection between around a historic house. This young team death, through a range of Soho House and its local were instrumental in leading the successful events and tours exploring community in Handsworth. launch of the exhibition and delivering his legacy. This included guided tours to Handsworth residents. the return of the popular Soho House steam fair.

23 • 243,308 visitors. BBC Children in Need in MINIBRUM • 45,581 school children November 2019, as well as the visit by HRH Duchess of visited. The opening of MiniBrum in May 2019 has Cambridge in January 2020 had a huge impact on the visitors coming • 4,216 people engaged to launch her early years to Thinktank to spend time and to learn in our STEM outreach survey, 5 Big Questions. programmes. about STEM from a very young age. The • We enjoyed the busiest number of visitors attending Thinktank who • 66,385 people engaged February half term on are under three years old has increased by in our STEM onsite record with 25,641 people 64% compared to the previous year. This is programming run on coming to the site over the in part due to the fantastic new gallery that weekends and school nine days in February 2019. holidays. allows families to learn together as children • In April 2019, we opened explore their very own city, but also due to • £2,586,529 in income our refurbished 4k the exciting programming that has been via admissions, schools, Planetarium with fantastic created to engage younger visitors. membership and third- feedback from customers. party promotions such It was a key tool in our MiniBrum hosted a MiniChristmas event as Groupon. celebrations of the 50th where children were invited to decorate • MiniBrum, the brand new anniversary of the moon, the gallery with a range of traditional under 8s STEM gallery for which we developed decorations and meet a very special visitor. which opened in May 2019, a brand-new planetarium A Mini Mayor was appointed who had the has seen a rise in visitors show and hosted an after- honour of meeting the real Lord Mayor of to Thinktank especially in hours party for visitors Birmingham, Councillor Mohammed Azim, under 3s and membership to learn about the Apollo and giving him a tour of the gallery. holders. MiniBrum has programme. The learning and engagement team enabled Thinktank to set • Thinktank scored 86% also created a preschool programme of up a preschool club during in VisitEngland’s Visitor activities to encourage parents and carers term time and school Attraction Quality to visit Thinktank on weekdays in term time. holidays. Assurance Scheme, with The programme uses both MiniBrum and praise going to the new • We have had some the new 4K Planetarium as a space to tell fantastic publicity this year Signal Box Café and stories, explore new worlds and to bring with live filming during MiniBrum. people together to share experiences and

24 make new friends. “Being a Castle Keeper has given me an enormous amount. I have developed new skills, gained new interests and passions and expanded my knowledge in a huge range of areas.”

Volunteer

• 8,139 visitors. record numbers to watch CASTLE KEEPERS • In January 2020, Weoley the birds of prey fly over the ruins. Castle introduced a regular The volunteer Castle Keepers of Weoley open day on the last • In summer 2019, Weoley Castle met fortnightly at the site to plan Friday of each month. This Castle hosted a BioBlitz events, support the conservation and provided visitors with a and bugs activity, giving maintenance of this important scheduled dedicated day where they families a chance to monument, research and expand their could explore the ruins explore the biodiversity knowledge and promote the ruins with the added benefit of of the Weoley Castle ruins amongst the local community. This a guided tour. These Friday and view their findings year, 25 volunteers alongside corporate openings complement the under the microscope. Our volunteering teams, dedicated over 1,500 other scheduled event year-round programme of hours to support the site. They assisted days at the site. children’s craft activities with events onsite including craft activities, also saw many returning • The annual Medieval guided tours, the Great Easter egg hunt, open day saw costumed families from the local community. Medieval open day and Falconry day. The reenactors take over the team also took a visit to the Museum ruins and received fantastic Collection Centre to view artefacts from visitor feedback. Falconry Weoley Castle. day in September was commercially successful, and the site welcomed

