Navigating ethical responsibilities
Elizabeth Crooke's thoughts about whether museums should represent the conflict in Northern Ireland in their galleries (Museums Journal June 2008, p16), or more controversially in a Living Memorial Museum, was reminiscent of a conference about the role of ethics in the arts that I attended recently.
The themes of faith and conflict resounded across this event and, like Crooke, reminded delegates that ethics cannot be artificially separated from our own beliefs or the nature of our organisations.
Crooke's insightful analysis requires us to "recognise the diversity and complexity of society and uphold the principle of equal opportunities for all" (Museums Association code of ethics; 3.2), but also to investigate what that means.
Crooke mentions that "inclusion brings power and influence": however, the act of being included is a revealing one. Freeing the object or opinion from the margins will give it status but at the same time exposes it to challenge and criticism.
The Museums Association's (MA) code of ethics contains principles that help us navigate this type of dilemma, weighing up our various responsibilities to the public in all its diversity, as well as to our collections, the pursuit of knowledge and future generations. Crooke reminds us that we need to interrogate our assumptions about our role and relationship with the public.
This means, of course, that the code of ethics is not a stand-alone authority, nor does it pretend to be; rather, the only way to resolve complex questions is by quality, open discussion and a robust ethical process.
Ethics training sessions covering a range of topics are available for museum staff on request. To find out more, contact the MA's museum development department on 0207 426 6955.
Rebecca Jacobs, museum development officer (ethics and professional development), Museums Association
Slavery: the differences
Vaughan Allen's view that "class has never featured in our museums and our history" (Museums Journal July 2008, p16) presents a challenge and an opportunity to the so-called "white, liberal, middle-class museum professionals". I hope to see exhibitions in Manchester (and elsewhere) commemorating the lives of working-class people who made contributions to the prosperity of Britain.
I am prepared to support his campaign to commemorate "individuals who died in their teens or their 20s" in 19th-century Britain, but museums must also include the stories of African children from the age of five who slaved in the West Indies and the Americas to supply cotton, etc, for British factories.
Allen asks, "Where is the Museum of (Factory) Slavery to stand next to Liverpool's Atlantic version?" His argument for such a museum is flawed, because the experiences of enslaved African children were worse than white working-class children.
The first Factory Act was passed in 1802 under the name of the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. It was mainly aimed at apprentices working in mills and regulated the length of working days and the provision of daily schooling in reading, writing and arithmetic.
Enslaved African children were not so privileged. The plantation was like a Nazi labour camp and they, like their parents, were prisoner there for life. None received wages or education. They worked more hours and under worse conditions than the white working class in Britain.
The so-called white liberal museum professionals do hold exhibitions that feature the history and heritage of enslaved people, but often fail to include an African perspective.
Allen wrongly uses the events held in commemoration of the 1807 slave trade abolition act to argue a case for the stories of white working-class people to be included in museum projects. He seems to assume that the descendants of enslaved Africans are members of a similar or lower class.
This is how most British people felt in the 1950s when thousands of West Indians began to settle in this country, and were usually treated less favourably than poor white people. The Windrush generation has had to lobby for equality and fairness for everyone. We should be careful that Allen's views are not taken out of context because, if misunderstood, they can adversely affect social cohesion.
Arthur Torrington, secretary, the Equiano Society & Windrush Foundation
Well worth the effort
As more graduates seek to enter the profession, the letters page continues to be a debating ground for whether it is reasonable for museums to expect potential employees to have a degree (often two) and extensive work experience, which can often only be gained from unpaid volunteering.
My view is highly subjective, but I would just like to say that the power of volunteering as part of a career strategy should never be underestimated.
Deciding to leave an unfulfilling career to try to achieve one in museums was not easy. When I began volunteering with Colchester Museums, I started to see what I would need to bring to the table. I returned to university while still freelancing in my old profession.
My years of volunteering cost me both in terms of lost earnings (running into the thousands) and the not-to-be-underestimated energy expended as I studied, worked and fitted my days in at the museum.
My volunteering began in 1999 and I graduated in 2003. Five years on, I have just achieved my career goal of becoming a curator of archaeology.
Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service (as it now is) gave back far more than I ever gave it and I would like to salute every museum professional who gives up precious time to work with volunteers and bring on their talents. In particular I would like to thank Philip Wise, who set me on the path to where I am now.
Caroline McDonald, curator of archaeology, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service
Full steam ahead
I am responding to Peter Lewis's review of the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum, County Durham (Museums Journal July 2008, p52).
Lewis fails to highlight that no coherent and sustainable development work has been carried out on this exceptional museum building for about 34 years. He seems to suggest that much of the £1.7m has been spent on the interpretive, touchy-feely aspects, without mentioning the resources that have had to be employed in recent years to keep the building in shape.
As a past director of Beamish Open Air Museum, Lewis must understand as much as anyone does that all the component parts of Rome were not built and accepted as great by everyone in a day.
Essentially, the development has been a great success in providing a footing for Head of Steam's future progress. The important objective of heritage protection has been achieved, with provision of interpretation that allows "culture for all", not just for the esoteric faithful. But people interested in the cult of railways can take what they want in their own way from the objects displayed.
It's all too easy to be negative at an early stage of a re-awakening project. On my visit the introductory DVD was working well and provided good information on what the railways bought to the world and the part that Darlington and the North East played in the early years.
The family interactive room is one of the best I've seen in any museum, and family groups were using it with genuine enjoyment and enthusiasm. The exhibition and display areas catered democratically both for those who want to examine Darlington and its railway history and for people who visit for less serious reasons.
With regard to the parting "bargain and bungle" paragraph concerning the value of the Head of Steam and the Tornado project, "bargain" is a bold statement to give to a project that last month was still awaiting another last £60,000 and a further £800,000-plus to service loans.
The Head of Steam is on the track and pulling away from a challenging past, and with the help of good drivers and maintenance it can visit good places and do good things. Moreover, let us hope the Tornado project soon breaks out of Hopetown carriage works and steams proudly through the nation without becoming a "bungle". Essentially, we all need support in all our great leaps forward, rather than rude comment.
Finally, I would be rather surprised if MLA North West had contributed to the funding of a building outside its regional remit: now, that would be "zippy".
Graham Bowen, Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar
Elizabeth Crooke's thoughts about whether museums should represent the conflict in Northern Ireland in their galleries (Museums Journal June 2008, p16), or more controversially in a Living Memorial Museum, was reminiscent of a conference about the role of ethics in the arts that I attended recently.
The themes of faith and conflict resounded across this event and, like Crooke, reminded delegates that ethics cannot be artificially separated from our own beliefs or the nature of our organisations.
Crooke's insightful analysis requires us to "recognise the diversity and complexity of society and uphold the principle of equal opportunities for all" (Museums Association code of ethics; 3.2), but also to investigate what that means.
Crooke mentions that "inclusion brings power and influence": however, the act of being included is a revealing one. Freeing the object or opinion from the margins will give it status but at the same time exposes it to challenge and criticism.
The Museums Association's (MA) code of ethics contains principles that help us navigate this type of dilemma, weighing up our various responsibilities to the public in all its diversity, as well as to our collections, the pursuit of knowledge and future generations. Crooke reminds us that we need to interrogate our assumptions about our role and relationship with the public.
This means, of course, that the code of ethics is not a stand-alone authority, nor does it pretend to be; rather, the only way to resolve complex questions is by quality, open discussion and a robust ethical process.
Ethics training sessions covering a range of topics are available for museum staff on request. To find out more, contact the MA's museum development department on 0207 426 6955.
Rebecca Jacobs, museum development officer (ethics and professional development), Museums Association
Slavery: the differences
Vaughan Allen's view that "class has never featured in our museums and our history" (Museums Journal July 2008, p16) presents a challenge and an opportunity to the so-called "white, liberal, middle-class museum professionals". I hope to see exhibitions in Manchester (and elsewhere) commemorating the lives of working-class people who made contributions to the prosperity of Britain.
I am prepared to support his campaign to commemorate "individuals who died in their teens or their 20s" in 19th-century Britain, but museums must also include the stories of African children from the age of five who slaved in the West Indies and the Americas to supply cotton, etc, for British factories.
