Claire Davies is Curator and Head of Learning at the Handel & Hendrix in London – in our sixty second interview she tells us what she loves about her role at the Museum, what her favourite object is and reveals one her most most exciting discoveries…

What’s the best thing about your job?

Every day is different here and the eclectic combination of Handel and Hendrix is so exciting. I really enjoy flitting from one subject to the other, it’s a good test for my memory! Handling the objects we have here is particularly wonderful; our instrument collection includes fabulous 18th century harpsichords that are a real pleasure to keep and maintain. I am also privileged to work in many different disciplines and so I get to work on school projects, facilities and workshops for visually impaired people, events programming, exhibition programming, display management and matters of conservation and preservation. Is diverse and incredibly rewarding.

Worst moment of your day?

That’s a very difficult question. I think when I realise I don’t have enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do – there’s so much amazing stuff going on in London and we are often approached to collaborate with other organisations and I wish we had the time to say yes to everything! We try to do everything we can though to make sure that we keep our activities fresh and exciting and accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Favourite painting/object to take home currently?

That’s a very good question! I particularly like the knitted Dog Bear in Hendrix’s bedroom – it’s a good cuddle! We also have some wonderful editions of Handel’s scores in our collection and it is always tempting to take them home to learn!

Most exciting discovery?

I found a list of all pensions/salaries from the court of George II dated 1731, in which Handel is listed to have received £400 that year. We think it is probably a draft before the final list was certified by the King – we didn’t have it catalogued so it was quite a wonderful thing to find amongst some 18th century Newspapers.

Favourite public building (anywhere)?

I particularly love Harewood House in Yorkshire. Whilst studying at the University of Leeds, I volunteered there every week and was deeply in love with everything in the house and the way the organisation is run. It’s wonderful.

Most over-used expression at work?

Handel, spelt H-A-N-D-E-L, no not as in ‘door handle’

What has surprised you most about your current role?

People are often surprised that my role is so multifaceted and before I started here would have agreed but it is surprising how intrinsically linked learning and curation are and how important it is for them to complement each other. I think that larger museums should consider that relationship with more emphasis.

For more information about the Handel & Hendrix in London visit handelhendrix.org

He explains the aim of the national centre ‘is to improve access to the most comprehensive collection of Gainsborough’s art, bringing alive to a wider audience a greater range of his works in a new showcase gallery; as well as exploring his life in the special atmosphere of his home. ‘

In our 60 second interview Mark shares some of the things he loves about his role:

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing is undoubtedly making a difference. Seeing a place develop and grow with building momentum. It has been particularly rewarding at Gainsborough’s House when we have come such a long way in the last few years and are at the brink of a £7.5 million development, to create a major visual arts venue for Suffolk. The support has been terrific, for which I am really grateful.

Worst moment of your day?

Before coffee

Favourite painting/object to take home?

A very difficult one. I suppose that it would be one of Gainsborough’s little ‘Dutch Landskips’

Most exciting discovery

Some very revealing details of Gainsborough’s early life (yet to be published).

Favourite public building (anywhere)?

Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni in Venice

Most over-used expression at work?

Yes

What has surprised you most about your current role?

How different each day is. I suppose that the enthusiasm and good will of people surprises me in a very positive way.

Click on this link National Centre for Thomas Gainsborough to find out more and help this major capital project happen.

The Bowes Museum in County Durham will host the Museums Seminar – ‘Acquire and Inspire’ in 2017.

Citing their own experiences, museum and arts professionals, including the Chairman of the Acceptance in Lieu panel, Edward Harley, will explain how your museum could benefit from the Cultural Gifts and Acceptance in Lieu Schemes. We will explore how panel decisions are made, look at the legal process, the donor’s experience and the long and short-term advantages of introducing a pre-eminent work of art into your collection.

In 2015 this striking portrait of Olivia Porter, was donated to the Bowes Museum, County Durham, by the Duke of Northumberland’s estate, using the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme. The painting was received in lieu of £2.8 million in Inheritance Tax and has been a hugely important addition to the museum’s collection; painted by Olivia’s husband’s close friend – the great Flemish portrait artist, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, the picture has joined another Van Dyck portrait of Olivia in the Bowes, which was recently discovered by the art historian, Dr Bendor Grosvenor. Both paintings provided the perfect platform for the Bowes Museum successful exhibition exploring the changing face of beauty in art – ‘The English Rose – Feminine Beauty from Van Dyck to Sargent’

Both the AIL and Cultural Gift Schemes provide a rare opportunity for museums and galleries, large and small, to acquire exceptional work for their collections. Edward Harley, Chairman of the Acceptance in in Lieu Panel and Headline Speaker at the ‘Acquire and Inspire’ Museums Seminar has said that the two schemes are – ‘underpinned by tax incentives that make the transfer of these works into public collections beneficial for their owners, as well as being a mechanism through which museums and galleries can acquire significant works at no cost.’