25 COLLECTIONS

ACQUISITIONS

Birmingham Museums Trust • Three pieces of jewellery acquired 80 items for the made by the Birmingham city’s collection this year, of manufacturer Alabaster which 16 were purchased and and Wilson, mid-20th 64 donated or bequeathed. century, purchased with Among these were a number support from the Friends of of objects that had previously Birmingham Museums Trust. been on long-term loan and • A group of items related on display in the Birmingham to protest in Birmingham, History or Faith in Birmingham including a waistcoat galleries. Acquisitions adorned with campaign included: badges, late 20th century, • A group of objects owned donated by Ms Jayne by a Prison Officer at HMP Faulkner. Birmingham (formerly • Archaeological material ), late 20th and archives from Cob Lane century. burnt mound excavations • A replica of the Staffordshire in 1980 and 1981 and other Hoard helmet commissioned burnt mounds in south as part of the Staffordshire Birmingham. Hoard Conservation and • A Les Paul guitar formerly Research project. owned and played by Basil • A set of Muslim prayer beads Gabbidon of the band WAISTCOAT WORN purchased in Jerusalem, late Steel Pulse, late 20th BY GILLIAN SMITH 20th century, donated by Mr century, purchased with the Makhdoom Chishti. assistance of the National Owner Gilliam Smith decorated this waistcoat with Lottery Heritage Fund • An architect’s model of the the badges of political campaigns she supported as part of the Collecting city of Birmingham, late during the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the badges Birmingham project. 20th century. relate to the 1984–85 miner’s strike which was • A ring featuring the • A printed textile, Not your a period of industrial action to prevent colliery cityscape of Birmingham, fantasy, 2018, by Farwa closures across the British Isles. Gillian Smith lived 2019 by Vicky Ambery-Smith, Moledina, purchased in during the strikes and helped the purchased with support through a gift in the will miners by collecting and distributing food parcels from the Contemporary Art of Tessa Sidey. to strikers and their families. Society Omega Fund and • A group of works by late the Friends of Birmingham The waistcoat and other objects were donated by 19th and early 20th-century Museums Trust. Jayne Faulkner, the daughter of Gillian Smith, and artists of the Birmingham were originally on loan to Birmingham Museums • An eight-part ceramic School, purchased from the as part of the Your Birmingham Gallery in the installation, Certain Times collection of Remo and Mary XXIV by Lubna Chowdhary, Birmingham History Galleries which opened in Granelli with the support of presented by the 2012. The waistcoat was acquired by Birmingham the Public Picture Gallery Contemporary Art Society Museums Trust in 2020 and was displayed in Fund. through the Jackson Tang temporary exhibition Dressed to the nines. • Plaster portrait plaques of Ceramics Award. Birmingham artists Kate and • A design for a fresco, The Myra Bunce presented by Return of Peace, 1916, by Michael and Helen Kendrick. Joseph Southall, presented “That jacket sort of represents my mum • Three films,African Oasis, by Mrs Anne Willson. 1980, Mirror, Mirror, 1980, basically, she fought and campaigned • A sculpture Study of Head and Sweet Chariot, 1981 by – John the Baptist III, 1992 for the rights of native American Yugesh Walia, purchased by Ana Maria Pacheco, with the assistance of Indians, and during the miner’s strike bequeathed by Dr Robin the National Lottery she fought and campaigned for the Thompson in memory Heritage Fund as part of of Hendrika Thompson- miners, and that jacket I think sort the Collecting Birmingham Dielessen with Art Fund project. of sums my mum up, in what she did, support. in what was important to her.”