Allen asks, "Where is the Museum of (Factory) Slavery to stand next to Liverpool's Atlantic version?" His argument for such a museum is flawed, because the experiences of enslaved African children were worse than white working-class children.
The first Factory Act was passed in 1802 under the name of the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. It was mainly aimed at apprentices working in mills and regulated the length of working days and the provision of daily schooling in reading, writing and arithmetic.
Enslaved African children were not so privileged. The plantation was like a Nazi labour camp and they, like their parents, were prisoner there for life. None received wages or education. They worked more hours and under worse conditions than the white working class in Britain.
The so-called white liberal museum professionals do hold exhibitions that feature the history and heritage of enslaved people, but often fail to include an African perspective.
Allen wrongly uses the events held in commemoration of the 1807 slave trade abolition act to argue a case for the stories of white working-class people to be included in museum projects. He seems to assume that the descendants of enslaved Africans are members of a similar or lower class.
This is how most British people felt in the 1950s when thousands of West Indians began to settle in this country, and were usually treated less favourably than poor white people. The Windrush generation has had to lobby for equality and fairness for everyone. We should be careful that Allen's views are not taken out of context because, if misunderstood, they can adversely affect social cohesion.
Arthur Torrington, secretary, the Equiano Society & Windrush Foundation
Well worth the effort
As more graduates seek to enter the profession, the letters page continues to be a debating ground for whether it is reasonable for museums to expect potential employees to have a degree (often two) and extensive work experience, which can often only be gained from unpaid volunteering.
My view is highly subjective, but I would just like to say that the power of volunteering as part of a career strategy should never be underestimated.
Deciding to leave an unfulfilling career to try to achieve one in museums was not easy. When I began volunteering with Colchester Museums, I started to see what I would need to bring to the table. I returned to university while still freelancing in my old profession.
My years of volunteering cost me both in terms of lost earnings (running into the thousands) and the not-to-be-underestimated energy expended as I studied, worked and fitted my days in at the museum.
My volunteering began in 1999 and I graduated in 2003. Five years on, I have just achieved my career goal of becoming a curator of archaeology.
Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service (as it now is) gave back far more than I ever gave it and I would like to salute every museum professional who gives up precious time to work with volunteers and bring on their talents. In particular I would like to thank Philip Wise, who set me on the path to where I am now.
Caroline McDonald, curator of archaeology, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service
Full steam ahead
I am responding to Peter Lewis's review of the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum, County Durham (Museums Journal July 2008, p52).
Lewis fails to highlight that no coherent and sustainable development work has been carried out on this exceptional museum building for about 34 years. He seems to suggest that much of the £1.7m has been spent on the interpretive, touchy-feely aspects, without mentioning the resources that have had to be employed in recent years to keep the building in shape.
As a past director of Beamish Open Air Museum, Lewis must understand as much as anyone does that all the component parts of Rome were not built and accepted as great by everyone in a day.
Essentially, the development has been a great success in providing a footing for Head of Steam's future progress. The important objective of heritage protection has been achieved, with provision of interpretation that allows "culture for all", not just for the esoteric faithful. But people interested in the cult of railways can take what they want in their own way from the objects displayed.
It's all too easy to be negative at an early stage of a re-awakening project. On my visit the introductory DVD was working well and provided good information on what the railways bought to the world and the part that Darlington and the North East played in the early years.
The family interactive room is one of the best I've seen in any museum, and family groups were using it with genuine enjoyment and enthusiasm. The exhibition and display areas catered democratically both for those who want to examine Darlington and its railway history and for people who visit for less serious reasons.
With regard to the parting "bargain and bungle" paragraph concerning the value of the Head of Steam and the Tornado project, "bargain" is a bold statement to give to a project that last month was still awaiting another last £60,000 and a further £800,000-plus to service loans.
The Head of Steam is on the track and pulling away from a challenging past, and with the help of good drivers and maintenance it can visit good places and do good things. Moreover, let us hope the Tornado project soon breaks out of Hopetown carriage works and steams proudly through the nation without becoming a "bungle". Essentially, we all need support in all our great leaps forward, rather than rude comment.
Finally, I would be rather surprised if MLA North West had contributed to the funding of a building outside its regional remit: now, that would be "zippy".
Graham Bowen, Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar
