Category: Arts and Cultural Management

Rosalie Smith

I am interested in museum and heritage management in all aspects; however, I have had a particular focus on audience engagement and methods of digital engagement. These have been my focus for research during my MA as I completed a research project addressing digital engagement with museums and heritage sites during the COVID-19 pandemic and my dissertation addressed the changes as museums and heritage sites reopened to the public. I also have a strong interest in Archaeology as I studied an Archaeology for my undergraduate degree at University of Sheffield. 

Reflective journal entry- Kennewick Man
This is the first reflective journal entry I wrote for the course and explore my feelings around repatriation which I then went on to write my end of term essay on. Having studied Archaeology I find repatriation of archaeological finds very interesting and have had to think carefully about what the right balance between scientific study and respecting other cultures is as archaeology often seems like a Western idea forced on other cultures. However, as I explored later in my essay many indigenous cultures are developing their own archaeological investigations and gaining more protection for their heritage in law. 

How do museums see themselves?
As I was developing my ideas for one of my end of term essays I began to examine the role of museums in health and wellbeing, this reflective journal entry related to that exploration of ideas. It focused on the way that the museums themselves view their role and how that role has changed over time from museums being a place purely for research and the conservation of artefact to looking to serve the community around them and promote health and wellbeing. I chose to focus the essay which developed from this around museums’ role in dementia care as it is a topic that has personal meaning for me. 

Research Project Proposal 
This research project focused my interests towards audience engagement and digital engagement, it took the current issue of COVID-19 and addressed how museums and heritage sites were overcoming the lockdown restrictions to still provide a service for their visitors. It was of particular interest to me as it was a current issue that had potential implications for museums and heritage sites. These interests then developed into other projects for instance my funding application in Semester 2 proposed the development of an App for Creswell Crags to improve visitor engagement and access to the site, the group project looked at ways to create profit from digital resources and I focused on the expansion of a Patreon service. Finally, my dissertation addressed how audience engagement was again changing as museums and heritage sites were able to open their doors again in Spring 2021 and the impact of the social distancing measures on visitor and staff experiences. 

Research Methods Presentation 
This presentation shows the development of my ideas from my research proposal and the early stages of my research. It has a focus on the methods used for the research along with the beginnings of the results from the questionnaire I created and distributed. 

Ann-Marie Sanella

I am currently studying an MA in Arts and Cultural Management. Throughout, I have focussed my research on alternative forms of education, specifically in museums. This is because I really believe cultural settings can offer uniquely interactive and engaging experiences that help develop important core skills for children and young people, in an enjoyable way where they are motivated to learn. I would love to find work that helps connect children and young people from all backgrounds, ages, and abilities to these experiences. 

Reflective journal entry- Kelham Island
During the MA, we were encouraged to critically reflect on what we were learning about the cultural sector in terms of our personal experiences and opinions via a journal. Below is my reflection on the cultural identity of Kelham Island, a local hub of gentrification, after exploring the place of art in the public sphere. 

Module reflection
This is another reflective journal post which I wrote towards the end of the first trimester of my MA. I feel it gives a good representation of why I chose to do the course, but also how my perceptions of cultural engagement have adapted and evolved with what we learned. 

Research methods abstract
This is the abstract of a research project I recently completed looking at how teachers have engaged with learning activity developed by a museum during COVID. Hopefully, this gives a sense of what approach the research took, how data was collected and analysed, and the implications of the findings. 

This block prevents right clicking, in order to prevent downloads.
Delete this block to re-activate right clicking.

Izzy Randall

I am a BA English Graduate with an interest in literature, publishing and editorial work. I have completed work experience at a prestigious publishing house as a marketing and publicity assistant within the children’s department in London as well as a three-month work experience opportunity at an indie cookbook publisher in Sheffield. I have a keen interest in the marketing and publicity that surrounds the book business, as well as the rights and legal sector that works alongside this. These interests have continued on into my MA, where I have become increasingly interested in the marketing and planning areas of arts and cultural institutions, such as during our individual project in which we were tasked with creating and planning an event for a company of our choice, including budgets and financial statements.  

My other professional interests include music, live events and the importance of local, grassroot venues. This has become clear over several assignments, such as my research project where I investigated the use of streaming services for emerging artists and my dissertation, which is focusing on the importance of grassroot music venues for the local community and live music ecology. During my time on this course, I have developed a keen interest in the accessibility of arts and culture. I am especially interested in investigating ways in which this can be improved and whether the digitalisation of the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the ways the sector can be accessed; this also includes how arts and culture can be used within non-traditional educational settings. I feel that arts and culture should be accessible to all and can be used as an important and effective tool in improving confidence, life skills and, in some cases, educational attainment. I researched this for one of my assignments, focusing on the use of the arts in the criminal justice system and further pursued through my work experience, where I chose to volunteer for a charity that uses creative writing to improve children’s confidence, imagination and literary/creative writing skills.  