Jayne Faulkner Daughter of Gillian Smith

26 LOANS

Over 8.7m visitors have • 12 artworks lent for • Three objects lent for Outward loans to 11 enjoyed seeing objects on Leonardo: a life in drawing, Birmingham revolutions – international venues: long-term loan to museums held at Birmingham power to the people, held • Pitti Palace Florence, around the world. 3,327 loans Museum & Art Gallery. at Birmingham Museum National Library of France, were seen by 8,887,099 people & Art Gallery. and a further 389 short-term • 11 works lent for Webster Vero Beach Museum of loans for exhibition were seen and Horsfall: 300 years • Six artworks lent for Art, Seattle Art Museum, by 1,041,681 visitors, of which of innovation, held at Whitworth Wallis artist in San Antonio Museum 356,239 visitors were to Birmingham Museum residence: Leanne O’Connor, of Art, Yale Center for national venues and 685,442 & Art Gallery. held at Birmingham British Art, KODE Art visitors to international Museums and Composer • 726 objects lent for Home Museum & Art Gallery. venues. We received a total Homes Bergen, Prins of Metal presents Black income from loans of £97,351. Outward loans to Eugens Waldemarsudde Sabbath 50 years, held eight UK venues: Stockholm, Tokyo 808 objects were lent to at Birmingham Museum Birmingham Museums for • National Portrait Gallery, Mitsubishi Ichigokan & Art Gallery. seven exhibitions. These Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Museum Tokyo, Kurume included: • One object lent for , City Art Museum Kurume, • 49 artworks lent for Too Dressed to the nines, held Tate Britain, Dovecot Abeno Harukas Art cute! sweet is about to get at Birmingham Museum Studios, The Fitzwilliam Museum Osaka sinister, held at Birmingham & Art Gallery. Museum, Midlands Arts Museum & Art Gallery. Centre, Mercer Art Gallery.

“An artist guild from another county came as a group to the museum for the first time. […] They could not believe they were standing in front of these works; they saw them in books and studied them but were in awe to be in their presence. It was an experience to be treasured. I wish every docent could experience what I did today. What a high.”

Docent Vero Beach Museum of Art

VICTORIAN RADICALS

Organised in partnership 135,000 visitors, continued its Frick Pittsburgh, the Nevada Now in their sixth year, these with the American Federation tour of the United States in Museum of Art, and the Museo awards are selected by a panel of Arts (AFA), Birmingham 2019/20, completing showings de Arte de Ponce in Puerto of expert judges from 99 Museums Trust’s international at Vero Beach Museum of Rico. Following the success of nominees across 14 categories, exhibition Victorian radicals: Art, Seattle Art Museum and the tour, the works will return representing works in six from the Pre-Raphaelites to San Antonio Museum of Art. home for a major showing at continents, 27 countries and the Arts and Crafts movement The US coronavirus lockdown Birmingham Museum & Art 74 cities. The award confirms presents highlights from the brought a temporary closure Gallery in 2022. the success of Birmingham city’s outstanding holdings of the fifth leg of the tour at Museums Trust’s largest ever We are delighted to have won of Victorian and Edwardian the Yale Center for British Art touring exhibition, which has the award for Best Modern or fine and decorative art, in New Haven, Connecticut brought Birmingham’s Impressionism (1840 to WWII) – including paintings, works on in March 2020, however the outstanding collection and Group or Theme exhibition in the paper, ceramics, metalwork, exhibition will be extended its pioneering artistic figures Global Fine Art Awards 2019, textiles and stained glass. there until September and will to a whole new audience in in partnership with the AFA. The exhibition, seen by over then continue to tour to The the US.

27 COLLECTIONS CARE

• We condition checked and be made accessible via This was trialled through • We concluded the conserved objects as part Birmingham Museums the transfer of an object volunteer silver cleaning of exhibitions, loans and Trust’s digital asset that had been on long-loan project and created a new displays, and managed management system and had little relationship volunteer opportunity the movement, storage • A dedicated inventory to Birmingham. to support conservation and documentation of assistant was appointed to • We improved the housekeeping at collections across sites. manage the administration collections management Birmingham Museum & • We undertook collection of long-loans, and audit system, EMu, with the Art Gallery, augmenting documentation for the and inventory activity events module increasingly the teams volunteering four-year Arts Council across all sites. used to manage collections at our Historic Properties and Thinktank. England NPO-funded • We completed the management activities, Science & Industry and asbestos survey of the while dedicated short- • We supported the care Rapid Digitisation projects, main warehouse at the term posts allowed and management of the with volunteers aiding Museum Collection Centre, focused data-tidying of city’s Public Art collection inventory, cataloguing, while the Collections Team the accession lots module. including the conservation data-tidying and developed a process for • We hosted a number of cleaning of the Old digitisation. This included collections rationalisation, interns and students, Square mural and Robert the digitisation of framed which would include and began hosting a year- Peel statue, and the works, many of which had hazardous objects from long Museum Futures 3D-scanning of the been unseen for some the survey, in line with trainee, through the Thomas Attwood statue. time. The images will the MA Code of Ethics. British Museum.

STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD MONOGRAPH

The Staffordshire Hoard monograph was published by the Society of Antiquaries in London in November 2019 and is the result of a ten-year conservation and research project. This exceptionally high-quality publication features papers, illustrations and photographs by a specialist team of archaeologists, historians, scientists and conservators, including a section by Birmingham Museums Trust’s conservation team. The monograph presents a wealth of information on various aspects of the Staffordshire Hoard, including its meaning and symbolism, material techniques and workshop practices, and the religious and historical context. It successfully contextualises the Hoard in the wider Anglo- Saxon world and aids understanding and interpretation of this unique treasure.

28 CURATORIAL

• Research and development acquired this year, including It tells the story of their Humanities Research of Birmingham Museums a waistcoat covered in business in the context of Council, included Trust’s collection is at campaign badges. the city’s industrial past participation in the Pre- the heart of our work. • We created a new using our collection and Raphaelites Online network, This year we built on collections development the company archive. aimed at bringing together knowledge developed policy which will guide • Through the West Midlands UK and US academics and through past projects and acquisitions over the Portable Antiquities museums with significant formed new partnerships coming five years. Scheme, delivered in collections in this area to to make step changes in Through a consultation- partnership with the British generate original research. our existing practice. led approach, and rooted Museum, we recorded Through the doctoral • Working across the in themes linked to 3,704 archaeological finds training programme, collection, we developed Birmingham and the wider in 2,890 national database Midlands4Cities, three 10 new thematic display region, the policy builds records. We engaged placement students concepts which will help to our capacity to develop 3,079 people, from metal supplemented our own shape the redevelopment the collection and displays detectorists to school collections research, while of Birmingham Museum & relevant to, and engaging children, and managed a successful funding Art Gallery. Two of these, for, the city and its people. 79 treasure cases, including application secured a PhD Birmingham revolutions a large silver late Roman project with the University • We worked with of Warwick to research the – power to the people and Birmingham manufacturing hoard from Wem in Dressed to the nines, were Shropshire. Italian Renaissance company Webster and collection of decorative art. developed into prototype Horsfall to create an • Academic research displays. They featured exhibition that celebrates partnerships, funded objects and artworks their 300th anniversary. through the Arts and

BIRMINGHAM REVOLUTIONS Birmingham revolutions – power Dressed to the nines explored to the people explored the city’s some of the changes which – POWER TO THE PEOPLE & vibrant history of protest and occurred in the types of DRESSED TO THE NINES activism. From the Priestley clothing worn for special Riots of 1791 to the LGBTQ+ occasions from 1850 to the campaigns of today, the present day. It included 12 full display narrated the history of outfits associated with the city, gatherings, riots, strikes and many never exhibited before, campaigns in the city through among them an embroidered art, literature, clothing and court suit which belonged music. to Birmingham-born Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

29 MAKING IT HAPPEN

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Workforce training and • A new mandatory training successful Science and • We have simplified and development continued to matrix was designed Heritage Career Ladder streamlined how staff and be a key focus at Birmingham specifically to support initiative. managers access learning Museums Trust, creating individual roles, with • Our membership of a and development events, collaborative learning content tailored to national apprenticeship supporting improvements opportunities across our maximise performance consortium helped us in workforce development organisation. We had 284 and support individual develop new apprentice budget allocation and staff actively using our development needs. opportunities in: efficiency. online learning platform • We invested in project • We began work on a completing 2,205 courses • Property Maintenance management training for Operative, Level 2 revitalised ‘back to the this year. This represented managers who oversee our floor’ programme which an increase in active users strategic and corporate • Museums and Galleries will see staff and managers of 113, with 1,350 more projects, to help build Technician, Level 3 working front of house courses completed since our project management • Team Leader & to help understand more the previous year. capacity. Supervisor, Level 3 about our visitors and their Highlights include: experiences. • We developed a mental • This year we helped • 164 leadership learning health First Aid programme, develop a programme of events completed. a new initiative and part of communications Courses included our ongoing employee workshops called Don’t conducting appraisals, wellbeing activities. Settle in collaboration with capability and misconduct, • We continued to invest BeatFreeks, focussing on absence management, in capacity to support up how to engage with recruitment of new staff, to 22 young local people different audiences, with communicating with from diverse backgrounds, a focus on young people employees, investigations working on our incredibly of colour. and grievances.

