£175K Awarded Through The Sustainable Co-production Fund

MGS is delighted to announce that Paxton House, HMS Unicorn, Glasgow School of Art, David Livingstone Birthplace, and Glasgow Life Museums have been awarded grants through the Sustainable Co-Production Fund.

The fund is part of Delivering Change, a collective effort between MGS and partnering museums, galleries, and community groups to restructure as organisations based on anti-oppressive principles. The Delivering Change Sustainable Co-production Fund was made possible thanks to National Lottery players and People’s Postcode Lottery players.

The fund was developed by MGS to support learning in the sector around developing sustainable participatory practice and co-curation. It champions museums who are leading in the delivery of this area of work and helps them to take the next steps to fully embed co-production in their organisation. The awarded projects focus on working with people who have been systemically excluded to share power in decision making, create learning spaces where knowledge sharing is a two-way process, and empower people to make decisions about their cultural lives.

Stephen Allen, Interim Director of David Livingstone Birthplace Museum and Asma Abdalla, CEO & Founder of Empower Women for Change said:

“The David Livingstone Birthplace and Empower Women for Change are excited to collaborate on Connecting Communities and Collections, which will see a participant-led programme of workshops, activities and community displays at the museum.

This project will enable participants to explore themes within the museum and its collections, looking at new narratives within the complex realities and legacies of slavery and colonialism. Participants will be given opportunities to explore, understand and develop their interests and skills within the heritage sector by engaging with expert practitioners. The key aim of this collaboration is to harness and elevate existing skills of participants to create opportunities to increase personal development, gain transferable skills and to explore pathways into heritage.”

Sheila Asante, Delivering Change Programme Manager, Museums Galleries Scotland said:

“Following museum sector and community group feedback, and thanks to the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we’ve created a purpose-built fund that supports sustainable collaboration between museums and community groups. With an emphasis on longevity, power sharing, and equity we’re delighted that this fund will support five museums and the groups they work with to take the next steps to making their work together sustainable.”

Project Information:

Paxton House

Received £40,000 for their Caribbean Connections Creative Partnership to work with their partners, Descendants. They will bring together internationally-renowned Grenadian artist, Billy Gerard Frank, Edinburgh Caribbean Association, Grenadians, and local communities to make innovative artwork and heritage resources available for local and global audiences

Glasgow School of Art

Received £29,778 to work with their community partners to reflect, refine, and record their work to date and explore new approaches to co-production.

David Livingstone Birthplace

Received £39,206 to collaborate with Empower Women for Change: Thistles and Dandelions on a participant-led programme of workshops, activities and community displays.

Glasgow Life Museums

Received £40,000 to work with the Mental Health Foundation’s refugees and asylum seeker team. They will deliver a Person of Colour Youth Group from the Gallery of Modern Art. The group will provide a safe and inclusive space for young people to develop their interest and knowledge in art and deliver exciting new programming that will engage with diverse audiences.

HMS Unicorn

Received £26,016 to co-produce exhibits and materials with Ukrainians who have relocated to Dundee following the Russian-Ukraine war. The sessions will be a place for the local Ukrainian community to develop transferable skills including language and social integration, as well as explore heritage together.