ICC Academic Awarded AHRC Leadership Fellowship
Added on Tuesday, June 6th, 2017
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded Kerry Wilson, Head of Research at the Institute of Cultural Capital, a mid-career Leadership Fellowship. The Leadership Fellows scheme is designed to support research leaders to undertake focused independent research and collaborative leadership activities, which have the potential to generate a transformative impact on their subject area and beyond.
Kerry’s research interests and areas of expertise relate to the cross-sector instrumental value of arts and culture. Signature projects include an AHRC-funded study of public libraries’ contribution to social inclusion policy in England (2006-08), and research on the impact and value of an award-winning dementia awareness training programme for health and social care sectors led by National Museums Liverpool (2013 onwards). Her AHRC Leadership Fellows award will fund a two-year study of professional ethics in collaborative cultural work, examining reciprocal codes of practice in prison library services and for museum professionals working in health care settings.
Starting in July 2017, academic partners on the Instrumental Values study include the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at the Australian National University and the Institute of Applied Ethics, University of Hull. Kerry will also work in collaboration with key professional bodies including the Museums Association, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the National Alliance for Museums Health and Wellbeing and the Prisoners’ Education Trust.
Kerry Wilson commented: “I’m delighted to receive this award from the AHRC at this stage in my academic career. It is particularly reassuring and encouraging to see continuing support for research that interrogates relationships between arts and culture and wider public policy objectives, beyond ideological debates on their instrumental versus intrinsic value.”
Professor Robin Leatherbarrow, Pro Vice Chancellor (Scholarship, Research and Knowledge Transfer) at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) commented:
“This award reflects the high standing of collaborative cultural research within the Institute, which has been recognised by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The award will further strengthen collaborative links between the partner universities and on behalf of LJMU, I extend my congratulations to Kerry Wilson on receiving this prestigious Fellowship.”
The value of the Fellowship to scholarship in the arts and humanities was acknowledged by Professor Fiona Beveridge, Executive Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Liverpool:
“This award will support the growing trend towards collaboration between researchers and cultural organisations, developing a better understanding of how research ethics are currently negotiated in these settings, exploring how organisations can learn from each other on this topic and identifying key issues for researchers undertaking this sort of work.”
The Institute of Cultural Capital (ICC) is a strategic collaboration between LJMU and the University of Liverpool, launched in August 2010. Further information on the Instrumental Values study will be available on the ICC website from July 2017.