30 DEVELOPMENT CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP SCHEME Leave the office behind and enter a world of inspiration! In 2019/20 Birmingham Museums Trust generated fundraising income of £1,235,000 from our supporters, donors and grant In 2019 we launched our new Corporate Membership makers. Two major collections acquisitions proved a challenging club and welcomed our first two members, Cooper but ultimately successful fundraising task, securing John Parry and Savills (UK) Ltd. The membership offers Akomfrah’s Handsworth Songs (1986) and a marble relief of businesses in the city the opportunity to fulfil their Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais by Alexander Munro. corporate social responsibility requirements, inspire These acquisitions required the support of multiple funders employees and clients, and includes fantastic hospitality and achieving the funding targets remained in doubt until the and professional networking opportunities. We are very last moment. We are especially grateful to the Arts Council extremely proud to be part of this vibrant and diverse England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund who agreed to contribute to city. We work with businesses and their employees to the acquisition of both important artworks. engage with the city’s past and make an impact on its future together. The membership offers businesses a new way of developing their brand as well as exclusive access behind the scenes and to exciting activities with our curators. It also offers venue tickets and special events for their staff.

31 TRADING

RETAIL

All About Brum Celebrating the city of Birmingham has been an ongoing focus with regards to product development. In 2019/20 we created the Brum Cup, an environmentally friendly, reusable cup featuring the Birmingham skyline, drawn by local artist Olive Burke. We created Walk Birmingham, a new book containing 20 walks around Birmingham, aimed at encouraging people to get active and learn more about the heritage of the city. The book has consistently been in our bestsellers list both in store and online. We have also established links with local makers to showcase their work and further celebrate the city. YES BAB T-shirts and bibs by local designer Punks & Chancers, made with ethically- sourced organic cottons and vegan inks, have proved very popular this year.

32 FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONFERENCE AND BANQUETING

Signal Box Refurbishment Venue Hire Rebrand In June 2019 we completed the refurbishment of our In 2019/20 we undertook a rebrand of our venue hire café at Thinktank. Renamed Signal Box Café, it is a family marketing materials and on-site wayfinding. Initiated at friendly, fun setting where great food can be enjoyed in a Thinktank, we introduced new signage in and around our comfortable environment. Our objectives were to provide Event Suite and brought existing signage in line with our menu improvements that gave the customer greater choice refreshed venue hire branding. In addition, we created a and quality while improving profitability and reducing labour suite of marketing materials for all sites that better reflect costs for the organisation. One of the many successes the business and better promote the spaces and services of Signal Box Café has been creating a brand that takes we offer our clients. We completed a refresh of event and influence from the surrounding collection. The City of food photography at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Birmingham locomotive adjacent to the café provided and Thinktank and have used this resource to improve inspiration for the design and theme as well as providing our social media content and improve our sales calls. interactive sounds as a backdrop to the dining experience. The rebrand supported us in delivering 5% income growth Thanks to the development of Signal Box Café we have across Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Thinktank. seen an increase in sales of 16%.

