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Birmingham History Galleries

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A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place , set of norms , culture, religion , values , customs , or identity . Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country , village , town , or neighborhood ) or in virtual space through communication platforms. Durable good relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also define a sense of community, important to people's identity, practice, and roles in social institutions such as family , home, work, government , TV network, society , or humanity at large. Although communities are usually small relative to personal social ties, "community" may also refer to large-group affiliations such as national communities , international communities , and virtual communities .

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56-557: Birmingham, Its people, Its History is a permanent exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and is also unofficially known as the Birmingham History Galleries . It opened to the public in October 2012 and is located on the third floor of the museum covering an area of 1,040 square metres. The exhibition is divided into five galleries which explore the story of Birmingham , England, and its people over

112-600: A taxonomy that maps community relations, and recognizes that actual communities can be characterized by different kinds of relations at the same time: In these terms, communities can be nested and/or intersecting; one community can contain another—for example a location-based community may contain a number of ethnic communities . Both lists above can be used in a cross-cutting matrix in relation to each other. In general, virtual communities value knowledge and information as currency or social resource. What differentiates virtual communities from their physical counterparts

168-528: A common agenda. Community development practitioners must understand both how to work with individuals and how to affect communities' positions within the context of larger social institutions. Public administrators, in contrast, need to understand community development in the context of rural and urban development, housing and economic development, and community, organizational and business development. Formal accredited programs conducted by universities, as part of degree granting institutions, are often used to build

224-600: A community can seem like a sub-set of a social collectivity . In developmental views, a community can emerge out of a collectivity. The English-language word "community" derives from the Old French comuneté ( Modern French : communauté ), which comes from the Latin communitas "community", "public spirit" (from Latin communis , "common"). Human communities may have intent , belief , resources , preferences , needs , and risks in common, affecting

280-680: A democratic election started to realign with community interests. In ecology , a community is an assemblage of populations—potentially of different species—interacting with one another. Community ecology is the branch of ecology that studies interactions between and among species. It considers how such interactions, along with interactions between species and the abiotic environment, affect social structure and species richness, diversity and patterns of abundance. Species interact in three ways: competition , predation and mutualism : The two main types of ecological communities are major communities, which are self-sustaining and self-regulating (such as

336-480: A display of just one item. Often a team of specialists is required to assemble and execute an exhibition; these specialists vary depending on the type of said exhibit. Curators are sometimes involved as the people who select the items in an exhibition. Writers and editors are sometimes needed to write text, labels and accompanying printed material such as catalogs and books. Architects, exhibition designers , graphic designers and other designers may be needed to shape

392-550: A forest or a lake), and minor communities, which rely on other communities (like fungi decomposing a log) and are the building blocks of major communities. Moreover, we can establish other non-taxonomic subdivisions of biocenosis, such as guilds . The concept of "community" often has a positive semantic connotation, exploited rhetorically by populist politicians and by advertisers to promote feelings and associations of mutual well-being, happiness and togetherness —veering towards an almost-achievable utopian community . In contrast,

448-417: A formal presentation , under the close supervision of attendant or educator. Temporary exhibits that are transported from institution to institution are traveling exhibits . Though exhibitions are common events, the concept of an exhibition is quite wide and encompasses many variables. Exhibitions range from an extraordinarily large event such as a World's fair exposition to small one-artist solo shows or

504-1000: A knowledge base to drive curricula in public administration , sociology and community studies . The General Social Survey from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and the Saguaro Seminar at the Harvard Kennedy School are examples of national community development in the United States. The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York State offers core courses in community and economic development, and in areas ranging from non-profit development to US budgeting (federal to local, community funds). In

560-497: A number of problems: (1) they tend to give the impression that a particular community can be defined as just this kind or another; (2) they tend to conflate modern and customary community relations; (3) they tend to take sociological categories such as ethnicity or race as given, forgetting that different ethnically defined persons live in different kinds of communities—grounded, interest-based, diasporic, etc. In response to these problems, Paul James and his colleagues have developed

