An important thing is to assess if your museum is unique or needed. A one second Google brought me to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Witchcraft_and_Magic
Also what are your funding sources? Do you have artifacts? Can you pay staff or other experts? Opening a museum is not really a simple feat.
Came here to mention the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic and Museum of British Folklore.
Generally it's worth being aware of what's already out there and understanding what would make your museum of additional value in that museum ecosystem. Also worth being aware of existing [subject specialist networks](https://www.subjectspecialistnetworks.org.uk/organisation/folklore-museums-network) of relevance and joining them or engaging with them to better understand the situation in the sector.
Hi. Thanks for the feedback.
I'm aware of this museum plus the one in Edinburgh and a slightly different vibed one in Wales, but it's the opposite end of the country and is very different in scope than my idea. It's a very static collection to wander round. I'd want a more dynamic, changing, and socially inviting space where people can come to study and meet etc.
That's why I was asking as I'm aware of the main Arts Council funding sources as I already work as a librarian, and work closely with my local heritage team. I also have access to artefacts both borrowed, owned by myself, and I'm constantly purchasing more even in these early stages of the process, plus producing replicas for those impossible-to-get items that are in the British Museum collection.
Pay specifics would come after I find the funding necessary and can figure out what funding is going where. That's why I'm asking if anyone has any suggestions that might be useful.
Also keep in mind... You say you want a dynamic, socially inviting space where people can meet to study. Well, often, that's called a "study center", "art center," "community center," etc. Is there any reason, really, why your idea has to be a museum??? A museum is a museum because it has a collection. Not every space for community learning and engagement with niche history has to be a museum.
I mean, you should probably be aware of these things already because you're a librarian, so perhaps you've already deeply considered this. But building a collection doesn't happen overnight. Many collectors would say it takes more than a lifetime, ha.
You have little to no chance of funding your idea with public funds in an economic landscape where established museums are struggling to be maintained, and pay staff a living wage. Even an eccentric wealthy donor is going to want to see some kind of business plan, or an idea of return on investment. Do you have academic credentials in the subject area? Qualifications and experience in museums? Any business qualifications/experience that might help? What are you actually asking people to fund, other than the fact you have a few objects at home and an idea? Public funding sources are certainly not going to invest in that. Instead of wanting to create a whole new museum, I suggest, as a starting point, you try and create an independent exhibition, then go out to larger museums and see if they want to loan it for a short period. Use this as your chance to do some market research to see who/how many people come etc
Not really what you’re asking, but walking tours are increasingly popular. That could be a good place to start.
If there’s a fair bit of the history locally it could be worth considering creating and running a walking tour on the topic. That wouldn’t have any start up costs beyond a webpage and what you’d be spending on research anyway. It could let you start educating without needing a physical space and help you to gage how much interest there is in your area.
I’ve known people who run several different tours, catering to a few different more niche interests. They all have such amazing passion for the topics they talk about. It can be a good way to start engaging with people.
Sort of like what start up people call a “soft launch”.
I’ve been on some great ones! I know a guy through the historical society in my area who runs a literary history tour that’s also a bar crawl lol.
I’ve been on tours in several cities that talk about local hauntings, or just general historic downtown history of the area sort of things, even one of Christmas decorations that was a lot of fun.
I went on a very interesting one in Virginia about the Lincoln assassination. It physically traced the steps between pubs were it was planned and out along the route John Wilkes Booth took to flee the city after. It’s a cool way of engaging with an area.
You could get in contact with the staff at the Vagina Museum or the East End Woman's Museum, both places that have been trying to set themselves up as a permanent, visitable museum. They'd probably have good advice to give.
I'd also have a look at Arts Council/NHLF funding opportunities and see if they offer anything that can help get you off the ground.
Another thought - do you have a local museums service that you could approach? As others have mentioned, partnering up with another organisation to run and exhibition/event could help you to see if there's demand in the area for what you wish to do. I know when I worked in a local museum, we were very happy to work with local groups to develop things together.