33 ENGLISH CIVIC MUSEUMS NETWORK (ECMN)

The establishment of the ECMN and advocate for the value 2. International touring 3. Benchmarking and grew from an email exchange of civic museums in the light exhibitions (lead: Ellen data sharing between Ellen McAdam and of rapidly declining local McAdam, Birmingham Considered a valuable measure Tony Butler, Directors of government funding. Museums Trust) for organisations within the Birmingham and Derby Museums ECMN identified three work network, it has proved difficult respectively, in September 2015. These international touring strands: to collect coherent data from Influenced by the successful exhibitions aim to highlight members with such different Women Leaders in Museum 1. Think piece on the the quality of the collections in English civic museums and business and governance Network, the aim was to create future of civic museums to generate income for the models. Work on this strand is an informal network that would (lead: Tony Butler, Derby currently on hold until a new develop opportunities for network. Two exhibitions are Museums Trust) lead is appointed to take this mutual support and collaborative proposed: Enchant: fairies, forward. working, with a focus on The Think piece has been magic and the supernatural influential in highlighting the (2022 onwards at two venues), developing a strategic response The future of ECMN to the long-term funding issues issues facing civic museums. and Gods, myths and legends affecting the sector. In summer 2019, ECMN was (2023 onwards at three As of May 2020, the membership consulted on the initiative venues), the latter sponsored stood at 47, with potential Following a period of by Arts Council England by the Nikkei Shimbun. for expansion. The Steering consultation (facilitated by an and Department for Digital, Independent arts curator and Group are seeking funding for Arts Council England grant), Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) writer Kathleen Soriano will business planning and legal the ECMN was established in to carry out a survey of the lead both exhibitions, with support to enable them to 2016, comprising of senior condition of civic museums’ support from Toby Watley constitute ECMN as a formal museum professionals from estates. This formed the basis (Director of Collections) and membership group. organisations with similar of the successful attempt by Victoria Osborne (Curator, Fine backgrounds and governance DCMS to lobby Treasury for Art) of Birmingham Museums structures. The mission of the new £250 million Culture Trust. At the time of writing it the network is to support Investment Fund, launched in seems likely that the COVID-19 the leaders of England’s civic October 2019. Representatives outbreak will have an impact on museums, offer peer support of ECMN are regularly included the timetable for these shows. and share knowledge and by funders and government in expertise, support enterprise sector consultations.

34 FINANCES

TOTAL INCOME 11,502,686

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL 40%

TRADING 19%

ADMISSION INCOME 19%

ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND NPO 9%

MILLENNIUM POINT TRUST 2%

OTHER 11%

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 11,736,080

STAFF COSTS 53%

OTHER OPERATING EXPENDITURE 40%

MAINTENANCE AND RUNNING COSTS 3%

MARKETING 2%

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION 2%

35 TRUSTEES AND MANAGEMENT

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Professor Ian Grosvenor Chair (to February 2020) Niels de Vos Chair (appointed February 2020) Mohammed Ali MBE

Councillor Muhammad Afzal (to January 2020)

Clive Bawden (appointed October 2019) Alderman Randall Brew OBE, JP, FCA Dr Louise Brooke-Smith OBE

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP (appointed May 2019)

Cllr Phil Davis MBE (appointed January 2020) John Diviney Eamon Mooney

Mohammed Rahman (to May 2019) Luke Southall Tracey Stephenson Jonnie Turpie MBE Chrissie Twigg Claire Williamson

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM Dr Ellen McAdam Director Rachel Cockett Director of Development Janine Eason Director of Engagement Alex Nicholson-Evans Commercial Director Richard Paterson Director of Finance Toby Watley Director of Collections

