Connecting Communities and Collections Project

Project Overview

EWFC is working in partnership with DLBM Museum for a 2-year long project called Connecting Communities and Collections: Sustainable Co-Production Project funded by Museum Galleries Scotland to facilitate the learning and access to heritage in diverse and meaningful ways, to allow Minority Ethnic women to see themselves and their stories as a relevant part of heritage. This project is implemented by working collaboratively in response to the participant’s needs and interests.

This project was started in May 2024, and we have recruited a group of 6 participants including ethnic and cultural minorities, new migrants, refugee and asylum-seeking women. Participants engage in monthly sessions at the museum and other heritage sites, with additional fortnightly support meetings. Through this collaborative process, participants have explored their interests in developing co-production skills and working alongside experienced heritage professionals.

A key focus of the project is to address complex themes such as the legacies of slavery and colonialism, using the museum's collections as a foundation. Through this co-production project participants not only enhance their understanding of heritage but also build confidence, self-esteem, gain heritage transferable skills, and create pathways to opportunities in volunteering, training, and employment.

The project will culminate in a series of public-facing activities and exhibitions that showcase the participants' responses to the museum’s collections, themes and shared cultures. This project seeks to embed more inclusive and participatory practices within the museum, ensuring that the voices and stories of Minority Ethnic women are an integral part of our shared culture and heritage

Project Timeline

Project start-up & Recruitment: Recruitment of the staff and 6 participatory volunteers Project Introduction and code of conduct DLBM First Visit Co-production workshop: Getting to know the staff, participants and Museum and the process of co-production	May 2024
DLBM second Visit Getting to know you workshop: Exploring participants aspirations, ideas and connection Museum Visit See the document below	June 2024
DLBM third Visit Exhibition Development stage 1 workshop: Preparing for the Exhibition, planning and development stage Please see the Exhibition Document	July 2024
DLBM 4th Visit Exhibition Development stage 2 workshop: Working towards the exhibition Developing ideas Interpretation Exhibition Space Visit Museum Viist	August 2024
Burrell Collection Curated tour by Burrell collection's team Exploring the exhibition and looking at the collection, Space and Display Interpretation	September 2024
DLBM Independent visit Participant lead visit: Exploring DLBM and taking a closer and deeper look at the collections	September 2024
Women In Revolt Exhibition National Galleries of Scotland: Edinburgh	September 2024
Tram way Exhibition	October 2024
Black History Month activity workshop 1 Exploring complex themes of slavery and colonialism, using the museum's collections as a foundation.	October 2024
Black History Month activity workshop 2 Exploring complex themes of slavery and colonialism, using the museum's collections as a foundation.	October 2024
Hunterian Museum Exhibition of Discomfort A curated tour by Zandra Yeaman about decolonising the collection at the museum	November 2024
Kelvingrove Art Gallery Empire & Slavery Exhibition and African Arts workshop	December 2024
Arts Space G41 Ceramic, pottery Making: Preparing for the Exhibition	January 2025
Textile Studio: Preparing for the Exhibition	January 2025

Project Update (April 2025)

Participants meet once or twice a month and are very regular in their attendance. Participants had already 4 visits to the DLBM museum and one at Burrel Collection, exploring different themes that interests participants, through this collaborative process, participants have explored their interests in developing co-production skills and working alongside experienced heritage professionals.
Through this co-production project participants not only enhanced their understanding of heritage but also built confidence, self-esteem, gained heritage transferable skills, and created pathways to opportunities in volunteering, training, and employment.
As a result of this project, one participant already started volunteering at GOMA where she is actively involved in supporting for Saturday arts club ,1 of the participants has started volunteering at DLBM ,2 of the participants are actively taking interest and supporting in community events and festivals at DLBM
These visits have been helping the participant to reflect and focus on the relationship between Africa and Scotland’s cultures and communities to know more about African resources that are present in the museum, enhancing interconnection between diverse communities, exchanging cultures, and ensuring communication between diverse communications.
Participants are showing interest and keen to know more information about David's time and life, his community, and people around him, African culture and lifestyle, clothing, food, treatment and medications that they used in David’s time.
Participants felt empowered to share their own stories and traditions within a safe space and reported an increase in confidence, this project has enhanced sense of belonging and ownership through active collaborative participation and helped the participants to develop a unique connection and to feel more engaged ad connected with museum and heritage spaces

Challenges

Participants want to meet more than once a month to explore museum’s collection and learn more about the exhibition display etc
Because of the participants varied interests and participants needs, participants require more time to explore the museum’s collections, themes and shared cultures to co-create a public facing exhibition
Finding a cultural and heritage course that will meet participant’s varied needs

Feedback

This project emphasises for the deeper relations between the African and Scotland and how this journey contributes to link between the continents Africa and Europe.

This project gives us an opportunity to create different ideas to reflect the deep relationship and ancient collaboration and exchange between the continents, show that museum could bridge the cultures and highlights on diversity and how Scotland seeks for the connection, how this project keeps the sustainability of the communities' connections and reflect the magical and rich resources of Africa

Through this project, I am learning how to work in a team and collaborate with each other and come up with different and new ideas. These sessions help me to prepare and run cultural events or festivals etc . I really enjoy working on this informative project. Thank you so much.

First, I am so happy to join this useful project. It has added a lot for me, like more confidence and thinking to add some ideas, makes me feel like creative person and searching about things added to me more information.

I am feeling confident and thrilled at the same time for the outcome of the project,I am clear and aimed to reach through the goals, looking forward to the exhibition and the result, we conclude out of it

Happy to join this group work together in co-production to gather ,collaborate in a wonderful team, for me I am doing the task of discovering myself like the first co-production and new version of myself which is more confident, more realistic and more connected to the community of Africa

I am so excited to join this project, this project is giving me to learn new skills enhance our experience, making new friends, visiting new paces, I am so confident and energetic

Acknowledgments

Our participation in the Delivering Change Sustainable Co-production Fund was made possible thanks to National Lottery and People’s Postcode Lottery players.