616-560: A period of 900 years, from the 12th century to the present day. Over 1,500 objects are displayed from the museum’s designated collections , many of which can be seen on the museum's Flickr account. The £8.9m capital development was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund , but other funders also include Arts Council England , The Wolfson Foundation and Birmingham City Council . The galleries were designed by Redman Design of Ilkley , Yorkshire , in collaboration with

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672-431: A social community and spatial subdivisions of cities and other large settlements may have formed communities. Archaeologists typically use similarities in material culture —from house types to styles of pottery—to reconstruct communities in the past. This classification method relies on the assumption that people or households will share more similarities in the types and styles of their material goods with other members of

728-419: A social community than they will with outsiders. Early sociological studies identified communities as fringe groups at the behest of local power elites. Such early academic studies include Who Governs? by Robert Dahl as well as the papers by Floyd Hunter on Atlanta . At the turn of the 21st century the concept of community was rediscovered by academics, politicians, and activists. Politicians hoping for

784-442: A wide range including archaeology , anthropology , ethnology , history, science, technology and natural history . Commercial exhibitions, generally called trade fairs , trade shows or expos, are usually organized so that organizations in a specific interest or industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent trends and opportunities. Some trade fairs are open to

840-515: A widely accessible power structure, often with the end goal of distributing power equally throughout the community. Community organizers generally seek to build groups that are open and democratic in governance. Such groups facilitate and encourage consensus decision-making with a focus on the general health of the community rather than a specific interest group. If communities are developed based on something they share in common, whether location or values, then one challenge for developing communities

896-511: A year, with one of new British painting and one of loans of old masters from the Royal Collection and the aristocratic collections of English country houses . By the mid-19th century many of the new national museums of Europe were in place, and holding exhibitions of their own collections, or loaned collections, or a mixture of objects from both sourcers, which remains a typical mix today. The "Chronology of Temporary Exhibitions at

952-407: Is faith-based community organizing , or Congregation-based Community Organizing ). Community building can use a wide variety of practices, ranging from simple events (e.g., potlucks , small book clubs ) to larger-scale efforts (e.g., mass festivals , construction projects that involve local participants rather than outside contractors). Community building that is geared toward citizen action

1008-412: Is an "exhibit". In common usage, "exhibitions" are considered temporary and usually scheduled to open and close on specific dates. While many exhibitions are shown in just one venue, some exhibitions are shown in multiple locations and are called travelling exhibitions , and some are online exhibitions . Exhibitions featuring especially fragile or valuable objects, or live animals—may be shown only during

1064-586: Is attributed to several factors.  The internet's global reach allows museums to share their collections with geographically dispersed audiences. Additionally, online exhibitions can overcome limitations of physical space, allowing for the display of vast collections or large-scale objects that might be difficult to exhibit traditionally. Furthermore, online exhibitions can offer interactive features, educational resources, and accessibility tools not readily available in physical exhibitions. While online exhibitions offer numerous advantages, they cannot fully replicate

1120-423: Is how to incorporate individuality and differences. Rebekah Nathan suggests in her book, My Freshman Year , we are drawn to developing communities totally based on sameness, despite stated commitments to diversity, such as those found on university websites. A number of ways to categorize types of community have been proposed. One such breakdown is as follows: The usual categorizations of community relations have

1176-415: Is presented as a trade exhibition, focusing on particular Birmingham companies such as Joseph Gillott & Sons Ltd and displaying examples of what they once made. While Birmingham had cultivated a national as well as an international reputation for itself during this period, Forward juxtaposes this success against the dire poverty experienced by many living in the town, and eventually, the city. In addition

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1232-937: Is taking place to expand the collection and enable more local people to share and feature their stories and objects in the gallery in the future. Exhibition An exhibition , in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum , art gallery , park , library , exhibition hall , or World's fairs . Exhibitions can include many things such as art in both major museums and smaller galleries, interpretive exhibitions, natural history museums and history museums, and also varieties such as more commercially focused exhibitions and trade fairs . They can also foster community engagement, dialogue, and education, providing visitors with opportunities to explore diverse perspectives, historical contexts, and contemporary issues. Additionally, exhibitions frequently contribute to