Reflective journal entry
This is the first assignment I completed on the course. I discuss one of the required texts that I had previously read and provided my own thoughts and opinions on the topic. The text was exploring the issue of inequality in the arts and what more can be done to close this gap. I used my previous knowledge and own interests to provide examples to support my arguments. 

Research project powerpoint 
This is the powerpoint presentation for my research project. I chose to investigate the impact of streaming services on music consumer habits and emerging artists. I went on to interview emerging artists about their opinions on the subject and was inspired by some of their comments which led to inspiration for my dissertation. 

Arts Management in Practice module proposal  
This is my proposal for the Arts Management in practice module. I chose to use a rural theatre company in Shropshire as my focus, creating a fictional project for them. The project I chose was school, FE and HE touring workshops where participants could learn various skills relating to the performing arts sector. 

Dissertation proposal  
This is the proposal for my final project/dissertation. I have chosen to write my dissertation on the impact of grassroot live music venues in Northern England, focusing on the cultural, social and economic benefits and what more needs to be done to keep these venues open. 

Emily Barraclough

I am interested in access and participation in the arts, particularly visual and creative projects. My research often highlights inequalities within various sections of the creative industries and explores how the sector could improve its access for all. My personal art practice also explores the involvement of people in pieces through the use of ephemeral materials and public space. My research and art practice influence each other, and my work overall aims to develop inclusive and fun spaces for all to be creative. 

This short essay was developed in response to the growing divide in Britain during Brexit tensions and reflects my thinking at the time. Art and media often perpetuates the idyll of Britain’s rural areas, whilst behind the curtain lies broken towns with histories of struggle; or curator Amanda Crawley Jackson’s idea of ‘post-traumatic landscapes’. The eerie mystery of our countryside is recognisable for its emptiness, and sparks intrigue on what history our ‘non-places’ hold. 

Curt Whitehouse

An image of Curt Whitehouse

My interests are very much catered towards the visual arts and how they’re used in social settings to improve lives. This takes different forms, as I am interested in the way visual arts and art activism are used to create change in society.  I am also keen on how arts are used in education to develop children and young people in schools, and the how art can be used as an outlet for mental health, and services surrounding that.  

How  is the Legacy of Contemporary Feminism Informing Activism in the Cultural Sector: 
This was a presentation I created to showcase the early stages of my research about Feminist  art and how different waves of Feminist activism have affected society. This includes people like the Guerrilla Girls and moves all the way to modern day artists and how they’re using their work in places like the Middle East. This research was then developed into an essay for this module.  

Explore the debates arounds how the arts may contribute to civic life: 
This essay is based around the STEM V.S Humanities debate in the school system and how arts and humanities should still be a focus in schools. It looks at the benefits surrounding the arts and humanities, as well as if STEM has any benefits, and how this fits into a wider policy context.  

The Arts and Mental Health: 
This piece was about how the arts are used in society to improve mental health and create an outlet for people to express themselves more freely through different mediums. I interviewed a Yorkshire based Social Enterprise, Keep Real, who support and provide help for people with issues surrounding mental health through workshops etc, and discussed how this kind of work fits into wider government and NHS policy.  

Dominika Rojewska

An image of Dominika Rojewska

 

I have been completing the MA part time while working at ArtWorks SY, an organisation which supports artists with learning disabilities and autism. My focus over the last year has been specifically on the inclusion of individuals with learning disabilities into the visual arts sector. I would like to use the knowledge and skills which I have gained from the course to create even more amazing opportunities for our artists and work towards a more heterogeneous art world in the future. 

A Bit of Dead Wood
This is one of my Reflective Journal entries from the Critical Issues module of the course. This particular entry is an investigation into a statement made by artist Grayson Perry regarding the effect of the pandemic on arts organisations. The quote was shared widely by the media, encouraging shock reactions and criticism. I attempted to contextualise the artist’s words to create my own informed opinion on the subject. 

Research Methods presentation
This presentation explained my planned approach to a research project which aimed to examine the accessibility of the Sheffield visual arts landscape to individuals with learning disabilities. The research was grounded in a Marxist methodology with the intention to inform the progression towards a visual arts sector with fairer distribution of capital and power. The research methods included a review of policies of Sheffield visual arts organisations, a questionnaire and interviews. 

Critical Issues Essay – Abstract: 
This essay used Pierre Bourdieu’s theories to analyse the social dynamics which influence the placement of artists with learning disabilities within the contemporary art world. It looks at three ‘fields of cultural production’ which the work of these artists is often associated with: Community Arts, Disability Arts and Outsider Art. The concepts of ‘habitus’ and ‘cultural capital’ are applied to explain how classification under those titles impacts the perception of work produced by artists with learning disabilities. It also explores the predispositions which elicit the segregation under those titles, and how these influence access to success.