Wilberforce House Museum
Hull Museums are seeking a highly experienced and creative heritage consultant to work with members of the Wilberforce House Advisory Board (WHAB) to develop additional content for the museum’s West African Culture’s gallery.
We are looking for a museum professional that has; previous experience of working with sensitive or challenging histories, a working understanding of the latest developments in the sector, skilled in brokering effective partnerships with stakeholders and the strategic development of services.
Background
The West African Cultures gallery was part of the redevelopment of Wilberforce House Museum which reopened in 2007. This within the Grade 1 listed building and had practical restrictions on what can be done within the historical features and panelling. There isn’t budget or time for a full overhaul of this gallery at this stage, but additions created within this project can serve as a prototype for what might come further down the line.
The aim of this project is to allow the individual voices of members of WHAB to be heard in an open and unrestricted way, addressing the nature of West African history, culture and its context within the museum.
Key Aim of the work:
- Establish a smaller, focused ‘working group’ from WHAB members, of people with a personal connection to West African history and identity.
- To allow this group to say and communicate what they want to say about the subject matter. The content may be developed collectively or as series of individual works collated for the project.
- To develop a fully costed delivery plan for the proposed changes.
- With representatives of local stakeholders develop content for inclusion within the gallery. This might be a text panel totem in the centre of the gallery, a new film for on gallery use or other aspects.
Key Responsibilities:
- To organise, develop and deliver workshops to create the content for the West African Cultures gallery.
- To submit copy and images for promotional sharing on Hull Museum and the University of Hull websites/online platforms.
- Liaison with designer(s), filmmakers or other to produce the content material for display.
Key working relationships:
- Robin Diaper, Curator of Maritime & Social History, Hull Museums.
Available Budget
Fees
The maximum budget available for this work is £6000 including travel and expenses. Please provide a breakdown of costs with your application - See ‘How to apply’ section.
Hull Museums and Gallery will also manage the following additional budgets that support the project
Deliverables
|
Project Set Up |
|
Establishing a working group of WHAB members. |
|
Organising a series of meetings and workshops to co-ordinate content development. |
|
Display content and materials |
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Delivery and installation of gallery content, in liaison with museum staff. |
Timescales - September 2025 – March 2026
|
Task |
Expected milestone date |
|
Project Set up and formation of working group |
October 2025 |
|
Workshops and discussions |
October – December 2025 |
|
Initial content sent to designers/filmmakers etc |
December 2025 |
|
First edits reviewed |
January 2026 |
|
Final round of edits |
February 2026 |
|
March 2026 |
|
|
Installation of material |
March 2026 |
How to Apply
Please submit a proposal outlining your approach to the brief, including the following information to robin.diaper@hcandl.co.uk and sarah.howard@hcandl.co.uk
- Delivery plan and milestones against timescale.
- Cost breakdown with number of days and day rate
- CV stating relevant experience in line with specification with referee contacts x 2
- Confirmation of availability to deliver within timeframe.
Deadline for application
5pm Friday 26th October 2025
Assessment criteria:
Will be based on best quality, timetable fulfilment and experience of delivering similar work.
Proposed start date:
October 2025
Key Contacts –
Hull Museums and Gallery
Robin Diaper – Curator of Maritime & Social History
Hull Museums and Gallery (NPO Lead partner)
Sarah Howard – Programme and development Manager
01482 616645