PEACE III Cultural Fusions Project 2011-2013

Partners: Causeway Museum Service and Mid-Antrim Museums Service

North East PEACE III Cultural Fusions 2011- 2013 has been a vibrant heritage led programme developed to encourage and support dialogues around cultural identity and our heritage, to help address sectarianism and racial prejudice. Cultural Fusions was developed and delivered by Causeway Museum Service as lead partner with Mid-Antrim Museums Service. It continued a partnership developed during PEACE III 2009 - 2011 which saw the partnership then led by Mid-Antrim Museums Service.

The overall project contained of six distinct projects;

  • Images of Ireland
  • On the Brink 1912 - 1913
  • My Treasure
  • Banners and Parading - Walking the Colours
  • 1613 - 2013 - Project of Plantation
  • Remembering the Troubles - Stitching and Unstitching the Troubles.

Each museum service took the lead in delivery of three of the projects.

Through community participation and collaboration the museum services developed substantial, valuable, sustainable resources and relationships for PEACE work in the future.

Cultural Fusions Outputs

Indicators / Target / Achieved
New Exhibitions developed to support discussions around contentious issues, address racism / 6 / 6
New learning resources for range of audiences to support peace and reconciliation building / 9 / 11
PEACE III target group participants in workshop programme / 425 / 1,030
Facilitated workshops for participating groups / 50 / 86
Participants from PEACE III target groups co-create resources / 70 / 448
Visitors to exhibitions / 5500 / 17,377
Number of press releases / 6 / 19

The collections of the two museum services played a vital role in developing the programmes to support dialogue around cultural identity and heritage.

The methods used by the two museum services to actively involve PEACEIII target groups in the development of the programmes and their combined resources were key to delivering the aims of Cultural Fusions.

Methods

  • Co-curation
  • Workshops
  • tours
  • Participation
  • Training opportunities
  • Story sharing
  • Object selection
  • Use of creative media

Through the professional skills of the museum services staff and the specialist facilitators, participants have contributed and articulated their perspectives and understandings for wider audiences.

The project benefited from the synergies and complementarity of the collections, staff and resources of the two services. The knowledge, connections and perspectives of the two teams contributed to the development of a vibrant and innovative programme.

The Cultural Fusions project was supported by the PEACE III Programme through funding from the Special EU Programmes Body administered by the North East PEACE III Partnership.

Contact detail

Helen Perry

Jayne Clarke