What is Renaissance?

Renaissance is a Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) funded programme with the aim of transforming England’s regional museums, making them world class and fit for the 21st Century. Renaissance is working with museums to enhance what they offer. It enables museums to maximise capital developments and provides other financial support so that they can attract more visitors, work more effectively with schools, community groups and lifelong learning, make the most of their collections and invest in their staff.

Renaissance is led by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Renaissance East Midlands has already helped the region’s museums to benefit from £8.4 million of investment between 2003 – 2009.

Aims of Renaissance East Midlands

Renaissance East Midlands works with museums to help them be the best they can for visitors, staff, volunteers and the community. It does this by working with others to:

Increase engagement

  • By diversifying and increasing museum audiences to reflect local communities and visitors to the region.
  • By highlighting and supporting museums as inspirational centres of learning.

Create world class museums

  • By ensuring collections are cared for and developed to be more accessible to more people.
  • By enabling museums to take advantage of current technologies.

Create a more sustainable museums sector

  • By developing a diverse, knowledgeable, skilled and supported workforce.
  • By creating a strong sector voice, representing a strong museums community in the region.
  • By facilitating museums working together in a truly inclusive East Midlands museum community.
  • By encouraging and supporting museums to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Who is involved?

The East Midlands Renaissance partnership includes:

  • Leicester Arts and Museums Service (lead partner) 
  • Derby Museums and Art Gallery 
  • Leicestershire Heritage Services 
  • Lincolnshire Heritage Services 
  • Nottingham City Museums and Galleries
  • Northampton Museums Service
  • Museums, Libraries and Archives East Midlands (MLA East Midlands)

Renaissance is also working with all museums across the region through its support staff and grants programme, enhanced in the counties by the museum development officers (MDOs). The MDOs and the work of Renaissance East Midlands are supported by a team of specialist Renaissance East Midlands staff; including officers supporting work in  learning, e-learning, digitisation, collections, sustainability, audience development, workforce development and accreditation.

 
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