Report highlights impact of Scotland’s national museum strategy

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has published a report highlighting the impact of Scotland’s 10-year national strategy for museums, Going Further, which launched in 2012.

The publication is intended to highlight “how museums have found new ways to engage with their communities, build new partnerships and consider how to create inclusive and diverse spaces, whilst continuing to question collections, spaces, and practices”.

It comes as the sector development body prepares to launch the next 10-year national strategy for museums in early 2023.

Featuring films, interviews, case studies and milestones, the report looks back on how the sector has met the six aims of the national strategy: maximising the potential of collections and culture; strengthening connections between museums, people and places; empowering a diverse workforce; forging a sustainable future; fostering a culture of collaboration; and developing a global perspective.

Examples cited in the report include the opening of the National Museums Collection Centre at Granton in 2015, Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust’s work with NHS staff to curate displays across 34 NHS Grampian sites, internships and vocational training such as the MGS Interns Programme (2011-14) and Heritage Horizons (2015-16), and partnership projects like Museums Dementia Socials at St Cecilia's Hall in Edinburgh.

The report acknowledges the greater awareness of and commitment to environmental sustainability in the sector, citing projects like Dive In at Wardlaw Museum in St Andrews, Preserving Pasts, Imagining Futures at the National Galleries of Scotland and Living Wrecks: The Marine Life of Scapa Flow in Stromness Museum.

The report also highlights the strides Scottish museums have made in developing a global perspective, including groundbreaking developments in repatriation, such as the return of a Benin bronze sculpture from the University of Aberdeen to Nigeria in 2021, and the repatriation of looted Indian artefacts from Glasgow Museums in 2022.

“Going Further set out a compelling and inclusive vision for all museums and galleries across Scotland,” said MGS CEO Lucy Casot. “Individuals and organisations have embraced the six aims of the national strategy by building bridges, breaking down barriers, and collaborating with partners in the museum sector and beyond.

“As we move towards the launch of a new national strategy in 2023, we’re confident that Scotland’s museums and galleries will continue to build on the progress of the past ten years. We will continue to ensure that Scotland’s museums and galleries are valued, connected, resilient, and thriving spaces.”

“The Scottish Government welcomes MGS’s retrospective look at the successful delivery of the National Strategy Going Further over the last decade,” said culture minister Neil Gray.

“These achievements detail the valuable contribution the sector has made to communities across the country and set the tone for the launch of the organisation’s new strategy in 2023.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with MGS in the years to come to support a sustainable environment that allows our museums and galleries to flourish.”

Looking ahead to the new strategy, Zandra Yeaman, curator of discomfort at the Hunterian – who is nominated as Radical Changemaker in this year’s Museums Change Lives Awards – said: “The strategy going forward is a real opportunity for us to recognise that museums are social justice spaces and can create the changes we desire within our society in Scotland today.

“We should really be looking at things from an ethical perspective, ensuring that the stories we tell around exhibitions and displays include the unvarnished truth and our uncomfortable histories.”

The achievements of the national strategy will be discussed at this year’s MA Conference in Edinburgh, 3-5 November