International creative academy helps transform museum management in China

A University of Nottingham project is bringing together some of the leading practitioners in Western and Chinese museums, with university academics, to train museum managers in China. The need for museum training in China was identified in the early 2000s in response to a rapid growth in the sector. Soon after this, a group of scholars from the University's China and UK campuses formed a network - 'China Cultural Visiting Hub' (CCVH) - and began the process of designing masterclass training. Collaboration agreement - In May 2015, a group from CCVH, with training partner the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), visited China and discussed training needs with museums and cultural organisations including the China Academy of Sciences in Beijing, the Today Art Museum in Beijing, the new Ningbo Port Museum, and the Ningbo Historical Museum. This led to an agreement to explore areas where the University could provide value through collaboration. The first course was delivered at the University's Ningbo campus in 2015, and funded through the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) 'People to People Dialogue' initiative. It provided a thorough overview of how a Western museum is run and covered areas including strategic planning, project management, marketing and curatorial storytelling.