Museum + Heritage Show
14 May - 15 May
FreeThe Museums + Heritage Show is the UK’s largest gathering of industry professionals, showcasing the latest innovations and best practices in the cultural sector. It is FREE to attend.
This year, GEM will be hosting a series of events:
Learning and Outreach
May 14, 2 – 2.45 pm, Ambience Networking Lounge
Join us for a dedicated networking session for professionals passionate about learning and outreach in the cultural sector. Whether you work in education, community engagement, or outreach programming, this is a chance to connect, exchange ideas, and share best practices with like-minded peers. Come along to spark new collaborations and gain fresh inspiration for your work!
Generic Learning Outcome Framework – A New Sensory Engagement OutcomeEquality,
May 15, 11:15 – 11:55 am, Theatre 3
GEM will launch a new accessible Generic Learning Outcome called Sensory Engagement. GEM has worked with Specialist Museum Consultant, Sam Bowen, the University of Leicester and other specialists to expand the GLOs in line with accessibility and inclusion. The GLOs are a tool for observing different types of learning engagement in museums. Carl Newbould from Leeds Museums & Galleries will demonstrate how the new outcome can be used to support learning for children & young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Powering up Anti-Racism in Museum Education
May 15, 12:15 – 12:55 pm, Theatre 3
Join GEM Cymru and Dr Marian Gwyn to hear about the learning, insights and experiences we’ve explored in embedding the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan into educational programming. We will be delving into global perspectives, innovative storytelling techniques, and practical strategies to make anti-racism an integral part of your museum’s learning work.
Working Together: Embedding Creative Health and Wellbeing Work in Museums
May 15, 1:15 pm – 1:55 pm, Theatre 3
Hear case studies from two museums working to embed creative approaches to health and wellbeing throughout their organisations from the Working Together project, a partnership between the Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance and GEM, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The session will highlight examples of creative health and wellbeing work being undertaken as part of the project, from co-produced dialogic objects which ignite curiosity to raising awareness of mental health through a ‘whole museum’ approach. The overall aim of the project is to develop and embed health and wellbeing work in museum and heritage settings for their audiences. By doing this, we will help the sector build stronger relationships with healthcare and community partners, both nationally and strategically.
In Practice: Working with children Learning Outside of School
May 15, 2:15 – 2:55 pm, Theatre 3
There is a well-publicised growth in the number of families in the UK moving to home education as well as an attendance crisis in schools. This session highlights recent research into how museums are working with children learning outside of school and how GEM’s new toolkit can help to build this audience.
How can we help children thrive, rather than just survive? Emotion Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Case Study
May 15, 3:15 – 3:55 pm, Theatre 3
This case study will illustrate how South Shields Museum and Art Gallery partnered with a South Tyneside Council Educational psychologist, Lauren Bowden, to use the museum space and its collections to inspire a group of children and young people and their families to use art and co-create an art exhibition, as a way to express what makes school a challenging place for them, what it is like to step into their shoes, to help others better understand how they might be able to help.