It appears that, like London buses, in museums you can wait a while for something good to happen, and then three things come along at once. And that's just what happened last month.
First, the Art Fund announced the winners of its international contemporary collecting awards (see p5).
The scheme is significant for several reasons. It is specifically for the purchase of international contemporary art - an area in which most regional museums and galleries are weak (more than one curator I spoke to admitted that their collection was practically non-existent in this field).
The fact that the scheme is for regional collections, and that all the winning partnerships feature at least one local authority museum or gallery, is also important.
Local authority museums have taken a battering lately and often their day-to-day struggle for survival is more of a priority than buying art. Most don't have the capacity, skills, travel budget or confidence - never mind the money. So being given the opportunity to do so is an obvious plus.
Next along was the Art Fund's purchase of Queen and Country for the Imperial War Museum, and its launch of an online petition to get the Royal Mail to make Steve McQueen's work into a set of stamps (see p6).
It feels like something of a departure for the Art Fund to be taking up this issue, but it is well within its remit - McQueen describes the work as unfinished until the stamps are made - and it is great to see an organisation take up a campaign instead of the usual pussyfooting around that's prevalent in the sector.
And then there was the reopening of the London Transport Museum after its £22m redevelopment. In September's Museums Journal, I wondered whether it would succeed in engaging those of us not enamoured with things with wheels.
Well, I still find it hard to get excited by buses etc (the Ted Baker-designed staff uniforms were much more up my street) but I have to admit it is a cracking redevelopment that I'm sure will succeed in winning over more than the stereotypical lads, dads and anoraks audience.
Sharon Heal, editor
sharon@museumsassociation.org
First, the Art Fund announced the winners of its international contemporary collecting awards (see p5).
The scheme is significant for several reasons. It is specifically for the purchase of international contemporary art - an area in which most regional museums and galleries are weak (more than one curator I spoke to admitted that their collection was practically non-existent in this field).
The fact that the scheme is for regional collections, and that all the winning partnerships feature at least one local authority museum or gallery, is also important.
Local authority museums have taken a battering lately and often their day-to-day struggle for survival is more of a priority than buying art. Most don't have the capacity, skills, travel budget or confidence - never mind the money. So being given the opportunity to do so is an obvious plus.
Next along was the Art Fund's purchase of Queen and Country for the Imperial War Museum, and its launch of an online petition to get the Royal Mail to make Steve McQueen's work into a set of stamps (see p6).
It feels like something of a departure for the Art Fund to be taking up this issue, but it is well within its remit - McQueen describes the work as unfinished until the stamps are made - and it is great to see an organisation take up a campaign instead of the usual pussyfooting around that's prevalent in the sector.
And then there was the reopening of the London Transport Museum after its £22m redevelopment. In September's Museums Journal, I wondered whether it would succeed in engaging those of us not enamoured with things with wheels.
Well, I still find it hard to get excited by buses etc (the Ted Baker-designed staff uniforms were much more up my street) but I have to admit it is a cracking redevelopment that I'm sure will succeed in winning over more than the stereotypical lads, dads and anoraks audience.
Sharon Heal, editor
sharon@museumsassociation.org
