The Sir John Moore Foundation in Derbyshire is being innovative with the process of curating. For MGM, the Foundation will hand over the organisational reigns to a group of young adults who will be charged with selecting a contemporary artist and setting them a brief. The project will kick off in May with a group visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park to generate ideas and inspiration. This initiative, in partnership with Ivanhoe Youth Centre and Leicestershire County Museum, ties in with the Foundation’s plans to develop more youth focused projects, ones which go beyond mere participation and enable young people to author their own artistic and professional development.

Fabrica Gallery in Brighton explores historical developments and innovations in forensic science, in particular the pioneering discoveries of Dr Edmond Locard, with their exhibition INDELIBLE: Every Contact Leaves a Trace. The show will bring together the practice of scientists and artists who will explore Locard’s ‘exchange principle’ - the notion that our physical existence in the world and our actions leave indelible traces upon our environment and other people.

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter and the Museum of Dartmoor Life join forces to produce the exhibition Dartmoor Rocks. The show will include contemporary art works made by local artists inspired by the landscape of Dartmoor. As the Royal Albert Museum is closed for renovation until 2010, the exhibition will be integrated around the Museum of Dartmoor’s building and courtyard, giving the Exeter museum access to a lively artists’ programme at Dartmoor, and enabling them to generate new audiences.

Continuing with the theme of nature is Structures for the Unseen, an exhibition by Finnish artist Axel Antas at Spacex Gallery in Exeter from 17th May. The exhibition will include work made by the artist during a residency in the mountainous landscape of the Pyrenees. Structure for Birds, a series of bird boxes hand-made by the artist, provides the inspiration for the Build a Brilliant Birdbox workshop taking place at the end of May. The younger visitors to the gallery will be invited to design and make structures which can also double as homes for birds.

There is a Chinese theme here too, and innovations in Chinese art and design will feature strongly throughout the month. For the first time, the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich will exhibit Chinese artefacts taken from the Sainbury’s private collection. The Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester will borrow the situationist’s method of using the map of one city to read another. Artists from China will record a walk around a major Chinese city and this soundscape will be played via MP3 players to the visitors of the Chinese Arts Centre as they take a walk through Manchester.

It is remarkable how the arts programme and the Ideas and Innovations theme have engaged organisations and produced interesting partnerships as a result. A primary aim of the MGM arts programme and the seminars delivered to museum and heritage staff recently, is to encourage future fruitful collaborations between different cultural organisations.

In support of this Clare Moloney has developed the MGM Potlach wiki site http://mgmpotlach.wetpaint.com. The site will act as an interactive platform to enable museums and galleries to share their resources in the potlach tradition – reciprocal giving and receiving. If you would like to join this site please email Clare (claremol@gmail.com) and she will send you an invitation.

The MGM Arts programme is supported by the Arts Council.