The next Manifesto principle we will review is partnerships – we describe this as:
Partnerships should bring communities together and be based on the principle of equity. Museums should work with a diverse range of partners and think beyond traditional partners and audiences.
Partnerships between museums and communities, and the organisations that represent them, can bring fresh perspectives and insight to all areas of museum work. Partnerships that are forged equally with communities will enable us to engage with new ideas, networks and people.
Strong partnerships can help museums to understand the issues their communities are facing, support collaborative community participation, and bring them into contact with new networks of people that can then become new audiences, volunteers and staff.
This Manifesto principle connects closely with the Museums Association’s Partnerships with Purpose programme, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. This aimed to facilitate communities, museums, statutory sector providers and funders to grow stronger links and develop ideas on how to build social value together. The Museum Essentials course, Working with Community Partners, offers an opportunity to look at partnership working in more detail.
The following exercises ask you to reflect on how the Partnerships Manifesto principle relates to your professional practice. You will have the opportunity to watch others in the sector talk about what this principle means to them and their work.