1288-530: Is the extent and impact of "weak ties", which are the relationships acquaintances or strangers form to acquire information through online networks. Relationships among members in a virtual community tend to focus on information exchange about specific topics. A survey conducted by Pew Internet and The American Life Project in 2001 found those involved in entertainment, professional, and sports virtual-groups focused their activities on obtaining information. An epidemic of bullying and harassment has arisen from

1344-417: Is the second of the five history galleries and focuses on the period between 1700 and 1830. It presents this period as a travel guide for the first-time visitor, offering advice on the best places to stay, work, spend your leisure time and even highlights the many local people you are likely to encounter, including the likes of John Baskerville and Matthew Boulton . Such advice includes informing visitors of

1400-525: Is usually termed "community organizing". In these cases, organized community groups seek accountability from elected officials and increased direct representation within decision-making bodies. Where good-faith negotiations fail, these constituency-led organizations seek to pressure the decision-makers through a variety of means, including picketing, boycotting , sit-ins, petitioning, and electoral politics. Community organizing can focus on more than just resolving specific issues. Organizing often means building

1456-564: The Gemeinschaft – Gesellschaft dichotomy as a way to think about social ties. No group is exclusively one or the other. Gemeinschaft stress personal social interactions , and the roles, values, and beliefs based on such interactions. Gesellschaft stress indirect interactions, impersonal roles, formal values, and beliefs based on such interactions. In a seminal 1986 study, McMillan and Chavis identify four elements of "sense of community": A "sense of community index" (SCI)

1512-505: The Asset Based Community Development Institute of Northwestern University . The institute makes available downloadable tools to assess community assets and make connections between non-profit groups and other organizations that can help in community building. The Institute focuses on helping communities develop by "mobilizing neighborhood assets" – building from the inside out rather than

1568-849: The British Museum " goes back to 1838. The tradition of the Universal exposition "world Expo" or "World's Fair" began with the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London; these are only held every few years. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was built for the Exposition Universelle (1889) and served as an entrance arch. Modern exhibitions may be concerned with preservation, education and demonstration, early exhibitions were designed to attract public interest and curiosity. Before

1624-416: The curatorial department at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The galleries are chronological in design, but within each section the history of Birmingham is explored thematically, thereby maximizing the use of space. Origins is the first gallery in the chronological sequence and although referred to as the medieval gallery, this section explores Birmingham’s history from the 12th century through to

1680-456: The epidemiological term " community transmission " can have negative implications, and instead of a "criminal community" one often speaks of a " criminal underworld " or of the "criminal fraternity". In Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft (1887), German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies described two types of human association: Gemeinschaft (usually translated as "community") and Gesellschaft ("society" or "association"). Tönnies proposed

1736-433: The psychodynamic tradition, the most important period of socialization is between the ages of one and ten. But socialization also includes adults moving into a significantly different environment where they must learn a new set of behaviors. Socialization is influenced primarily by the family, through which children first learn community norms . Other important influences include schools, peer groups, people, mass media,

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1792-588: The workplace , and government. The degree to which the norms of a particular society or community are adopted determines one's willingness to engage with others. The norms of tolerance , reciprocity , and trust are important "habits of the heart", as de Tocqueville put it, in an individual's involvement in community. Community development is often linked with community work or community planning, and may involve stakeholders, foundations, governments, or contracted entities including non-government organisations (NGOs), universities or government agencies to progress

1848-475: The United Kingdom, the University of Oxford has led in providing extensive research in the field through its Community Development Journal, used worldwide by sociologists and community development practitioners. At the intersection between community development and community building are a number of programs and organizations with community development tools. One example of this is the program of

