Bringing national opportunities to Southwest museums

A live-streaming event for the Museums Association Annual Conference
Generic image of a conference, talk or lecture.
In 2021, as part of their Showcasing Scheme, Cultivator hosted and live-streamed talks and seminars from the Museums Association Annual Conference held in Liverpool, on topics that examined the role creatives and businesses play in tackling urgent issues such as climate change, racism, discrimination, and the post-covid world. Hosted at Truro Library, representatives from at least 25 different museums and archives from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly attended the event. Students from the University of Plymouth’s MA Archival Practice course were also invited to join the event as a fantastic opportunity to network and create exciting new projects with industry leaders in the Southwest.
“Coming out of social isolation and engaging in an event that enabled me to discuss best practice and thinking around museums. The talks were stimulating and on an international level, but I was able to talk to colleagues from local museums. I could never have afforded to attend in person – this was also better for the environment!”
A Brave New World 2021 Conference Attendee 

The Conference

The pandemic presented a difficult situation because of the limited access to performances and physical exhibitions. Although the world was reopening when the 2021 conference was held, most of the museums have limited funding and are led by volunteers with little time. This is how the idea of the joint space at Truro Library and the online live streaming of the event came about, to encourage accessibility and engagement in this kind of activity. 

What did the Conference achieve? 
  • Live streaming made opportunities more accessible and reduced environmental impact.
  • Fostered a space for the museum and galleries sector to come together for integral networking and to share ideas, knowledge and best practice. 
  • Created space to share inspiration, ideas and visions on globally important topics. 
  • Enabled an exploration of ways to work effectively with communities hit hard by economic hardship and social upheaval during the pandemic. 
In the future, the hope for the project is to create a hub where museums can come together in a similar way to the Truro Library event to discuss important topics, share best practice and create innovative and new ideas.
Conference - image courtesy of Getty Images

The Showcasing Scheme 

Cultivator’s Showcasing Scheme finds interesting ways to showcase creative companies, freelancers and organisations across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Creative practitioners and students are funded to attend key regional and national events to develop their professional networks and showcase their practice. 
The team recently took a cohort of Cultivator clients to The Celtic Media Festival, an annual 3-day summit which included the coveted Torc Awards for Excellence. 
The scheme has developed greatly since its beginning, with a lot of work now revolving around developing innovative ideas and showcasing opportunities for the Cultivator clients. However, collaboration continues to be at the heart of the project, as the team always seek new ways to strengthen their work through partnering with key organisations.
“The Celtic Media Festival was a fantastic opportunity for clients to network with other practitioners from across the Celtic nations and discuss plans for the future of Cornwall’s film industry. Several clients won awards with others being nominated, overall, it was a great profile raiser.”
Emma Dyason, Project Officer

This case study was written by Olivia Templeton, a student at the University of Plymouth. Connect with Olivia on LinkedIn.