Many museums across the country have benefited from the schemes, in particular the AIL scheme, which has been running for a longer period, and Edward Harley argues that the acquisition of a pre-eminent work of art can raise an organisation’s profile, inspire the curatorial team to reassess their collection as a whole, and gives the museum an opportunity to take a fresh and creative approach to exhibitions and public engagement.

Other speakers at this year’s seminar include
Sir Mark Wrightson – Chairman of the Bowes Museum
Dr Jane Whittaker – Curator of the Bowes Museum
Anastasia Tennant – Policy Advisor The Arts Council England

The Ecclesiastical Original Print Award is a new initiative, designed to enable a museum or gallery in the UK to acquire an original print for their collection. Applications are being invited from museums, public galleries and print collections across the UK. The winner will be invited to visit the London Original Print Fair at The Royal Academy of Arts from 4 – 8 May 2016, to spend the award on a print or prints at the Fair, to the value of £8,000.

Clare Pardy, Fine Art & Heritage Director at Ecclesiastical Insurance says: “As a specialist insurer of heritage buildings, museums and galleries, we have initiated this award with LOPF to raise the profile of printmaking. We hope that it will encourage a UK museum or gallery to consider their print collection and find the perfect acquisition at the London Original Print Fair.”

Castleacre Museums Director, Hugo Johnsen says ‘This new award presents a terrific opportunity for museums and galleries to enhance their collection. Ecclesiastical and the LOPF have worked together to ensure that the application is straightforward so we hope curators and directors will be encouraged to enter the selection process and apply for this brand new Museums and Galleries Award.’

The London Original Print Fair offers works ranging from rare Old Masters to newly published work by contemporary artists. Between them, the 50 international exhibitors cover most areas of printmaking. This generous grant from Ecclesiastical Insurance is designed to enrich British collections and help museums meet their acquisitions goals.

The deadline to apply for the the new award is 18 March.

A shortlist of five museums will be announced in mid-April. The London Original Print Fair is pleased to cover the cost of accommodation at a central London hotel for a curator from each of the shortlisted museums for the night of Wednesday, 4 May.

The winner will be announced at the beginning of Wednesday, 4 May’s opening reception.

Image: Anthony Frost, Orange Buzz Ohio 2010 Screenprint with woodblock

Often seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, the heritage sector is inevitably one of the first to feel the force of these cuts. The importance of ingenuity and entrepreneurialism to museums is more significant than ever and museums will need to be run with a greater focus on making profit as they look to become self-sufficient.

Evidence of this new, entrepreneurial approach can be seen all over the country. Ironbridge Gorge Museum, a museum renowned for its entrepreneurship, has been providing lectures on topics such as how to make a museum more accessible as a film set, understanding the tourism industry, and how to run a profitable retail department.

Likewise, grants have increasingly been aimed at long-term sustainability – the Museums Association’s Transformers programme, which has been funded by Arts Council England, Museums and Galleries Scotland and Museums Wales, gives museum professionals the financial support to trial new ideas. Abergavenny Museum, for example, has, through the Transformers scheme, developed a system to exchange skills, goods and services with other local businesses in order to save money more efficiently.

The need for greater commercialism is probably not why many are in the heritage sector but, as Abergavenny demonstrates, it can put museums more in tune with their local communities.

While many museums are adapting well to the new environment there are risks attached to increased economic activity. Economic diversification for museums can be a challenge says Hugo Johnsen. Director of Museum Insurance at specialist heritage broker Castleacre: ‘More commercial activity and a growing number of events can leave a museum exposed to broader public liability risks and perversely, loss of income issues – for example if you are forced to cancel an event and close an in-house café because of a hygiene problem you might face a cancellation claim, claims from members of the public, and you will also loose vital income during the period of closure. A well put together museums insurance policy should factor in Public Liability of at least £5 million and protection against Loss of Income- it is essential if a museum is pursuing more diverse income streams that their insurance policy keeps pace with these dual risks.’