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.
With the first cohort of students achieving their qualifications later this year, we are delighted to build upon the success of the programme in the hope of continuing to foster a more diverse and inclusive 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)
We are now recruiting Arts and heritage organisations for the New Museum School Advanced Programme’s third cohort.
Spread the news and share this exciting opportunity with your network!
Email Info@cultureand.org to get in touch and join in.
Culture& and the University of Leicester School of Museum Studies are hosting an online ‘FIND OUT MORE’ session for prospective host partners on MONDAY 4th SEPTEMBER, 1-2pm.
Join us by contacting info@cultureand.org