Proposed Watts sale is in line with policy
The news item about the Watts Gallery's plans to sell items from its collection (Museums Journal July 2006, p5) is misleading and inaccurate about an issue that, because of its complexity and potential for controversy, requires objective journalism, as well as attention to background.
The headline, MA Warns Watts Gallery Not to Sell Paintings, is in itself a distortion of the contents of the article, which states that the ethics committee of the Museums Association (MA) is making every effort to consider the position of the Watts Gallery responsibly and thoroughly. The MA's advice to the Watts Gallery is to 'review the decision'. Is this a warning?
Second, the article does not give the background to the Watts Gallery's proposal to sell. It is unfair to link the Watts Gallery's proposal to that of Bury Metropolitan Borough Council's plan to deaccession two paintings by Lowry. Unlike a local authority, we do not have secured annual funding. The limited funding we do have is exclusively for the gallery.
After much soul-searching, the Watts Gallery is proposing to sell two paintings to ensure the safekeeping and active management of its core collection. The Albert Moore and the Burne-Jones were given to the gallery after the deaths of G F and Mary Watts and form no part of the core collection for which The Watts Gallery Trust was established.
At a time when the gallery has to review every priority to save its very existence, it is appropriate to consider the deaccessioning of non-core works to preserve the core collection.
In line with our policy, we have at all times proceeded cautiously and acted responsibly by taking every opportunity to discuss our plans with stakeholders and interested parties. MLA South East has expressed the view that in its opinion the new acquisitions and disposal policy of the Watts Gallery meets accreditation standards. The proposal to sell is in line with this policy.
We were interested to read that our application as a museum (I am already an individual member) for membership of the MA was to be discussed at the executive meeting in July. We received our new membership card and starter pack at the end of June. We would be delighted to discuss our plans with any members of the MA, or readers of Museums Journal (wattsgallery@freeuk.com)
In the meantime, we look forward to cooperating with the MA in helping us to find ways of reviewing our decision in order to meet our acquisitions and disposal policy and deliver our mission of safeguarding and promoting the collection of GF Watts at the Watts Gallery.
Richard Ormond, chairman, The Watts Gallery Trust
MLA works towards long-term hub plan
Kevin Flude raises some serious issues in his letter questioning the value of hub funding in London, in relation to the sums available to non-hub museums through Museums, Libraries and Archives London (MLA London) and the Museum Development Fund (Museums Journal May 2006, p14). As he points out, however, the figures he quotes do not tell the whole story.
The museum development strategy to which he refers has informed the business plan prepared by the London hub for 2006-08 and, through this, its own investment in the new network of museum development officers, partnership projects with non-hub museums, and the provision of advice and support across a range of museum activities.
Renaissance investment in the four partner museums presents opportunities to enhance displays, extend digitisation and build expertise - and address the issues raised in the original Renaissance in the Regions report.
But with these new opportunities come new responsibilities. The London hub must work in partnership with MLA London; it has to balance institutional ambitions with the needs of London's wider museum community.
The business planning process reflects the scale of MLA's ambition for England's regional museums, the unprecedented level of central government investment in their future, and the need for accountability across the programme. The process is challenging for everyone involved and is rigorously assessed, but it is scarcely 'hopelessly bureaucratic' to ask each of the hubs to provide a two-year business plan.
And there is undoubtedly much that we could all do to improve the process while continuing to deliver the results we need in order to win the argument for further government funding. We are more likely to be able to do this together, as a single museum community with an eye on the long-term, as well as an understanding of the need for - sometimes difficult - short-term choices and priorities.
Alison Hems, Renaissance, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Museums Journal should take a lead in pay
The Museums Association's (MA) salary guidelines for 2006 (Museums Journal June 2006) are of course a welcome publication, but what does the MA expect them to achieve? Can we really expect employers to take them seriously unless they are encouraged to follow the guidelines when determining salaries?
I realise the financial pressures most museums are under, whether they are independent or local government run. I have recently been involved in a council Best Value review, which included developing proposals for a revised staffing structure with more specialisation in posts without increasing the salaries budget, and I know how hard it is to find the money to pay decent wages.
However, surely it is time for a more hardline approach by those who publish adverts for museum jobs if these guidelines are to be considered seriously. Other than becoming part of the Accreditation process, it is only through those who carry adverts for museum jobs insisting that posts meet the guidelines that pressure can be brought to bear.
Many of the posts advertised in the June edition of Museums Journal were offering salaries well below those suggested by the guidelines; if Museums Journal no longer accepted such adverts then not only would the effort to improve salaries be advanced, but hopefully the other remaining museum job publishers could be encouraged to follow suit.
Jason Finch, assistant manager, Elmbridge Museum, Surrey
That's what friends are for...
