Enough already. Last month you couldn’t move for directors of museums, galleries and other cultural organisations thanking the department for culture with weak-kneed gratitude for the leniency of the cuts to the sector.
Really? Looks to me like a classic case of the emperor’s new clothes. All along I was waiting for someone to shout: “Hang on a minute, it’s still a massive cut, what’s that red stuff on the floor? Oh that’s the blood we’re all wading knee-deep in.”
I really hope that none of the directors who were overly appreciative of the mercy that has been allegedly demonstrated expect their own staff to be grateful, or for their visitors to collapse in a heap of fawning gratitude when venues close and education and outreach programmes are axed.
Of course its difficult to nip the hand that directly feeds you but museums and galleries should take heed from what has happened over the past six months. Whimpering in a corner gets you nowhere; but campaigning, lobbying, advocacy and making the case can have an impact.
Council-run museums are under siege and there needs to be an ongoing crusade to state the case for them. Local authorities face crippling reductions in funding, and because museums and galleries are non-statutory services, cuts-hungry councillors are already eyeing them up for potential “savings”.
The reduction in Renaissance funding and the replacement of hubs with core museums will mean some museums lose additional funding. On top of this, the department for culture says it will not fund Strategic Commissioning past next year, which will mean a further loss of funding for regional programmes.
Organisations that work with and represent museums need to engage with local authority leaders and politicians as a matter of urgency. Otherwise the Renaissance will be over.
Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal
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sharon@museumsassociation.org
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