The conversation
What is the legacy of the 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade programme for museums?
Dear Maria: Sadly, the momentum and fanfare of 2007 did not last long. Several exhibitions on the subject of transatlantic slavery have ended and are not seeing the light of day, there is no official legacies group that still meets and no specific funding, something that was particularly useful for smaller organisations and many artists. That said, many relationships began in 2007 are still going strong. The 10th anniversary seems a good time for government and national heritage organisations to develop a renewed interest, which could raise the profile of the subject matter again.
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: Given all the immense work that was done during and leading up to 2007, it is a demoralising situation. Interestingly, even though exhibitions have disappeared, a number of learning programmes have continued in and beyond museums, with teachers expressing a keen interest to teach the subject of slavery and its legacy. This is heartening, even more so given the fact that, following the triumph of getting the subject onto the national curriculum, it was promptly cut after the 2010 general election. I feel strongly that the focus must be on fully equipping young minds with the historical facts.
Best, Maria
Dear Maria: Equipping young people is spot on. National Museums Liverpool is fundamentally educational in purpose as stated in its core values. Not all museums say this. The subject should be embedded in our curriculum – for young people’s academic education and all-round development. Museums and historical curriculums can be a bit staid. Abolition is often represented as a dry and unemotional list of dates, so we must look at innovative and multisensory ways of engagement. Let’s tell stories and humanise the subject – artistic interventions are a great idea.
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: There are some forward-thinking museum educators working hard to engage children and young people experientially – encouraging them to think empathetically as well as intellectually about the transatlantic slave trade. I made an artwork about the Abolition Act for The Beginnings of that Freedome as part of the Parliament in the Making programme in 2015. Through the interest and commitment of the Parliamentary Archive team the piece has been installed in Derby Cathedral, and has formed the basis of a schools learning project. Do we need to find ways to reconnect the curators with the educators?
Best, Maria
Dear Maria: We share common ground here. Artists, educators, curators – a dream team. Some individuals span all three and use elements of each. Our new curator is a conceptual artist photographer and brings a fresh perspective.
The subject of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies is malleable, with new debates and research. So museums need to engage with our audiences in different ways. We are expanding our permanent collection to include work by black artists who responded to the bicentenary. As powerful today as it was then.
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: I really like the idea of a dream team – one that could reflect on what took place across the cultural sector during 2007 and effectively build on those programmes. So many people are still unaware of the facts of this part of British history and this gap in knowledge makes people less sympathetic to the legacies of the slave trade. This team could be made up of the many people doing good work in their neighbourhoods as well as those working in museums. Creating space for this kind of thinking and doing is perhaps more necessary now as we face the political and social uncertainties provoked by the seismic global events of 2016.
Best, Maria
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: Given all the immense work that was done during and leading up to 2007, it is a demoralising situation. Interestingly, even though exhibitions have disappeared, a number of learning programmes have continued in and beyond museums, with teachers expressing a keen interest to teach the subject of slavery and its legacy. This is heartening, even more so given the fact that, following the triumph of getting the subject onto the national curriculum, it was promptly cut after the 2010 general election. I feel strongly that the focus must be on fully equipping young minds with the historical facts.
Best, Maria
Dear Maria: Equipping young people is spot on. National Museums Liverpool is fundamentally educational in purpose as stated in its core values. Not all museums say this. The subject should be embedded in our curriculum – for young people’s academic education and all-round development. Museums and historical curriculums can be a bit staid. Abolition is often represented as a dry and unemotional list of dates, so we must look at innovative and multisensory ways of engagement. Let’s tell stories and humanise the subject – artistic interventions are a great idea.
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: There are some forward-thinking museum educators working hard to engage children and young people experientially – encouraging them to think empathetically as well as intellectually about the transatlantic slave trade. I made an artwork about the Abolition Act for The Beginnings of that Freedome as part of the Parliament in the Making programme in 2015. Through the interest and commitment of the Parliamentary Archive team the piece has been installed in Derby Cathedral, and has formed the basis of a schools learning project. Do we need to find ways to reconnect the curators with the educators?
Best, Maria
Dear Maria: We share common ground here. Artists, educators, curators – a dream team. Some individuals span all three and use elements of each. Our new curator is a conceptual artist photographer and brings a fresh perspective.
The subject of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies is malleable, with new debates and research. So museums need to engage with our audiences in different ways. We are expanding our permanent collection to include work by black artists who responded to the bicentenary. As powerful today as it was then.
Best, Richard
Dear Richard: I really like the idea of a dream team – one that could reflect on what took place across the cultural sector during 2007 and effectively build on those programmes. So many people are still unaware of the facts of this part of British history and this gap in knowledge makes people less sympathetic to the legacies of the slave trade. This team could be made up of the many people doing good work in their neighbourhoods as well as those working in museums. Creating space for this kind of thinking and doing is perhaps more necessary now as we face the political and social uncertainties provoked by the seismic global events of 2016.
Best, Maria