Spreading the word
Jennifer Scott, the director of the Holburne Museum in Bath, explains her vision for changing people’s lives through art
“There’s been something to feel proud of every week since I started here,” says Jennifer Scott of her first year and a half as the director of the Holburne Museum in Bath. “We have a weekly staff meeting and I think it’s almost tiring for the team that I’m constantly saying well done, because every department just excels every week.”
Scott is insuppressibly enthusiastic, which is all the better considering that the Holburne Museum is celebrating 100 years since Sir William Holburne’s collection moved to its current home in Bath. She is particularly excited about the exhibitions programme that the museum has developed for its centenary year.
“Impressionism: Capturing Life is going to be such a good show,” she says. The exhibition will kick the celebrations off this month, then Stubbs and the Wild opens over summer, then Silver: Light and Shade in the autumn, a follow up to the Holburne’s recent Gold show.
Scott’s background is curatorial, and she’s been able to turn her hand to it once more with the Impressionism show. “Curating is what keeps me grounded, and I want to keep my hand in,” she says. “When I left the National Gallery I stayed on lecturing there because I like to keep hold of the essence of what I’ve done before so I don’t lose it.”
Scott started out as an intern at National Museums Liverpool. She went on to become an information assistant at the National Gallery in London, which eventually led her to a maternity cover position as an assistant curator at the Royal Collection – a pivotal moment, and the point that got Scott to where she is now.
She later became the curator of paintings for the Royal Collection – where she stayed for 10 years – dealing with the collections of 13 palaces, and working alongside Historic Royal Palaces.
“One of the reasons I stayed so long is because of the different sites – I was working with over a million artworks,” she says. The Holburne’s Impressionism show has given her the chance to get her hands dirty again. “After a long day looking at spreadsheets, it’s lovely to think I’m going to go home and read about Renoir.”
The museum is managed by a team of 21 full-time equivalents, and Scott feels that it is vital that she understands each role.
“My background means that I comprehend the museum’s workings from the ground up – I don’t just sit on high as director, I understand every single part of running the museum.”
Business sense
Scott has always liked being a manager and enjoys having a sense of the overall organisation and how everything works. “It’s important for the Holburne to run as a business; we have to be financially sound.”
Last financial year the Holburne’s visitor figures were around 113,000, but Scott is hoping these will ramp up to 125,000 in the museum’s centenary year. She feels there are challenges in doing this though.
“The hot topic of whether national museums should remain free to enter is something I’m passionate about,” she says. “Museums can be formidable places – our facade can be off-putting – so to have an extra barrier of an admission fee would mean losing engagement from a large population. So one of the Holburne’s real challenges is to remain free to enter and keep our balance books in a healthy enough state so as not to be forced to have to charge for entry.”
Tickets to temporary exhibitions at the Holburne are £8.50 with a £1.50 optional donation, and it’s that donation that helps the museum remain free to enter.
Scott is ardent about the Holburne’s mission: “One of the key things I’ve been work- ing on with the team is realigning our overall vision to ‘changing lives through art’.” She feels this statement epitomises every- thing the Holburne should be.
Being generous, and transparent with it, seem to be at the core of Scott’s personality. She makes sure staff understand the museum’s budget and financial position. And she is extremely positive about the outreach work that the museum does, which includes an art group for homeless people on Wednesday afternoons. This group recently presented its work at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Crucially, the museum has an active team of 300 volunteers, which it could not do without. Scott is keen to help them progress their careers in the cultural sector and else- where, especially as 40% of them are under the age of 30.
Working with local schools and universities is high up on Scott’s agenda. “The Holburne is partnered with the two Bath universities,” Scott says. “The University of Bath has been supporting us for 50 years by providing core HR and IT support, as well as security services.”
And a few years ago the museum formed a cultural partnership with Bath Spa University. “They help support us financially and we work with their students in return.”
One of Scott’s favourite outcomes is an event called The Moving Exhibition: “I give dance and music students a tour of the Holburne collection and they devise new com- positions inspired by it, which they perform during public opening times.” Lecturers and students at both universities get free entry to all the museum’s exhibitions.
Other partnership work the museum has embarked on includes a project funded by Arts Council England – Rome Around – where the 13 independent museums around Bath, including the Roman Baths, partnered to advance their community engagement and how to pool resources more effectively.
Aspirations and acquisitions
Scott reveals that the Holburne has recently achieved its target of raising £450,000 to acquire an important preparatory oil sketch of Arthur Atherley by the 18th-century painter Thomas Lawrence.