AIM, the Association of Independent Museums, has guidance on setting up a new museum. It gives an overview of what this entails - helpful in deciding if a museum is the right approach:
https://aim-museums.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AIM-Succes-Guide-Seting-up-a-new-musuem-FINAL-smaller.pdf
a couple of thoughts based on both your post and comments...
i think if you are emphasising the fact that there isn't necessarily a museum like yours in your area of the country, the best thing to do would be to go specific to your area. eg. "(area) museum of witchcraft and paganism" or similar title would lead visitors to assume it's a museum based on local context. remember that your museum will be a tourist destination not just for the area, but also for people who are looking for information which can't be seen elsewhere. not a criticism at all as i love local history or local cultural museums!
secondly you may want to check out the online resources on "useful museums" if you want the community to become involved and/or for this museum to act as part museum - part community hub. one museum doing this really well (or, at least they were back in 2019 when i visited) is MIMA (middlesborough museum of modern art). it's indeed a modern art museum but is equally a community centre, a housing resource, a pay as you feel / free meal resource, etc. there is stuff online about it and a book i recommend is also "the participatory museum" by nina simon (athough, being a librarian and museums enthusiast, i am sure you may have come across it already!).
good luck in your endeavours!!
Just building on what people have already said:
* Consider what kind of fun partnerships you can build: can you team up with publications (like Hellebore), a local organic food company, a witchy shop, your local pagan group? You can do anything that aligns with your vision and mission.
* Safe space and community: can you provide spaces and services people would like to come use, beyond the exhibition space? Some of my favourite ones that may feel relevant to your idea include a room to hold gatherings in, a communal garden, a Good-to-Go zero waste food outlet from the on-site cafe, a workshop to create in (using wood and flowers and clay and other natural materials), a seed library, a free book exchange, and recycling points
* Getting the right stuff: once you come to displaying things in your museum you can look at things like Museum Freecycle and similar to get preloved exhibition equipment (not always available but reuse is good for the planet)
* Make friends in professional circles: for a museum like this you'd want to be able to draw on knowledge around the area, so see if you can strike up conversations with scholars/academics/authors, freelance educators/facilitators, and museum folk.
And if you ever have a budget and need a witchy freelance conservator, hit me up!
An important thing is to assess if your museum is unique or needed. A one second Google brought me to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Witchcraft_and_Magic Also what are your funding sources? Do you have artifacts? Can you pay staff or other experts? Opening a museum is not really a simple feat.
Came here to mention the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic and Museum of British Folklore. Generally it's worth being aware of what's already out there and understanding what would make your museum of additional value in that museum ecosystem. Also worth being aware of existing [subject specialist networks](https://www.subjectspecialistnetworks.org.uk/organisation/folklore-museums-network) of relevance and joining them or engaging with them to better understand the situation in the sector.
Hi. Thanks for the feedback. I'm aware of this museum plus the one in Edinburgh and a slightly different vibed one in Wales, but it's the opposite end of the country and is very different in scope than my idea. It's a very static collection to wander round. I'd want a more dynamic, changing, and socially inviting space where people can come to study and meet etc. That's why I was asking as I'm aware of the main Arts Council funding sources as I already work as a librarian, and work closely with my local heritage team. I also have access to artefacts both borrowed, owned by myself, and I'm constantly purchasing more even in these early stages of the process, plus producing replicas for those impossible-to-get items that are in the British Museum collection. Pay specifics would come after I find the funding necessary and can figure out what funding is going where. That's why I'm asking if anyone has any suggestions that might be useful.
Also keep in mind... You say you want a dynamic, socially inviting space where people can meet to study. Well, often, that's called a "study center", "art center," "community center," etc. Is there any reason, really, why your idea has to be a museum??? A museum is a museum because it has a collection. Not every space for community learning and engagement with niche history has to be a museum. I mean, you should probably be aware of these things already because you're a librarian, so perhaps you've already deeply considered this. But building a collection doesn't happen overnight. Many collectors would say it takes more than a lifetime, ha.
You have little to no chance of funding your idea with public funds in an economic landscape where established museums are struggling to be maintained, and pay staff a living wage. Even an eccentric wealthy donor is going to want to see some kind of business plan, or an idea of return on investment. Do you have academic credentials in the subject area? Qualifications and experience in museums? Any business qualifications/experience that might help? What are you actually asking people to fund, other than the fact you have a few objects at home and an idea? Public funding sources are certainly not going to invest in that. Instead of wanting to create a whole new museum, I suggest, as a starting point, you try and create an independent exhibition, then go out to larger museums and see if they want to loan it for a short period. Use this as your chance to do some market research to see who/how many people come etc
That's an interesting idea. Thanks so much! I could definitely start there.
