23 May 2025

Air Faire - challenges and opportunities in rural museums

Thursday 22nd May 1:45- Friday 3.30

A 1.5 day workforce summit for those working in rural heritage, exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the sector today. There will be sessions on fundraising, inclusion, digital volunteering, wellbeing, working with young people and more.

Organised by Museums and Heritage Highland. Venue: Wasps Inverness Creative Academy, Stephen's Street, Inverness IV2 3JP. Cost: £35 MHH members; £55 non-members. Details and booking on Eventbrite.

Draft programme

Thursday 22nd

1.45pm Arrive - coffee + tea

2pm Welcome

2.15pm Meet the funders panel - Gillian Simison MGS, Rikki Payne NLHF, Jason Dyer (freelance fundraiser), Gail Williamson (HES).

3pm Delivering Change Workshop - What does an anti-oppressive museum look like in the Highlands—and what does it take to get there? Led by Sheila Asante and Ellie Muniandy.

4pm Pecha Kucha talks from Highland Museums - Cromarty Courthouse Museum (Democratising Data – Creating Opportunities for Remote Digitisation Volunteers'), Anna MacQuarrie (Gaelic Development in Museums), Ryan Waisanen (It Takes a Village: Researching Women, Volunteerism, and Museum Education in the Scottish Highlands), Inverness Castle Experience

5pm ENDS

 

6pm Dinner at McGregors - bookable separately

8.30pm - Bluegrass session at McGregors - open to all

 

Friday 23rd

9.30am Arrive - coffee + Tea

9.45am Working with young people panel, chaired by Eleanor Moore (MDSW)

10.30am Coffee + Tea

10.45am Remote volunteering panel - Chaired by Geoff Belknapp NMS

11.30am Break

11.45am Wellbeing in museums panel - Chaired by Tamsin Russell MA

12.30am Lunch

1.30pm Breakout workshops - youth volunteering, remote volunteering, wellbeing plans

2.30pm How do we move forward?

3.00pm Joe Setch and Dan Cottam

3.15pm Closing message

3.30pm END