1 Introduction We have an exciting, big idea: to create a national Migration Museum for Britain. In the short term we are building the Migration Museum through a range of exhibitions and events held throughout the country, together with an education programme that will contribute to the British public debate about migration. Public understanding that our shared history is a history of migration will open up conversations and discussions about Britishness and belonging in a way that polarised media and political debates will never be able to do. In the longer term we aim to do something entirely new – to create a permanent Migration Museum, incorporating a mobile component capable of taking the story of Britain’s heritage as a migrant nation to every corner of the country. Led by Barbara Roche, former Minister for Immigration, the Migration Museum Project is driven by a cohesive group of individuals1 who have devised this creative project and are committed to seeing it through. In our first three years, with a very small staff and limited resources, we made more progress than we imagined possible: we developed two touring exhibitions (100 Images of Migration and Germans in Britain), exhibited in a range of institutions across the country (including London’s Southbank Centre), held 16 events attended by more than 1 600 people, drew in more than 90 distinguished friends2 – including two former home secretaries of differing political persuasions – grew our education programme, improved our website, developed partnerships with leading cultural and community organisations, attracted national media coverage and completed feasibility testing for a physical space of our own. Our concept continues to be greeted with positive energy and warmth. We have built significant support and demonstrated our ability to create high-quality outputs with minimal resources. To the funders who have so generously enabled us to get this project off the ground we owe enormous thanks: the Baring Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Rothschild Foundation, City Bridge Trust, Migration Foundation, Rayne Foundation, Alfred Caplin Charity Settlement, Unbound Philanthropy, Kohn Foundation, Nadir Dinshaw Charitable Trust, Artistic Endeavours Trust, Schroder Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Doris Pacey Charitable Foundation. We now need to take this project to the next level. We are seeking support to grow our organisation, produce more excellent outputs and finally inhabit a physical space of our own. 1
For details of who we are, see Appendix 1.
2
For a list of distinguished friends, see Appendix 2.
Migration Museum Project – the first three years, page 1
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