1904-654: The art itself. , as in the case with Biennales , triennials and quadrennials. The first art exhibition to be called a blockbuster was allegedly the 1960 Picasso show at Tate in London. Interpretive exhibitions are exhibitions that require more context to explain the items being displayed. This is generally true of exhibitions devoted to scientific and historical themes, where text, dioramas , charts , maps and interactive displays may provide necessary explanation of background and concepts. Interpretive exhibitions generally require more text and more graphics than fine art exhibitions do. The topics of interpretive graphics cover

1960-425: The end of the 17th century. A Paleolithic handaxe , around 250,000 years old is also displayed here to emphasise how long people have been roaming through the area of what was to become Birmingham. However, due to limited space and the fact that Birmingham’s growth did not begin until the 12th century when the medieval market was established, this section principally focuses on its history thereafter. The narrative of

2016-463: The exhibition space and give form to the editorial content. Organizing and holding exhibitions also requires effective event planning , management , and logistics. The exhibition came fully into its own in the 19th century, but various temporary exhibitions had been held before that, especially the regular displays of mostly new art in major cities. The Paris Salon of the Académie des Beaux-Arts

2072-414: The experience of a physical exhibition. The physical presence of objects, the curated layout of a gallery space, and the social interaction of a museum visit are all aspects missing from the online experience.  Nevertheless, online exhibitions serve as a valuable complement to physical exhibitions, expanding access to cultural heritage and fostering a deeper appreciation for museums and collections around

2128-412: The feeling of love and belonging. The process of learning to adopt the behavior patterns of the community is called socialization . The most fertile time of socialization is usually the early stages of life, during which individuals develop the skills and knowledge and learn the roles necessary to function within their culture and social environment . For some psychologists, especially those in

2184-413: The first half of the 20th century between 1909 and 1945. This includes the development of the suburbs and the impact of the two world wars on Birmingham and its people. The first part of the display called A Vision for Birmingham examines how the suburban estate reflected the changing social and political ideals of the time in an attempt to improve the way people lived. In addition, the narrative focuses on

2240-545: The gallery also looks at how Birmingham’s successful entrepreneurs such as Thomas Attwood , devoted time and resources to social reform and were thus able to improve the living and working conditions of many people. In this way the gallery explores how Birmingham had earned itself a place in national politics , through demanding representation in Parliament to campaigning for the abolition of slavery . This section explores two key aspects of Birmingham’s history during

2296-546: The gallery explores Birmingham’s success as a market town as a result of its lord of the manor purchasing a market charter in 1166, which secured its future as an important trading centre. Many of the objects on display were discovered during the Bull Ring excavations between 1998 and 2000 and demonstrate how successful Birmingham’s market already was by the 12th and 13th centuries, with a variety of established trades such as pottery making and tanning . A Stranger’s Guide

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2352-523: The home and military fronts . They have been incorporated alongside a selection of projected digital images of relevant media from both wars including photographs and newspaper articles. The last of the five galleries, Your Birmingham , focuses on the city’s development after 1945 and features a series of personal objects donated or loaned from people alongside their oral testimonies. It is split into thematic sub-sections, exploring places, events and people . The stories on display offer insights into what it

2408-445: The identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. Archaeological studies of social communities use the term "community" in two ways, mirroring usage in other areas. The first meaning is an informal definition of community as a place where people used to live. In this literal sense it is synonymous with the concept of an ancient settlement —whether a hamlet , village , town , or city . The second meaning resembles

2464-538: The knowledge and application of certain rules. He states that this process goes through four stages: In 1991, Peck remarked that building a sense of community is easy but maintaining this sense of community is difficult in the modern world. An interview with M. Scott Peck by Alan Atkisson. In Context #29, p. 26. The three basic types of community organizing are grassroots organizing, coalition building, and "institution-based community organizing", (also called "broad-based community organizing", an example of which

2520-427: The many employment opportunities available to them depending on age, gender, skills and experience from heavy-metal working to detailed craftsmanship of gun engraving. Forward explores life principally in 19th-century Birmingham between the period of 1830 to 1909. This was a point when Birmingham had become an industrial powerhouse, manufacturing everything from pen nibs to steam pumps. The domed part of this gallery