36 EXHIBITIONS, TALKS AND LECTURES

EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAY CHANGES TALKS AND LECTURES BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY Barker, R Gas Hall 11 October 2019, Age Friendly Museums Network West Midlands: one-day showcase conference, Birmingham Home of Metal presents Black Sabbath 50 years 26 June – 29 September 2019 Beddoes-Davis, E 26 February 2020, Curatorial careers, art and employability Other Galleries event, University of and Law Too cute! sweet is about to get sinister, curated by 8 December 2019, Authenticity and impostor syndrome, Rachel Maclean Tate/British Art Network workshop for the Early Careers 26 January – 12 May 2019 Curators Group, The Hepworth Wakefield Leonardo da Vinci: a life in drawing 6 August 2019, Thoughts on portraiture: Ana Maria 1 February – 6 May 2019 Pacheco’s ‘One Man and his Sheep’ and friends, Birmingham and Midland Institute Op art From May 2019 Brain, D 4 December 2019, Conservation Club at Birmingham Museums, Reflecting Birmingham to the world and the world Icon Twitter Conference 2019 to Birmingham From 3 July 2019 Bridgman, R 17 December 2019, Building socially engaged practice at Birmingham in the 1980s: films by Yugesh Walia Birmingham Museums Trust, Galleries, Libraries, Archives 3 August – 10 November 2019 and Museums (GLAM) lecture series, Birmingham Museum Thoughts on portraiture & Art Gallery 3 August – 17 November 2019 4 October 2019, Curating World Cultures, Museums Association Birmingham revolutions – power to the people conference, Brighton 7 December 2019 – 6 September 2020 Bridgman, R & Fowles, A Dressed to the nines 25 February 2020, Talking museums: a critical dialogue, 7 December 2019 – 6 September 2020 National History Museum, Lahore, Pakistan Webster and Horsfall: 300 years of innovation Butler, L 30 January – 4 October 2020 21 November 2019, Lightning talk on MiniBrum co-production, Science Museum, London BLAKESLEY HALL 24 October 2019, MiniBrum presentations, ISF Grantholders’ Inspire 19 meeting, Thinktank 20 July – 14 September 2019 10 October 2019, MiniBrum presentation, Education Forum, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Belfast MUSEUM OF THE JEWELLERY QUARTER Jewellery Quarter type Cockett, R 15 November 2019, Authenticity in leadership: aligning your 1 August – 31 October 2019 personal and professional values, Space Invaders, Thinktank, East meets West: people, places and objects in Birmingham Birmingham and the West Midlands 23 January 2020, Fundraising at Birmingham Museums Trust, 9 January – 27 June 2020 Fundraising Managers Forum, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, London SOHO HOUSE Don’t Settle at Soho House Eason, J From 22 November 2019 6 November 2019, Day out with the kids panel discussion, Family Attraction Expo, NEC, Birmingham THINKTANK 30 October 2019, Moving on: supporting veterans at MiniBrum Birmingham Museums, SSAFA study day, Birmingham. From 25 May 2019 3 October 2019, Birmingham Museums and social impact, presentation to international delegates, Museums Association TOURING Conference, Brighton Victorian radicals: from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts movement Large, L 8 July 2019, History of the dinosaur displays at Birmingham Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Museum & Art Gallery, Researching dinosaurs: a multidisciplinary 13 June – 8 September 2019 symposium, Lapworth Museum, University of Birmingham San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas 10 October 2019 – 5 January 2020 McAdam, E 7 January 2020, Ancient Mesopotamia – land, monuments Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut and people, Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological 13 February – September 2020 (extended due to Society/Friends of Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham COVID-19 outbreak) Museum & Art Gallery 37 19 November 2019, Birmingham Museums and difficult Bolton, A, 2019 Penny of Edward the Confessor from Pershore, histories, Launch of Difficult histories and positive identities, Worcestershire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 130 report commissioned by Cumberland Lodge Bolton, A, 2019 Medieval padlock from Tysoe, Warwickshire, 3 October 2019, Making the case for museums, ECMN West Midlands Archaeol 60, 107 discussion at Museums Association conference, Brighton Bolton, A, 2019 Medieval seal matrix from Longdon, 27 September 2019, Collecting Birmingham, The Best in Worcestershire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 128–129 Heritage conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia Bolton, A, 2019 Roman spatula handle from Dodderhill, McMullen, E Worcestershire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 121–122 20 November 2019, New displays