New culture minister promises “frank assessment” of challenges facing museums
Matt Hancock discusses Museums Review in speech
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Museums Review “will give a frank assessment of the challenges, and propose ways to overcome them”, said Matt Hancock, the new minister for digital and culture at an event hosted last week by the Creative Industries Federation.
The review, unveiled earlier this year in the Culture White Paper, will look at a number of areas, including diversifying participation, developing communities, supporting soft power and creating a resilient museum sector.
“It will cover how best to support museums large and small, widening participation, supporting both digital innovation and learning,” Hancock said. “The only thing not up for review is free entry to the permanent collections of national museums.”
The digital and culture minister also argued that the government has shown that it is “prepared to invest” in the creative industries.
“I will fight to ensure that the creative and digital industries are at the heart of this government’s industrial strategy, with a tax, regulatory and public investment framework that supports you to grow.”
Hancock covered a range of other topics in his speech, including Brexit.
“We must define Brexit Britain as open and optimistic, gregarious and global,” he said.
Hancock also addressed the issue of diversity in the sector.
“No one should be excluded from any of your industries because of their accent, their gender, or their postcode,” he said “As the prime minister said on the steps of Downing Street, it’s part of building a country that works for all, not just the privileged few.
“Just as culture transcends boundaries and speaks to the common humanity in us all, so creativity allows us to transcend the circumstances of our lives. So let us drive open diversity.”
The Creative Industries Federation event at the BFI in London was attended by more than 250 people and included representatives from the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Tate, Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The review, unveiled earlier this year in the Culture White Paper, will look at a number of areas, including diversifying participation, developing communities, supporting soft power and creating a resilient museum sector.
“It will cover how best to support museums large and small, widening participation, supporting both digital innovation and learning,” Hancock said. “The only thing not up for review is free entry to the permanent collections of national museums.”
The digital and culture minister also argued that the government has shown that it is “prepared to invest” in the creative industries.
“I will fight to ensure that the creative and digital industries are at the heart of this government’s industrial strategy, with a tax, regulatory and public investment framework that supports you to grow.”
Hancock covered a range of other topics in his speech, including Brexit.
“We must define Brexit Britain as open and optimistic, gregarious and global,” he said.
Hancock also addressed the issue of diversity in the sector.
“No one should be excluded from any of your industries because of their accent, their gender, or their postcode,” he said “As the prime minister said on the steps of Downing Street, it’s part of building a country that works for all, not just the privileged few.
“Just as culture transcends boundaries and speaks to the common humanity in us all, so creativity allows us to transcend the circumstances of our lives. So let us drive open diversity.”
The Creative Industries Federation event at the BFI in London was attended by more than 250 people and included representatives from the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Tate, Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.