2576-420: The movement of the population to municipal estates, the experiences of tenants and the challenges that arose from building new communities from scratch. The second part of this section is called Birmingham at War and reveals the experiences of local people during the first and World War IIs . An immersive Installation presents a collection of over thirty oral testimonies from local people’s experiences on both

2632-479: The outside in. In the disability field, community building was prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s with roots in John McKnight's approaches. In The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace (1987) Scott Peck argues that the almost accidental sense of community that exists at times of crisis can be consciously built. Peck believes that conscious community building is a process of deliberate design based on

2688-472: The promotion of artists, innovators, and industries, acting as a conduit for the exchange of ideas and the celebration of human creativity and achievement. In British English the word "exhibition" is used for a collection of items placed on display and the event as a whole, which in American English is usually an "exhibit". In both varieties of English each object being shown within an exhibition

2744-582: The public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade) and members of the press. Online exhibitions are virtual presentations of artifacts, artworks, and other objects typically found in museums, galleries, and archives. They utilize the internet to display collections and educational content, making them accessible to a wider audience than physical exhibitions. Online exhibitions can take various formats, including digital images, scanned documents, 3D modeling, and even virtual reality experiences. The rise of online exhibitions

2800-406: The social well-being of local, regional and, sometimes, national communities. More grassroots efforts, called community building or community organizing , seek to empower individuals and groups of people by providing them with the skills they need to effect change in their own communities. These skills often assist in building political power through the formation of large social groups working for

2856-436: The usage of the term in other social sciences : a community is a group of people living near one another who interact socially. Social interaction on a small scale can be difficult to identify with archaeological data. Most reconstructions of social communities by archaeologists rely on the principle that social interaction in the past was conditioned by physical distance. Therefore, a small village settlement likely constituted

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2912-982: The widespread adoption of photography , the exhibition of a single object could attract large crowds. Visitors might even be overcome with Stendhal syndrome , feeling dizzy or overwhelmed by the intense sensory experience of an exhibit. Today, there is still tension between the design of exhibits for educational purposes or for the purpose of attracting and entertaining an audience, as a tourist attraction . Art exhibitions include an array of artifacts from countless forms of human making: paintings , drawings , crafts , sculpture , video installations , sound installations , performances , interactive art . Art exhibitions may focus on one artist, one group, one genre, one theme or one collection; or may be organized by curators, selected by juries, or show any artwork submitted. Fine arts exhibitions typically highlight works of art with generous space and lighting, supplying information through labels or audioguides designed to be unobtrusive to

2968-445: The world. A virtual museum is a digital institution dedicated to exhibiting objects and collections, similar to a physical museum, but existing entirely online. Virtual museum exhibitions utilize digital technologies to present collections and narratives in an online environment. These exhibitions can be permanent or temporary, showcasing a wide range of topics and objects. Communities In terms of sociological categories,

3024-519: Was developed by Chavis and colleagues, and revised and adapted by others. Although originally designed to assess sense of community in neighborhoods, the index has been adapted for use in schools, the workplace, and a variety of types of communities. Studies conducted by the APPA indicate that young adults who feel a sense of belonging in a community, particularly small communities, develop fewer psychiatric and depressive disorders than those who do not have

3080-522: Was like to live and work in the city since 1945 to the present day. For instance, local poet, Benjamin Zephaniah ’s typewriter can be seen in the gallery alongside an oral history in which he talks about growing up and living in Birmingham and how this influenced his career. One of the original HP Sauce Factory signs can also be seen on display in this gallery. A programme of active collecting

3136-572: Was the most famous of these, beginning in 1667, and open to the public from 1737. By the mid-18th century this and its equivalents in other countries had become crucial for developing and maintaining the reputation of contemporary artists. In London the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition has been held annually since 1769, and the British Institution ran temporary exhibitions from 1805 to 1867, typically twice

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