ITP Newsletter 5 – Call for Submissions!

Dear ITP Fellows,

This is our call for submissions for the 5th newsletter of the International Training Programme!

We are asking all fellows to help put together our newsletter for 2018 – to share news, views and stories from across our global network.

The background

Following on from our 2016 Yerevan conference and workshop on the vital role museums play in education and audience engagement, our 2018 newsletter will focus on the themes of learning and engagement in the museum sector and our Senior Fellow 2017, Hayk Mkrtchyan, will be guest editor for this edition.

Our remit

Museums are built on three key principals – to care for their collections, to share and ensure those collections connect with their audiences and to develop a sustainable and resilient future.  Museum learning is an essential thread which connects and supports those key principals and in turn can be transformative for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

We’d like to hear from any of our fellows about their experiences of learning and engagement in their institutions and we welcome submissions on any or all of the topics below.

• Learning and engagement, 300 words, telling us how your museum currently engages with its audiences.

  Tell us about your programmes for children and schools; how do you work with teachers to support them before, during and after school visits?; what events do you have in place for adults and older audiences?; what projects have you delivered for engaging with new audiences?  Is there a demographic that you’d like to work with more closely and how do you propose to do this?

  Think about how successful these projects and programmes have been.  We’d love to hear about your successes but feel free to share your challenges and lessons learned too.

• Your Collection in Focus, 200 words, about an object in your museum/gallery that you see as a potential catalyst for engaging with a new audience or that could be a focus for a public programme.
• Global perspectives, 500 words, with your own thoughts and reflections in response to the following question:
  “Why should cultural institutions in [your country] seek to engage new audiences with inspiring, exciting and motivational experiences? What impact do you foresee these having on the future of your museum/gallery?”

• Did you know that…? 300 words, telling readers something they may not already know about the cultural sector in your country.  Think about something new or unique to your institution, country or region – an interesting story you’d like to share.
• Bulletin Board, 20-50 words per submission, tell us what is happening in your institution, i.e., gallery refurbishments, exhibitions, community work, special events.
• Global network news, short descriptions updating us on your personal and professional news – awards, job changes, promotions, courses started and completed, and any information that you think the ITP alumni might be keen to know about.

Please include three or four good quality, high-resolution photographs with your submissions.

The deadline is 31st January 2018 and we are looking forward to reading what’s new with you and your institution!

Please send your submission by WeTransfer to itp@britishmuseum.org