‘Respond to draft strategy’

Museums have broadly welcomed the draft Culture Strategy for Scotland, but industry leaders are calling for the sector to make a strong response to ensure that museums are fully represented in the final draft.

It also recognises the transformative potential of culture, and the important role it can play across departments such as health and wellbeing, education and the environment.

Gillian Findlay, the head of museums and collections at Culture Perth and Kinross, and a Museums Association board member, praises the document for recognising that culture should be central across all policy areas.

“In terms of the resilience of our sector, this is crucial, and in terms of sustaining resources for our sector, it is crucial,” she says.

In a response to the document, Museums Galleries Scotland, the national development body for the sector, expressed concerns that it does not reflect the role of Scotland’s museum sector, or the breadth of its existing contribution to wider public policy. It has called on museums to respond individually to the consultation, which closes on 19 September.

The Scottish Museums Federation also said it hoped to see more mention of museums in the final strategy.

While Findlay points out this is a culture strategy, rather than a strategy for museums, which is under development, she says that every part of the sector should make a strong response.

“It is looking for as many people as possible to respond, and it is explicitly asking museums for examples of the work they are already doing in these areas,” she says.

“I hope the sector makes a passionate response.”

Karyn McGhee, the president of the Scottish Museums Federation, describes the wider contents of the strategy as encouraging.

“The strategy builds on themes that the museum sector in Scotland already works hard to achieve, such as partnership working, accessibility and working with communities,” she says.

In its response, Museums Galleries Scotland calls for museums to be “better understood” as a central pillar that could help the Scottish government realise the ambitions laid out in the strategy, as well as asking for local and national government to better engage cultural heritage in the wider public policy agenda.

The strategy clearly states that public funding for culture will continue, but it is likely to become more stretched. It also raises concerns about other funding sources post-Brexit as, according to Creative Scotland, culture and historic environments benefited from £59m of EU funding between 2007 and 2016.

The strategy notes that other revenue streams such as ticketing, commercial activities and partnerships with the private sector have become increasingly important, but that new funding opportunities, including crowd-sourcing and co-operative models, should be explored.

McGhee adds that it is hoped the final strategy will have clearer actions on funding, particularly in terms of international working. “We hope that the proper resources will be put in place to allow this to happen,” she says.

The strategy raises many questions to which it is seeking responses from Scotland’s entire cultural sector, but Findlay believes the strategy’s ambition, scale and scope at this stage should be commended, particularly as the government is managing the process but “not owning it”.

“It is important that this document recognises the scope of culture from grassroots to major cultural organisations, and it is asking them to shape what culture will look like in the future,” says Findlay. “Museums need to grasp the mettle, and talk about their priorities and provide evidence of what support they need, financial and political. There is an advocacy issue, but there always is in museums.”

The policy column