Space for Exchange - Peer Perspectives: Ashley and Vanessa  

25 September 2026

Space for Exchange is our free professional development programme in which peers who work with children and young people in the cultural sector are paired up over a five to eight-month process. We recognise the challenge for cultural education leaders to carve out a space to network and flexible opportunities to gain first-hand experience of different leadership cultures and creative practices. Space for Exchange gives participants permission to create this space and time, to learn, to reflect on our work, to share best practice with peers and build a stronger, more reflective cultural education sector together. 

In this blog series, we are sharing the experiences from the first cohort who took part in the pilot of the programme in 2025 – 2026. Together, they explored fundamental questions about their work — why they do what they do, what defines ‘good work,’ and who ultimately benefits — deepening both insight and practice. We’re delighted to share a glimpse into the connections and insights that emerged. 

Ashley Almeida

Organisation: British Museum

Partner name and organisation: Vanessa from Mountview

What I was hoping for?

To understand a different part of the arts sector and think about the integration of different art forms beyond visual arts in a museum setting, as well as reflect on my own practice.

What happened when I visited my partner? 

Vanessa and I met at Mountview where she'd invited me to an 'open dress.' She'd opened these up to community partners as a way of showcasing the extraordinary work the school does and bringing in community partners to understand exactly what goes on.

We had a coffee and then I took my seat to see a performance of 'Faustus - That Damned Woman'. I have a mixed experience of theatre and wasn't sure what to anticipate but this was really good and really well acted. It was nice to see local schools attending.

After the performance we took a walk around and had more of a chat.

What happened when I hosted? (

Vanessa joined me for one of my Youth Collective sessions at the British Museum. These take place in the evening and are for the Youth Collective to understand the museum and usually to work on their upcoming event. On this occasion however, I'd been able to arrange for my Youth Collective to speak to members of our Acquisitions team to understand how objects are acquired by the museum. Vanessa was able to join us and see how the group interact but also to hear this as well.

What surprised me was…

How likeminded we all were as a cohort. There's a desire to do, improve and generally make things better that we all have as part of our practice, and values.

The biggest challenge was…

Trying to figure out what to do for our creative encounter. We had a number of ideas, including going to Ireland(!) but instead settled on paring things back.

The best thing about the experience was…

The ability to connect with someone within the wider arts sector, but not in museums. It was nice to talk to someone who understood the environment of funding and demands without needing to explain all that but who could objectively listen and feed back about things we discussed together.

What we did for our creative encounter?

We thought long and hard about this and decided to keep things simple and have a nice breakfast; food always a conduit for good conversation, and have a look at some examples of participatory practice which is what connected our work.

One thing I’m taking from this exchange is...

It's very clear how much others are doing and this has made me reflect on my own practice and the amount I'm doing. Balancing 'sustainability' of myself as a resource with wanting there to be more for young people is something that clearly needs more thought on my part.

The impact on the young people I work with is…

Mostly I think the programme gave me a bit of a lifeline to talk to people outside of museums who do similar work to me. It was great to talk to other like-minded people and know that some of the issues I grapple with are felt elsewhere, but also to know and understand other people’s environments. Whilst this hasn’t necessarily impacted the young people I work with per se, it was refreshing for me and a reminder to be able to engage with other peers in the wider arts and culture sector more regularly where possible.

Describe the experience in three words…

Thoughtful, self-reflective, fun.

Vanessa Bunn 

 Organisation: Mountview 

 Partner: Ashley from the British Museum 

What I was hoping for? 

I wanted to learn from others doing similar work to mine (with and for young people and communities) and with similar values and motivations. 

What happened when I visited my partner? 

I was kindly invited by Ashley to join a meeting of the Youth Collective at the British Museum. Two members of the acquisitions team led an information session about processes, challenges and points of interest around their role and invited questions and suggestions from the Collective. Ashley ensured that everyone had pizza, snacks and refreshments aplenty and the space created encouraged curiosity and connection.  

What happened when I hosted? 

Ashley came to two community open dress performances at Mountview and so he got to experience both the Backstage and The Mack theatres at Mountview and two different audience responses to the initiative. We included tours, meeting colleagues and many chats in the visits. It was really helpful to hear Ashley’s observations about our Participation projects at Mountview from a brand new perspective - someone whose work involves facilitating engagement in the museums and heritage sphere.   

What surprised me was… 

Even though we were working in very different contexts, with different resources, on different timelines, the challenges we faced were often similar and it was really useful to have a sounding board to help untangle things (and have a laugh with) for the duration of the programme.  

The biggest challenge was… 

Finding time in our very busy calendars to make the most of all the opportunities and prompts for connection that the programme created.  

The best thing about the experience was…

 Being reminded of the importance of rest, connection and play for our own creative practice. Discussions Ashley and I had about inclusion, placemaking, efficient use of resources etc. all had a big impact on my planning for a very successful Peckham Sessions 2026 at Mountview.  

What we did for our creative encounter? 

We went to the Tate Modern to see their Performer and Participant exhibition and used the opportunity to grab brunch and a stroll for more chats about the exhibition and about our experience of the Space for Exchange programme in general.  

One thing I’m taking from this exchange is... 

Many of my best ideas regarding facilitation, project development, teaching etc. only happen when I prioritise safeguarding time and space to be in dialogue and creative spaces with others, to join dots and reflect.  

The impact on the young people I work with is… 

The young people who attend Participation programmes at Mountview benefitted from my participation in the project in various ways throughout the process. Conversations with Ashley (and the wider group when we all met together at A New Direction) led me into best practice exchanges and further research which directly informed improvements to my strategies and policies around evaluation, co-creation and community audiences.

Describe the experience in three words… 

Rewarding, insightful, fun.