Mark O'Neill, director of research, Culture and Sport Glasgow
"In UK terms the Heritage Lottery Fund and Renaissance in the Regions' investment has been transformative. For Glasgow highlights have been: the refurbishment of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; opening one of the world's most accessible large museum stores; commissioning Zaha Hadid's first major UK building (the Riverside Museum); our biennial Contemporary Art and Human Rights programme; and winning the Art Fund International grant for non-UK contemporary art acquisitions.
Despite the lack of Renaissance in the Regions funding in Scotland, we have, as part of Culture and Sport Glasgow, not only recovered from the drastic budget cuts of the mid-1990s, but also raised standards, experimented with new approaches to research, display and outreach and remained the most visited museum service outside London."
Neil MacGregor, director, British Museum
"The introduction of free admission across most of the national museums in 2001 has had a huge impact on our cultural landscape over the past ten years.
Building on the long tradition of free entry at the British Museum, Tate and the National Gallery, the opening up of the extraordinary and diverse world collections based in London, to a broader world public is a terrific achievement and the undoubted highlight of the past decade."
David Fleming, director, National Museums Liverpool
"Easy - the highlight was the creation by the department for culture of Renaissance in the Regions, the most important initiative for decades in promising to create social justice through museum activity right across England.
After the winning of the debate, not that long ago, that museums should be socially inclusive rather than the elitist preserves they once were, Renaissance is the natural next step. In terms of its ambition and promise, Renaissance is a stunning concept. What it needs is more intelligent, courageous and visionary management - this will deliver full impact. And, the worse the financial climate, the more important Renaissance becomes."
Alec Coles, director, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums
"The many major Lottery-funded museum developments and the realisation of Renaissance funding both contributed to my greatest highlight : a revitalised and confident sector generating and spending real money, making a real difference to the lives of real people and being taken - in the main - really seriously! My slogan for the last decade: Museums in the noughties - making it real...
The years ahead may be tough, but museums are now much better placed to demonstrate their impact, worth and potential. My personal highlight was to see over half a million people visit the Great North Museum within four months of opening - proving an enduring appetite for museums with great collections."
