Living Metal

Museums Sheffield designed the Living Metal project to scupper the commonly held myth that the city's metal industry is no more. Curators at the Millennium Gallery worked with local artists and metalworking firms to research the gallery's contemporary metalwork collection, adding to existing knowledge and broadening the range of contemporary artwork displayed in the gallery.  At the same time, community engagement staff worked with young people at Freeman College and from a local youth group to engage them with the collection and get them involved in making their own works in silver.  The outcome was a revitalised metalwork exhibition that more accurately reflects the metalworking industry in Sheffield and includes artwork made by the young people in the displays.

 

Emma worked alongside project staff to evaluate the project, researching the learning outcomes for staff and a broad range of participants, the impact on the collection, and the impact of the new gallery displays on visitors' views. She used the Generic Learning and Generic Social Outcomes frameworks to identify the impact on individuals, the organisation and the community.

Evaluation

Thorough, focused evaluation is the key to understanding and promoting the benefits that museums, libraries and archives can offer. Emma King Consultancy has longstanding experience in evaluation and audience research: identifying objectives, designing research methods, capturing the evidence and providing detailed analysis, conclusions and recommendations. We conduct all kinds of evaluative research, from small scale qualitative analysis to quantitative impact assessments.