This year, we are delighted to announce that more people applied to the New Museum School Advanced Programme than ever before. While we are pleased that there is a clear demand for the programme, it also illustrates that there are many in the arts and heritage sector who continue to hit the proverbial glass ceiling, with many senior and even middle-ranking positions blocked-off to those without postgraduate qualifications.

The UK arts and heritage sector has one of the most over-qualified workforces, with average pay being relatively low despite the time and monetary investment in qualifications by its workers. Historically this has certainly been a factor in keeping the sector largely monocultural – white, middle class and ableist. Not everyone has the financial security or lack of commitments to conduct a conventional postgraduate course, and we know from decades of data that people who are racialised, are working class, are disabled are less likely to feel financially secure.

The 2022 Report, ‘If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes’ published by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, showed that the arts and heritage sector had only 6-8% of workers who are racialised. Yet the 2018 report ‘Panic! Social Class and Inequalities in the Creative Industries’ by Create London but covering the whole country, found a lower figure of 2.7% for their estimate of racialised people in the museum, gallery, and library workforce in the UK. The Panic report also showed an over-representation of individuals from upper-middle class, and non-disabled backgrounds.

In 2020, we formed a new partnership with the University of Leicester’s School of Museum Studies to explore how we could work together to foster a more diverse and inclusive arts and heritage sector. The partnership brings together Culture&’s track record of nurturing diverse talent through sector collaborations, with Leicester’s experience of supporting creative and critical thinking amongst museums, arts and heritage practitioners and a long-standing commitment to positive action.

The New Museum School Advanced Programme, the first formal programme of the partnership, launched in 2021 with support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The Programme not only offers a world-class postgraduate offer but also brings with it the opportunity to harness the arts and heritage sector in driving a movement of inclusive transformation.

Students enrol in 2-year part-time postgraduate courses at the university, as part of this they take part in a Project in Practice Module with an arts and heritage organisation – conducting high quality research for the organisation.

Cultural Partners

Cultural partners can participate via a sliding scale of investment, from £2,500 – £5,000 and receive:

Places for staff to participate in an annual symposium exploring leading-edge approaches to socially engaged practice in arts, heritage and cultural institutions
Access to three online webinars per year showcasing new thinking, research and practice in the UK and internationally
Opportunity to host New Museum School students to carry out practice-centred research

We are delighted to build upon the success of the programme in the hope of fostering inclusive transformational change in the arts and heritage sector.

We thank Esmèe Fairbairn Foundation, Marstine Family Foundation, Art Fund, University of Leicester and our heritage partners for their generous support of the New Museum School Advanced Programme.

Photo credit: Liz Isles (2023)

Email Info@cultureand.org to get in touch and join in.

New Museum School Advanced Programme Inclusive Transformation Network Symposium

Every year, the New Museum School Advanced Programme curates a two-day symposium bringing students and cultural partners together with an inspiring group of thought leaders and practitioners in the field.

Symposium 2025: Museums for Everyone in Challenging Times

9 – 10 July 2025