The Welsh Museums Federation Committee would like to thank all the speakers and attendees of this year’s Conference on 6th March.
It was a fantastic day at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea University, and a great opportunity to explore the collection at The Egypt Centre.
It was a momentous occasion, as the Federations first in-person conference since 2020, and felt special to gather and discuss together as a group.
The theme of the conference was ‘Museums after 25 years of devolved Government’ and throughout the day five speakers gave compelling presentations highlighting the progress, successes and challenges faced in the Welsh museums sector since the Government of Wales Act 1998.
The conference was compered by Ken Griffin, Egypt Centre curator and President of the Welsh Museums Federation, and introduced by Jack Sargeant, Welsh Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership.
Mr Sargeant highlighted the developments made and resilience shown by the Welsh museum sector since devolution.
Following the strategy for museums in Wales (2010-2015) and the creation of the Future Generations and Wellbeing Wales Act 2015, the Welsh government have continued to support the sector.
Recent examples include:
- The Anti-Racism Wales Action Plan (ArWAP)
- Museums Spotlight Surveys – collecting important data from museums across Wales
- Welsh Government contributions to the sector through administering funding via the Welsh Museums Federations ‘Small Grants Scheme’
- Recent Wellbeing studies in the sector – highlighting how museums allow people to feel less lonely, isolated and achieve self-fulfillment
Our second speaker, Rachael Rogers, the Vice President of the Museums Association, discussed the value and resilience of museums in Wales.
‘It is clear that now more than ever the sector must show the strongest cases of value of our museums to culture.’
Rachael highlighted the significant work being done at the Museums Association (MA), and how they can support museums across Wales via:
- Several funding schemes – Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, Beecroft Request and the Members Support Fund.
- Providing research and advice on social issues affecting the sector such as diversity, anti-racism and climate justice.
- Promoting ethical practice and providing guidance through the MA Ethics Committee
- Celebrating the importance and value of museums through their Museums Change Lives Awards.
This year the Museums Association Conference will be held in Wales, at St Fagans National Museum of History; a great opportunity to network and showcase Welsh heritage developments.
The third speaker of the day was Andrew White from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), who are celebrating 30 years of providing support.
NLHF has invested nearly £500,000,000 to more than 3,400 projects in Wales that are important to our national story.
Projects in Wales draw on a UK wide budget and are managed with a devolved budget and decision-making committee.
Some examples of the NLHF projects across Wales, such as:
- Wrexham museum ‘The Museum of Two Halves’; a fully refurbished and enhanced Wrexham Museum in the current building, alongside a brand-new National Football Museum for Wales.
- The National Slate Museum; a project to conserve and improve the condition of the site’s built heritage, transforming it into an interpretation hub for the Wales Slate Landscape.
Next, Robin Johnson from The Group for Education in Museums (GEM Cymru) discussed the developments in the Welsh museum sector improving the education provision.
GEM Cymru work with the Welsh Government, administering funding on their behalf, allowing GEM to support the museum learning sector in responding to the Curriculum for Wales.
Some of the Welsh Government funded projects include:
- Working with Dr Marian Gwyn to produce a comprehensive toolkit for museums in Wales to help them navigate the new Curriculum for Wales.
- GEM micro grants to help develop museums learning services as the curriculum was first rolled out in Autumn / Winter 2022/23. One example The Egypt Centre, Swansea: The Mindfulness in the Museum. The project aimed to develop a new school session focusing on mindfulness in response to the new Health and Wellbeing Area of Learning and Experience in the new Curriculum for Wales.
- ‘GEM Learning Mentor’ project, in which an educational practitioners worked with selected museums in Wales to help them design, develop and test out new resources and services that relate to the new curriculum. Alongside the mentoring process, a small budget was available to help the museums with the cost of the design and production of materials & resources.
The fourth speaker, Steve Burrow from Amgueddfa Cymru, discussed The Treasure Act and its importance for museums across Wales.
Since 1997, around 850 Treasure finds have been made in Wales, mostly by metal-detectorists.
The Treasure Act 1996 is the same within England and Wales, however, Coroners in Wales are responsible for taking decisions on whether finds made in Wales legally qualify as Treasure or not.
Steve provided an interesting oversight into the definition of treasure items, and the current process in place; from treasure discovery to acquisition into museum collections.
Steve explained how treasure discoveries in Wales are increasing (between 60 to 80 cases a year), and are significant for telling local, regional and national stories within our museums.
Thus, it is important to understand the process and engage with the Finds Liaison Officers at Amgueddfa Cymru.
The final talk of the day was given by heritage consultant, Dr Marian Gwyn, discussing the anti-racism project ‘Museums, Collections and Cynefin – Delivering a Lasting Legacy’.
Marian explained how Wales is leading the way with its Anti-Racism Wales Action Plan, developed by the Welsh Government in 2022. Welsh museums have responded to the Governments Anti-Racism Wales Action Plan. This has been supported by projects such as ‘Museums, Collections and Cynefin’ funded by the Welsh Museums Federation and Welsh Government, and led by Marian.
Over 40 Welsh museums took part in the project, which delivered:
1. A review of the museum collections focusing on colonialism, slavery, and diversity, culminating in a written report for each museum.
2. A one-day onsite workshop for museum staff on the findings of the review – comprise an overview of the collection review, examples of successful engagement projects elsewhere, and suggestions for working with new audiences.
3. Access to funding to create long-term resources resulting from the review and training session
The project gave museums the opportunity to engage with their collections at a greater depth, highlighting ways to explain and interpret objects that may not have considered before. For example, telling the wider story of social history objects related to tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate, and materials such as cotton and silk, particularly the links to trade and colonialism. It also allowed museums to consider new audiences to engage with, and ideas for co-collaboration projects to understand and share different stories from their collections.
All five speakers showcased how museums and the heritage sector in Wales continues to inspire with its forward thinking, creativity and ability to set new standards 25 years after devolution.
The conference was kindly part funded by the Welsh Government Culture Division.