“We can implement an exciting learning, interpretation and community engagement programme inspired by this portrait,” says Scott. “We want to be able to position our- selves as leaders in interpreting 18th-century portraiture, and Lawrence was a local and we didn’t have an oil painting by him.”
She emphasises that the campaign was more about buying a portrait for the people of Bath, and the acquisition elegantly reflects the idea of William Holburne’s collection being part of the city of Bath.
The museum has also been the grateful recipient of an arts council grant for its con- temporary programme, the last of which is Michael Eden’s innovative 3D printed works inspired by objects in the collection, which is on display until 28 March.
So what does the future hold? Probably more events like the Holburne’s successful Canaletto weekender last summer, and the winter lantern procession that attracted 7,500 people. But also “building the Holburne’s profile so that it becomes known as a hidden gem of an international museum, like the Mauritshuis in the Hague,” Scott says.
“The Holburne has real heart and what we do makes a real difference,” she says. “We need art more than ever because it grows hope in difficult financial times. Art isn’t frivolous, but we have a lot of work to do to show that, and changing that perception is what gets me out of bed every morning.”
Jennifer Scott studied history of art to MA level at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She started her career with a six-month internship at National Museums Liverpool, which led to a position as a collections information assistant at the National Gallery in London.
Scott became the curator of paintings at the Royal Collection in 2004, where she was based at St James’s Palace, and often worked with Historic Royal Palaces.
She joined the Holburne Museum in Bath in August 2014 as its director. Scott sits on the board of trustees for the Living Painting Trust, and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London.
Sir William Holburne (1793-1874) donated his collection to the City of Bath, and since 1916 it has been housed at the Holburne Museum in its current location on Great Pulteney Street.
The collection encompasses sculpture, furniture, silver and porcelain of international importance. It also includes artworks by Gainsborough, Stubbs and Zoffany.
The museum reopened in May 2011 after a £15m renovation and new extension, which was designed by Eric Parry Architects. The museum attracts about 113,000 visitors a year, and hopes to achieve 125,00 in 2016, its centenary year.
Admission to look at the museum’s permanent displays is free. Tickets to temporary exhibitions cost £8.50 with an optional donation of £1.50. The museum’s budget is around £1.3m a year.
The staff is made up of 21 full-time equivalents and 300 volunteers.
Scott is insuppressibly enthusiastic, which is all the better considering that the Holburne Museum is celebrating 100 years since Sir William Holburne’s collection moved to its current home in Bath. She is particularly excited about the exhibitions programme that the museum has developed for its centenary year.
“Impressionism: Capturing Life is going to be such a good show,” she says. The exhibition will kick the celebrations off this month, then Stubbs and the Wild opens over summer, then Silver: Light and Shade in the autumn, a follow up to the Holburne’s recent Gold show.
Scott’s background is curatorial, and she’s been able to turn her hand to it once more with the Impressionism show. “Curating is what keeps me grounded, and I want to keep my hand in,” she says. “When I left the National Gallery I stayed on lecturing there because I like to keep hold of the essence of what I’ve done before so I don’t lose it.”
Scott started out as an intern at National Museums Liverpool. She went on to become an information assistant at the National Gallery in London, which eventually led her to a maternity cover position as an assistant curator at the Royal Collection – a pivotal moment, and the point that got Scott to where she is now.
She later became the curator of paintings for the Royal Collection – where she stayed for 10 years – dealing with the collections of 13 palaces, and working alongside Historic Royal Palaces.
“One of the reasons I stayed so long is because of the different sites – I was working with over a million artworks,” she says. The Holburne’s Impressionism show has given her the chance to get her hands dirty again. “After a long day looking at spreadsheets, it’s lovely to think I’m going to go home and read about Renoir.”
The museum is managed by a team of 21 full-time equivalents, and Scott feels that it is vital that she understands each role.
“My background means that I comprehend the museum’s workings from the ground up – I don’t just sit on high as director, I understand every single part of running the museum.”
Business sense
Scott has always liked being a manager and enjoys having a sense of the overall organisation and how everything works. “It’s important for the Holburne to run as a business; we have to be financially sound.”
Last financial year the Holburne’s visitor figures were around 113,000, but Scott is hoping these will ramp up to 125,000 in the museum’s centenary year. She feels there are challenges in doing this though.
