Fellowships to support the creative economy
Two AHRC Fellowships awarded to the University are to be undertaken in partnership with The Museums Association and Phoenix - Leicester’s centre for independent cinema, art and digital culture.
The Creative Economy Engagement Fellowships were awarded to the CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies and to the School of Museum Studies from a total of six which were awarded to Midlands3Cities – a partnership of midlands universities which funds and supports PhD students and early career scholars working in the arts and humanities.
Two researchers who have recently been awarded their PhDs will be working on the projects.
Dr Sophie Frost will be scoping the likely local economic and cultural impact of Phoenix’s plans to develop its premises and facilities, and suggesting new models for capturing the wider value and significance of the organisation to the city. Dr Mercy McCann will be assessing the impact of the Museums Associations’ ‘Transformers: Radical Change in Museums’ programme, which supports mid-career Museum Professionals to create and manage change in their organisations.
Professor Mark Banks, who will be supervising Dr Frost, said: “This Fellowship will focus on developing a better understanding of the economic and cultural impact of Phoenix as it moves to consolidate and expand on its activities in the city, offering an exciting opportunity for CAMEo and the University to build stronger links with Phoenix while supporting the early career development of a very capable and promising scholar.”
Dr Nuala Morse, who will be supervising Dr McCann, said: “Transformers is a workforce development programme that supports museum workers to shape organisational change around diversity and innovation, particularly in partnerships with communities.
“The Fellowship will look at the experiences the programme’s participants and explore its impact, with the potential for critical recommendations for the creative economy locally and nationally. It also provides an opportunity for supporting a talented early career researcher and for building on the School of Museum Studies’ existing relationship with the museum sector.”
Jessica Turtle, Project manager of ‘Transformers’ at the Museums Association, added: “The School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester has an exceptional reputation for research which explores the cutting edge of practice in UK museums. We’re therefore delighted to have the opportunity to work with Dr McCann over the next 10 months to explore the impact of the Transformers programme on the sector since its launch in 2014.”