The Royal School of Needlework occupy some of the ‘grace and favour’ rooms at Hampton Court Palace, this view shows a basket used by previous residents. Image: VADS 2010.

The sixth workshop in the JISC-funded Look-Here! project focused on funding and sustainability, and was held on the 20th August, hosted by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. The workshop included presentations by Andrea Stern from V&A Enterprises Ltd, Alastair Dunning, JISC Digitisation Programme Manager, and Joanne South from Arts & Business. The sustainability research, that has been conducted by Leigh Garrett and Carlos Silva as part of the Look-Here! project, was also disseminated and discussed. The day ended with a behind the scenes tour of the Royal School of Needlework.

View outside the window in the workshop venue. Image: VADS 2010.

Some of the issues discussed included working with businesses in a two-way relationship based on collections with unique selling points and specialist skills; and also to look to benefit from external expertise not only financial support. We also discussed image licensing and the benefits of having several sources of funding in terms of sustainability. A summary of the workshop will be available on the Look-Here! project website in due course.

An example of the material held by the Royal School of Needlework, and a glimpse of some of the threads. Images: VADS 2010.

During the tour of the Royal School of Needlework we viewed: an upholstered and embroidered chair that Queen Victoria used; restoration of goldwork in progress; and some of the many examples of works in the collection, from designs by William Morris to a crewel-work screen in the training room.

Links:

• Royal School of Needlework website
• V&A Images: Image Licensing at a Cultural Heritage Institution (PDF)
• Look-Here! project website