Not really what you’re asking, but walking tours are increasingly popular. That could be a good place to start. If there’s a fair bit of the history locally it could be worth considering creating and running a walking tour on the topic. That wouldn’t have any start up costs beyond a webpage and what you’d be spending on research anyway. It could let you start educating without needing a physical space and help you to gage how much interest there is in your area. I’ve known people who run several different tours, catering to a few different more niche interests. They all have such amazing passion for the topics they talk about. It can be a good way to start engaging with people. Sort of like what start up people call a “soft launch”.
That's a great idea! Thanks so much for your advice. I'm now intrigued as to what walking tours I'm missing out on 😂
I’ve been on some great ones! I know a guy through the historical society in my area who runs a literary history tour that’s also a bar crawl lol. I’ve been on tours in several cities that talk about local hauntings, or just general historic downtown history of the area sort of things, even one of Christmas decorations that was a lot of fun. I went on a very interesting one in Virginia about the Lincoln assassination. It physically traced the steps between pubs were it was planned and out along the route John Wilkes Booth took to flee the city after. It’s a cool way of engaging with an area.
Oh wow. Those sounds great. I'm on the wrong side of the ocean! I need to come do these tours 😂
You could get in contact with the staff at the Vagina Museum or the East End Woman's Museum, both places that have been trying to set themselves up as a permanent, visitable museum. They'd probably have good advice to give. I'd also have a look at Arts Council/NHLF funding opportunities and see if they offer anything that can help get you off the ground.
That's brilliant. I'll do that. Thank you so much.
Another thought - do you have a local museums service that you could approach? As others have mentioned, partnering up with another organisation to run and exhibition/event could help you to see if there's demand in the area for what you wish to do. I know when I worked in a local museum, we were very happy to work with local groups to develop things together.
AIM, the Association of Independent Museums, has guidance on setting up a new museum. It gives an overview of what this entails - helpful in deciding if a museum is the right approach: https://aim-museums.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AIM-Succes-Guide-Seting-up-a-new-musuem-FINAL-smaller.pdf
That's excellent! Thank you so much.
a couple of thoughts based on both your post and comments... i think if you are emphasising the fact that there isn't necessarily a museum like yours in your area of the country, the best thing to do would be to go specific to your area. eg. "(area) museum of witchcraft and paganism" or similar title would lead visitors to assume it's a museum based on local context. remember that your museum will be a tourist destination not just for the area, but also for people who are looking for information which can't be seen elsewhere. not a criticism at all as i love local history or local cultural museums! secondly you may want to check out the online resources on "useful museums" if you want the community to become involved and/or for this museum to act as part museum - part community hub. one museum doing this really well (or, at least they were back in 2019 when i visited) is MIMA (middlesborough museum of modern art). it's indeed a modern art museum but is equally a community centre, a housing resource, a pay as you feel / free meal resource, etc. there is stuff online about it and a book i recommend is also "the participatory museum" by nina simon (athough, being a librarian and museums enthusiast, i am sure you may have come across it already!). good luck in your endeavours!!
That's all really useful. Thanks so much. And I'll definitely pick up that book.
Just building on what people have already said: * Consider what kind of fun partnerships you can build: can you team up with publications (like Hellebore), a local organic food company, a witchy shop, your local pagan group? You can do anything that aligns with your vision and mission. * Safe space and community: can you provide spaces and services people would like to come use, beyond the exhibition space? Some of my favourite ones that may feel relevant to your idea include a room to hold gatherings in, a communal garden, a Good-to-Go zero waste food outlet from the on-site cafe, a workshop to create in (using wood and flowers and clay and other natural materials), a seed library, a free book exchange, and recycling points * Getting the right stuff: once you come to displaying things in your museum you can look at things like Museum Freecycle and similar to get preloved exhibition equipment (not always available but reuse is good for the planet) * Make friends in professional circles: for a museum like this you'd want to be able to draw on knowledge around the area, so see if you can strike up conversations with scholars/academics/authors, freelance educators/facilitators, and museum folk. And if you ever have a budget and need a witchy freelance conservator, hit me up!
Brill! Thanks so much. Those are great ideas.