Birmingham Museums Trust will receive £49,728 in funding from Art Fund as part of their Reimagine programme.

Designed to inspire creativity and increase stability and resilience in the sector, the Reimagine programme supports organisations to develop or refresh their work in response to their current situation by providing grants of up to £50,000. This year, the funding was given to projects with the aim that it would help organisations reimagine their approach to partnerships.

Birmingham’s collections sit at the heart of the organisation, so Birmingham Museums Trust developed Dynamic Collections to deliver its vision of putting people at the centre of its practice. This 10-year programme to democratise access to Birmingham’s nationally significant collections puts our collections directly into the hands of Birmingham’s citizens, giving them a meaningful role in their care and management, both on-site and digitally.

Collections in the Community will build on the successes and support the delivery of Dynamic Collections by building capacity within the Collections Access team and providing the opportunity to grow the programme. This will include:

• Building new partnerships and deepening links and engagement in Nechells (the Museum Collection Centre’s location).

• Managing relationships with existing Dynamic Collections partner organisations such as the Sophie Hayes Foundation, Heart of Birmingham Vocational College, Nechells POD, through placements and visits, tailored to need and interest, as requested by the partners;

• Piloting new processes to loan collections items for display in non-museum venues for the first time with our partners.

Not only will support from the Art Fund build capacity to nurture new and existing partnerships, including the establishment of a Community Partner Panel, but it will also help continue to reframe Birmingham Museums Trust’s collections management around a participation-centred model, which engages new and underrepresented groups and embeds an authentically democratic approach at the heart of the organisation.

Emily Locke, Head of Collections, said:

"We are very grateful for the generous funding from the Art Fund towards the Dynamic Collections programme! This support will enable us to provide activities that continue to engage people with the city’s wonderful collection."

Find out more about Dynamic Collections.