at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery: Birmingham revolutions – power to the people and Bolton A, and Wood E, 2019 A very late Early Medieval/Anglo- Dressed to the nines, History Day, University of Birmingham Scandinavian (c. AD 900 to 950) sword guard from Colwall, Miller, L Herefordshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 35 4 December 2019, Conservation of a complex contemporary Fern, C, Dickinson, T, Webster, L (eds), 2019 The Staffordshire artwork at Birmingham Museums Trust, Icon Twitter Hoard: an Anglo-Saxon treasure, London, Society of Antiquaries Conference 2019 in London Morton, K Freeman E, 2019 A Medieval Papal Bulla of Pope Pius II from 30 January 2020, From Ancient Peru to Lucie Rie and beyond: Ellesmere, Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 50–51 working towards new ceramics displays at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, CoCA (Centre for Ceramic Arts) Freeman E, 2019 An incomplete button and loop fastener symposium, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Hinstock, Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 52 30 April 2019, Leonardo da Vinci: a life in drawing, Birmingham Gilmore T, and Reavill P, 2019 A late Saxon or early Medieval and Midland Institute, Birmingham cross staff head Mount from Bitterley, Shropshire,West Midlands Archaeol 60, 44 Osborne, V 30 October 2019, Victorian Radicals: from the Pre-Raphaelites to Hoverd T, Reavill P, Stevenson J, and Williams G, 2020 the Arts and Crafts movement, Yale Center for British Art press The Herefordshire Viking Hoard; unpicking the story of stolen launch, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London treasure, Current Archaeology 361, 46–51 Przyrodzki, R Jones M, and Reavill P, 2019 A Medieval vervel/hawking ring 21 November 2019, Marketing for museums, guest seminar, of Medieval date 1380–1450 from Hereford, Herefordshire, University of Derby West Midlands Archaeol 60, 38–39 Spurdle, L North J, Reavill P, and Cherry, J, 2019 A silver Medieval seal 26 February 2020, Whose story is it anyway? and panel chair, matrix from Telford West from Telford West, Shropshire, West Telling tales: inclusion and collaboration, Hello Culture Remix, Midlands Archaeol 60, 63–64 BBC Digital Cities, Manchester Reavill P, 2019 Herefordshire Portable Antiquities in Ray K. 28 January 2020, Whose story is it anyway? and panel chair, Archaeology: 2018 Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Telling tales: inclusion and collaboration, Hello Culture Remix, Field Club 66, 162–167 BBC Digital Cities, The Watershed, Bristol 12 November 2019, Removing the barriers: open access at Reavill P, (ed), 2019 West Midlands Archaeol 60 Birmingham Museums Trust, DCDC conference workshop, Reavill P, 2019 A copper alloy harness fitting/terret ring of later Birmingham Iron Age – early Roman date (100 BC – 100 AD) from Brimfield, 8 November 2019, Women in digital careers talk: how did Herefordshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 33–34 I get here? Girls That Geek, MAC, Birmingham Reavill P, 2019 An Early Bronze Age undecorated Migdale 15 October 2019, Image licensing and the Creative Commons Axehead from Craven Arms area, Shropshire, West Midlands CC0 Waiver, Picture Library Symposium, Museum of London Archaeol 60, 47–48 24 September 2019, Whose story is it anyway? Hello Culture Reavill P, 2019 A late Iron Age fob-dangler from Cockshutt, Remix, BBC Digital Cities, Birmingham Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 48–49 Thompson Webb, J Reavill P, 2019 A Medieval heraldic decorated box lid from 14 June 2019, Have you got this one? Icon 19, Belfast Lilleshall, Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 53 21 May 2019, What’s eating your collection? poster presentation, 4th International IPM conference, Stockholm Reavill P, 2019 A later Prehistoric Iron Age votive miniature wheel from Newport area, Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol PUBLICATIONS 60, 56–57 Reavill P, and Gilmore T, 2019 A very late Iron Age ‘Donside’ Allnatt, V, 2019 Six silver Medieval hammered coins from Terret Ring from Lebotwood, Shropshire, West Midlands Fradley, Staffordshire,West Midlands Archaeol 60, 69–70 Archaeol 60, 51–52 Allnatt V, and Worrell S, 2019 Two broadly contemporary Reavill P, and Rosenbaum M, 2019 A Medieval millstone from early Roman brooches from Orelton, Herefordshire, West Clee Hill, Shropshire, West Midlands Archaeol 60, 46 Midlands Archaeol 60, 40–41

38 For more information please get in touch: 0121 348 8000 [email protected] For more details about our venues, visit: BIRMINGHAMMUSEUMS.ORG.UK Charity number: 1147014 Company number: 07737797 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 / 20

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