Celebrating the area’s rich history of innovation, the Museum of Making in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site opened in May 2021 as a contemporary space telling Derby’s 300-year history of making.
The Museum of Making explored the history of the site that is widely regarded as the world’s first modern factory. Designed and made by the people and industries of Derby, including Rolls-Royce and Toyota, during the development people have gained and shared skills through over 36,000 hours of in-kind support equating to almost £1 million. This co-production approach continues with the exhibits, workshops, activities and events, being designed to inspire new creativity and empower the makers of the future.
The challenge
To sustainably re-develop the, previously mothballed, Derby Silk Mill as the new Museum of Making. To create a place of civic pride that would be inspired by the makers of the past, made by the makers of today and empower the makers of the future.
To save an iconic public asset and bring the whole building back into use for the first time in 50 years and provide long term security, safety, sustainability for the building and its collections by halting deterioration, increasing flood resilience and operating a new business model.
As part of the project the archaeology of the building would be explored involving staff, volunteers, academic researchers, experts and community groups to increase our understanding and interpretation of the collections and building. The new museum would provide 100 per cent access to its collections.
Education programmes for schools and families linked to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) will be developed to inspire our young people to attain, achieve and become the innovators and wealth creators of the future, and contribute to narrowing the gap in attainment and aspiration between communities in Derby.
The solution
The project has breathed new life back into the building, revealing its scale and extent for the first time. It has involved Derby people in the making of the museum through our active volunteer co-production programme with over 36,000 hours contributed to the project prior to the lockdown. Activities ranged from cleaning bricks to creating art installations. This co-production on-site was severely challenged by Covid restrictions and we adapted our delivery plans creating remote volunteering opportunities by keeping work on track with virtual meet-ups to reduce isolation.
The Museum of Making explores the evolving heritage of Derby and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, creating access to 100 per cent of our internationally, regionally and locally significant collections of Making and Social History; over 30,000 objects.
This £18 million project has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Derby City Council and a range of trusts, foundations, and businesses including the generous support of Rolls-Royce for the capital project and our ongoing partnership in the Institute of STEAM. It provides an anchor for the city’s vision as a ‘City of Making’ estimated to provide a gross economic impact of over £4.2 million annually for the city. Over 100,000 visitors a year will support Derby’s Covid recovery and help create new jobs. STEAM learning opportunities for schools, communities and visitors will help to continue the legacy of Derby’s heritage of ideas and innovation.
The impact
The opening of the Museum of Making and associated 300 events programme, provided a timely shot in the arm to city centre recovery as people returned after lockdown. Since opening Museum of Making in May 2021, over 83,000 people have visited, contributing more than £3.4 million in the local economy. We have held 233 commercial venue hire events, including conferences and weddings.
As part of the 300 programme, Derby Museums also created the Derby Ram Trail, involving 28 artists creating ram sculptures through the city, supported by 32 sponsors. Over 120,000 people enjoyed the trail, with the sculptures being auctioned at the end, raising over £340,000 towards Derby Museums endowment. These achievements played a key part in our city declaring its intentions to bid for UK City of Culture 2025.
The iterative and collaborative approach of the making of the Museum of Making means its long-term benefits will be deeply felt. With focus on the needs of people our programmes are designed to address long term concerns.
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The Institute of Steam (IoS), supported by Rolls Royce, is our learning programme, integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths as a multidisciplinary approach to encourage creative, enquiry-based and critical thinking. The IoS aims to improve young peoples’ skills to enter the workforce in a city in need of technicians, engineers and problem solvers.
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IoS programmes support educators, artists/makers and family audiences, of all ages and all abilities.
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STEAM Babies and Tots sessions for families to explore creativity and develop confidence through play;
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The Midlands Maker Challenge, funded by IMI plc, draws on the manufacturing heritage of the area encouraging young people to make and create solutions to world issues. Twenty-five teams took part in 2021, developing ideas to tackle the climate crisis and gaining confidence and skills.
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ASSEMBLE 2021, Derby’s Making Festival, enabled over 100 artists/makers to celebrate making, engaging nearly 1000 people.
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Online Educator STEAM-sessions explored risk-taking and experimentation with guest speakers, participants joined from Europe, N. America and Africa.
How is new approach being sustained?
The Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill embodies Derby Museums core purpose – to be for the thinker and maker in all of us. Its programmes continue to grow in both their scale and ambition, ensuring that it responds to community needs and a changing world. The relationships established through projects and programmes underpin our future activities, providing a catalyst for partnership working throughout the city and beyond.
The new Museum of Making been designed to generate income to sustain the additional operational running costs of a new museum, with retail, catering, venue hire facilities. The Museum of Making membership scheme provides an opportunity for people to join a creative community to network, share idea, access peer support, learn and teach. Members can book co-working spaces and workshop equipment with on-site technical support. Membership is aimed at anyone interested in being part of a making community, encouraging young people, in particular, as part of our aim to empower future makers and innovators.
Our approach to the co-production and building of collections displays onsite in our workshops ensures adaptability and future sustainability. The Assemblage displays objects en-masse, with minimal interpretation and maximum access. These displays were created using a modular system with interchangeable components fabricated in the onsite workshop with many people being trained to manufacture and re-assemble the system for future modifications (thus bringing manufacturing back to the site of the world's first factory). This provides total access to collections that were previously stored behind the scenes.
Lessons learned
The Museum of Making has been delivered by a new collaborative construction contract, IPI, with Alliance Partners committed to delivering a ‘best for project’ solution on time and budget, incentivised through a shared financial pain/gain mechanism.
The IPI approach with the collaborative and problem-solving behaviours it engendered within the team, enabled the project to be delivered on time (Covid excepting) and budget, with many cost savings and efficiencies delivered along the way that in a traditional project would have meant more public money would need to be secured and spent.
The project clearly enabled Derby Museums to stay true to our principles of co-production, welcoming in the communities of Derby as volunteers and collaborators, Enabling the UK’s first Museum of Making to be truly made by the makers of today to inspire the makers of the future.
Contact
Tony Butler, Derby Museums Executive Director – [email protected]