It is sad when so many towns are becoming clones of each other that their museums, which display and preserve their individual histories, should also be under threat (Museums Journal June 2006, p11). Friends and volunteers provide not only much needed funds and hours of work but are also part of the community and, perhaps more important in this instance, they have votes.
A Czech proverb advises: 'Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.'
Carol Bunbury, South West coordinator for the British Association of Friends of Museums
Respect for the dead goes beyond ritual
The objectives of the Honouring the Ancient Dead group as outlined in the May issue are commendable (Museums Journal May 2006, p18).
However, in terms of reburial, trying to honour the ancient dead through modern pagan ritual is problematic. As there is no continuity from pre-Christian religion to modern-day paganism there is no way of knowing exactly what burial rites were performed and of what significance these were.
Given the artefactual evidence of a wafer and a wine cup how could anyone come up with the idea of transubstantiation? There is no reason to think that pre-Christian religion was any less plural or complex, or that small things could be no less deeply offensive to the adherents.
The article pointed out that HAD believed that it was not always necessary to perform reburial rituals from a pagan perspective. While appreciating that it is hard to define where ritual begins and ends, I would suggest that to attempt to perform any ritual is misconceived.
Treating our pre-Christian dead with respect is something we can achieve by the ways in which we handle, study, store, display and rebury them; with simple courtesy.
Fiona Pitt, keeper of human history, Plymouth City Museums and Art Gallery
In the article about pagans and museums, no one said anything about museums attempting to perform ancient British rites on human remains. Archaeologists, historians and re-enactors use what little evidence there is to second-guess past spiritual practices; modern faith communities practice modern faiths.
You don't need to know about or share the faith of a dead person in order to hold a simple ceremony to acknowledge respect for them. Not knowing an individual's beliefs has never been a deterrent to generic Christian-based reburial rites, so why should this be a difficulty with non-Christian ones?
And who are these people who have 'no real claim' to the British human remains in our museums? We care for Leicester's collections on behalf of all Leicester's modern citizens.
Most pagans are not trained archaeologists doing museum studies courses, but ordinary people who feel a deep connection with the land they live in and the people who lived there before them, whatever their faith. They should be welcomed, just like all the other people we serve, not kept out.
Sarah Levitt, head of museums, Leicester City Museums Service
Clarification: In the July issue of Museums Journal, the article on army museums (p27) said the Ministry of Defence (Army) supports its regimental and corps museums with more than £3m a year. In fact, its latest estimates are that it funds 69 museums with £5m-£6m a year.
The news item about the Watts Gallery's plans to sell items from its collection (Museums Journal July 2006, p5) is misleading and inaccurate about an issue that, because of its complexity and potential for controversy, requires objective journalism, as well as attention to background.
The headline, MA Warns Watts Gallery Not to Sell Paintings, is in itself a distortion of the contents of the article, which states that the ethics committee of the Museums Association (MA) is making every effort to consider the position of the Watts Gallery responsibly and thoroughly. The MA's advice to the Watts Gallery is to 'review the decision'. Is this a warning?
Second, the article does not give the background to the Watts Gallery's proposal to sell. It is unfair to link the Watts Gallery's proposal to that of Bury Metropolitan Borough Council's plan to deaccession two paintings by Lowry. Unlike a local authority, we do not have secured annual funding. The limited funding we do have is exclusively for the gallery.
After much soul-searching, the Watts Gallery is proposing to sell two paintings to ensure the safekeeping and active management of its core collection. The Albert Moore and the Burne-Jones were given to the gallery after the deaths of G F and Mary Watts and form no part of the core collection for which The Watts Gallery Trust was established.
At a time when the gallery has to review every priority to save its very existence, it is appropriate to consider the deaccessioning of non-core works to preserve the core collection.
In line with our policy, we have at all times proceeded cautiously and acted responsibly by taking every opportunity to discuss our plans with stakeholders and interested parties. MLA South East has expressed the view that in its opinion the new acquisitions and disposal policy of the Watts Gallery meets accreditation standards. The proposal to sell is in line with this policy.
We were interested to read that our application as a museum (I am already an individual member) for membership of the MA was to be discussed at the executive meeting in July. We received our new membership card and starter pack at the end of June. We would be delighted to discuss our plans with any members of the MA, or readers of Museums Journal (wattsgallery@freeuk.com)
In the meantime, we look forward to cooperating with the MA in helping us to find ways of reviewing our decision in order to meet our acquisitions and disposal policy and deliver our mission of safeguarding and promoting the collection of GF Watts at the Watts Gallery.
Richard Ormond, chairman, The Watts Gallery Trust
MLA works towards long-term hub plan
Kevin Flude raises some serious issues in his letter questioning the value of hub funding in London, in relation to the sums available to non-hub museums through Museums, Libraries and Archives London (MLA London) and the Museum Development Fund (Museums Journal May 2006, p14). As he points out, however, the figures he quotes do not tell the whole story.
The museum development strategy to which he refers has informed the business plan prepared by the London hub for 2006-08 and, through this, its own investment in the new network of museum development officers, partnership projects with non-hub museums, and the provision of advice and support across a range of museum activities.
Renaissance investment in the four partner museums presents opportunities to enhance displays, extend digitisation and build expertise - and address the issues raised in the original Renaissance in the Regions report.
But with these new opportunities come new responsibilities. The London hub must work in partnership with MLA London; it has to balance institutional ambitions with the needs of London's wider museum community.
The business planning process reflects the scale of MLA's ambition for England's regional museums, the unprecedented level of central government investment in their future, and the need for accountability across the programme. The process is challenging for everyone involved and is rigorously assessed, but it is scarcely 'hopelessly bureaucratic' to ask each of the hubs to provide a two-year business plan.
And there is undoubtedly much that we could all do to improve the process while continuing to deliver the results we need in order to win the argument for further government funding. We are more likely to be able to do this together, as a single museum community with an eye on the long-term, as well as an understanding of the need for - sometimes difficult - short-term choices and priorities.
Alison Hems, Renaissance, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Museums Journal should take a lead in pay
The Museums Association's (MA) salary guidelines for 2006 (Museums Journal June 2006) are of course a welcome publication, but what does the MA expect them to achieve? Can we really expect employers to take them seriously unless they are encouraged to follow the guidelines when determining salaries?
I realise the financial pressures most museums are under, whether they are independent or local government run. I have recently been involved in a council Best Value review, which included developing proposals for a revised staffing structure with more specialisation in posts without increasing the salaries budget, and I know how hard it is to find the money to pay decent wages.
However, surely it is time for a more hardline approach by those who publish adverts for museum jobs if these guidelines are to be considered seriously. Other than becoming part of the Accreditation process, it is only through those who carry adverts for museum jobs insisting that posts meet the guidelines that pressure can be brought to bear.
Many of the posts advertised in the June edition of Museums Journal were offering salaries well below those suggested by the guidelines; if Museums Journal no longer accepted such adverts then not only would the effort to improve salaries be advanced, but hopefully the other remaining museum job publishers could be encouraged to follow suit.
Jason Finch, assistant manager, Elmbridge Museum, Surrey
That's what friends are for...
It is sad when so many towns are becoming clones of each other that their museums, which display and preserve their individual histories, should also be under threat (Museums Journal June 2006, p11). Friends and volunteers provide not only much needed funds and hours of work but are also part of the community and, perhaps more important in this instance, they have votes.
A Czech proverb advises: 'Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.'
Carol Bunbury, South West coordinator for the British Association of Friends of Museums
Respect for the dead goes beyond ritual
The objectives of the Honouring the Ancient Dead group as outlined in the May issue are commendable (Museums Journal May 2006, p18).
However, in terms of reburial, trying to honour the ancient dead through modern pagan ritual is problematic. As there is no continuity from pre-Christian religion to modern-day paganism there is no way of knowing exactly what burial rites were performed and of what significance these were.
Given the artefactual evidence of a wafer and a wine cup how could anyone come up with the idea of transubstantiation? There is no reason to think that pre-Christian religion was any less plural or complex, or that small things could be no less deeply offensive to the adherents.
The article pointed out that HAD believed that it was not always necessary to perform reburial rituals from a pagan perspective. While appreciating that it is hard to define where ritual begins and ends, I would suggest that to attempt to perform any ritual is misconceived.
Treating our pre-Christian dead with respect is something we can achieve by the ways in which we handle, study, store, display and rebury them; with simple courtesy.
Fiona Pitt, keeper of human history, Plymouth City Museums and Art Gallery
In the article about pagans and museums, no one said anything about museums attempting to perform ancient British rites on human remains. Archaeologists, historians and re-enactors use what little evidence there is to second-guess past spiritual practices; modern faith communities practice modern faiths.
You don't need to know about or share the faith of a dead person in order to hold a simple ceremony to acknowledge respect for them. Not knowing an individual's beliefs has never been a deterrent to generic Christian-based reburial rites, so why should this be a difficulty with non-Christian ones?
And who are these people who have 'no real claim' to the British human remains in our museums? We care for Leicester's collections on behalf of all Leicester's modern citizens.
Most pagans are not trained archaeologists doing museum studies courses, but ordinary people who feel a deep connection with the land they live in and the people who lived there before them, whatever their faith. They should be welcomed, just like all the other people we serve, not kept out.
Sarah Levitt, head of museums, Leicester City Museums Service
Clarification: In the July issue of Museums Journal, the article on army museums (p27) said the Ministry of Defence (Army) supports its regimental and corps museums with more than £3m a year. In fact, its latest estimates are that it funds 69 museums with £5m-£6m a year.