“The hot topic of whether national museums should remain free to enter is something I’m passionate about,” she says. “Museums can be formidable places – our facade can be off-putting – so to have an extra barrier of an admission fee would mean losing engagement from a large population. So one of the Holburne’s real challenges is to remain free to enter and keep our balance books in a healthy enough state so as not to be forced to have to charge for entry.”
Tickets to temporary exhibitions at the Holburne are £8.50 with a £1.50 optional donation, and it’s that donation that helps the museum remain free to enter.
Scott is ardent about the Holburne’s mission: “One of the key things I’ve been work- ing on with the team is realigning our overall vision to ‘changing lives through art’.” She feels this statement epitomises every- thing the Holburne should be.
Being generous, and transparent with it, seem to be at the core of Scott’s personality. She makes sure staff understand the museum’s budget and financial position. And she is extremely positive about the outreach work that the museum does, which includes an art group for homeless people on Wednesday afternoons. This group recently presented its work at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Crucially, the museum has an active team of 300 volunteers, which it could not do without. Scott is keen to help them progress their careers in the cultural sector and else- where, especially as 40% of them are under the age of 30.
Working with local schools and universities is high up on Scott’s agenda. “The Holburne is partnered with the two Bath universities,” Scott says. “The University of Bath has been supporting us for 50 years by providing core HR and IT support, as well as security services.”
And a few years ago the museum formed a cultural partnership with Bath Spa University. “They help support us financially and we work with their students in return.”
One of Scott’s favourite outcomes is an event called The Moving Exhibition: “I give dance and music students a tour of the Holburne collection and they devise new com- positions inspired by it, which they perform during public opening times.” Lecturers and students at both universities get free entry to all the museum’s exhibitions.
I don’t just sit on high as director, I understand every single part of running the museum"
Other partnership work the museum has embarked on includes a project funded by Arts Council England – Rome Around – where the 13 independent museums around Bath, including the Roman Baths, partnered to advance their community engagement and how to pool resources more effectively.
Aspirations and acquisitions
Scott reveals that the Holburne has recently achieved its target of raising £450,000 to acquire an important preparatory oil sketch of Arthur Atherley by the 18th-century painter Thomas Lawrence.
“We can implement an exciting learning, interpretation and community engagement programme inspired by this portrait,” says Scott. “We want to be able to position our- selves as leaders in interpreting 18th-century portraiture, and Lawrence was a local and we didn’t have an oil painting by him.”
She emphasises that the campaign was more about buying a portrait for the people of Bath, and the acquisition elegantly reflects the idea of William Holburne’s collection being part of the city of Bath.
The museum has also been the grateful recipient of an arts council grant for its con- temporary programme, the last of which is Michael Eden’s innovative 3D printed works inspired by objects in the collection, which is on display until 28 March.
So what does the future hold? Probably more events like the Holburne’s successful Canaletto weekender last summer, and the winter lantern procession that attracted 7,500 people. But also “building the Holburne’s profile so that it becomes known as a hidden gem of an international museum, like the Mauritshuis in the Hague,” Scott says.
“The Holburne has real heart and what we do makes a real difference,” she says. “We need art more than ever because it grows hope in difficult financial times. Art isn’t frivolous, but we have a lot of work to do to show that, and changing that perception is what gets me out of bed every morning.”
Jennifer Scott at a glance
Jennifer Scott studied history of art to MA level at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She started her career with a six-month internship at National Museums Liverpool, which led to a position as a collections information assistant at the National Gallery in London.
Scott became the curator of paintings at the Royal Collection in 2004, where she was based at St James’s Palace, and often worked with Historic Royal Palaces.
She joined the Holburne Museum in Bath in August 2014 as its director. Scott sits on the board of trustees for the Living Painting Trust, and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London.
The Holburne Museum at a glance
Sir William Holburne (1793-1874) donated his collection to the City of Bath, and since 1916 it has been housed at the Holburne Museum in its current location on Great Pulteney Street.
The collection encompasses sculpture, furniture, silver and porcelain of international importance. It also includes artworks by Gainsborough, Stubbs and Zoffany.
The museum reopened in May 2011 after a £15m renovation and new extension, which was designed by Eric Parry Architects. The museum attracts about 113,000 visitors a year, and hopes to achieve 125,00 in 2016, its centenary year.
Admission to look at the museum’s permanent displays is free. Tickets to temporary exhibitions cost £8.50 with an optional donation of £1.50. The museum’s budget is around £1.3m a year.
The staff is made up of 21 full-time equivalents and 300 volunteers.