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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, Muriel Matters House, Breeds Place, Hastings, TN34 3UY. Please enter the building via the Tourist Information Centre entrance.
Contact: Emily Horne on 01424 451719 email: ehorne@hastings.gov.uk
Note: The recording of this meeting is available to view online at https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my_council/cm/?video=237086938
Items No. Item Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2017 PDF 88 KB
Minutes:
RESOLVED – that the minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2017 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record
Minutes:
The Curator presented a report which updated the committee on issues arising from previous meetings and subsequent actions that had been taken.
Discussion took place regarding the celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of the opening of the museum. The event, which took place on 16 August 2017, was attended by over 1000 people. There had been coverage in the local media in the run up to the anniversary and photographs of the event had been widely shared on social media. The Curator agreed to circulate a copy of the feedback received from a questionnaire taken at the event. The committee congratulated all those involved in supporting the event.
A second phase of works to repair stonework on the south elevation of the John’s Place building was due to begin on 2 October 2017. These works had been timed to avoid disrupting any weddings or other events.
The museum had submitted an expression of interest to the Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) for an oral history project about the local fishing fleet. Steve Peak and Andre Palfrey-Martin offered to assist the project with archive materials from the Fisherman’s Museum and their personal collections.
A visit had recently taken place by the National Security Adviser at Arts Council England to assess the security risks to national collections, in respect of the UK Government Indemnity Scheme. The final report is to follow.
A coffee machine will be installed in the museum for a 3 month pilot, with the intention of increasing capacity in the shop.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that the committee accepts the report and are satisfied with the comments in the report
Update on Museum Resilience Project PDF 103 KB
Minutes:
The Curator presented a report which updated the committee on progress with the museum resilience project. The project, which was funded by Arts Council England, covered improving the visibility of the museum through marketing and promotion, audience development and engagement, a collections review to ensure effective working practices and business and project development training.
The museum had submitted an interim report to the Arts Council England in July, which released a second payment to support the project.
A pilot of the collections review, which involved cataloguing, photographing and reviewing for significance 635 items related to the First World War had been completed. The pilot highlighted the need to develop a more sophisticated scoring system to measure the significance of items. A number of items were also missing their accession number. The review framework and template will be applied to other areas of the social history collections. Discussion took place regarding the possibility of using volunteers to assist with the review process. However, the committee were mindful that this approach would take time to enable sufficient training for volunteers and management arrangements to be put in place.
Training would be undertaken on data collection and audience engagement to meet the audience development element of the project.
The committee were advised that the Museums Marketing Intern was due to leave shortly; consideration would need to be given as to how the remaining budget for this post would be spent.
A revised business development plan would be presented at a future meeting.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that the committee accepts and is satisfied with the report
Museum Attendance Figures PDF 100 KB
Minutes:
The Curator reported a slight increase in the number of visitors to the Museum between April and June, compared to the same time last year. Although there had been a slight drop in the number of visits by pupils, the museum continued to attract a wide range of schools.
There had been a steady increase in the museum’s social media following across Twitter and Facebook. The Curator will monitor the museum’s social media accounts, after the Marketing Intern has left.
There had been a fall in the number of weddings and civil ceremonies over quarter 1, compared to the same period in the previous year. Other venues in the town had reported a similar trend. A wedding fair was held on 10 September.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that the committee accepts and is satisfied with the report
Museum Events and Activities PDF 101 KB
Minutes:
The Curator presented a report which gave an overview of the events and activities that were planned at the museum between October and December.
It was noted that a recent exhibition of work by Eric Slater and Arthur Rigden Read had been very popular and attracted a number of visitors to the museum.
A set of 4 installations by Malsen and Mehra in collaboration with Shuby and Delete called Cash, Clash and Climate would be installed in the ceramics gallery between 1 September and 12 November.
An exhibition of contemporary video about the shared history between England and South East Asia would be held in the Durbar Hall.
The committee welcomed the close links between the museum and artists.
The Hastings Remembers project continues with an exhibition called Beyond the Western Front between 7 October and early 2018. A family activity day, planned for October, would explore the First World War further. An illustrated talk on the military and civilian wartime experiences of Britain’s black population by Stephen Bourne would also take place in October.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that the committee accepts and is satisfied with the report
Museum Acquisitions PDF 101 KB
Minutes:
The Curator presented a report which provided an overview of the items recently acquired by the museum.
RESOLVED that the committee accepts and is satisfied with the report
Exclusion of the Public
RESOLVED that the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the items of business listed below because it is likely that, if members of the public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 referred to in the relevant report
Offers to Purchase
Minutes:
The Curator presented a report which advised that the museum had been offered the opportunity to purchase two paintings.
The committee considered both opportunities. Steve Peak recommended purchasing a painting by Carl Dotzler, which was seconded by Councillor Street. The committee asked the Curator to negotiate a price for the painting, up to the amount set out in the report. The committee agreed not to pursue the opportunity to purchase the second painting listed in the report.
RESOLVED (unanimously) to purchase a painting by Carl Dotzler for up to the amount set out in the report
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