The Museums 2020 discussion paper is bursting with ideas about museums’ impacts, including: learning, wellbeing, community building, knowledge, strengthening society, combating disadvantage. It shows that museums really can make a difference.
But so far there’s something missing from the discussion. Museums 2020 draws on the ideas of leading museum practitioners, academics, policy-makers, thinkers and funders. So, what’s missing? The voices of the beneficiaries of museums: the public!
We know quite a lot about what encourages people to visit museums — and museums have used that knowledge to change what they do and attract far more people than they used to.
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Taking Part data, between 2005-06 and July 2011 to June 2012, the proportion of people in England who had visited a museum or gallery in the last year significantly increased from 42% to 51%.
However, we seem to know very little about what people think museums should be for, which is the question at the heart of Museums 2020.
To fill this gap, the Museums Association will commission research into public attitudes on the purpose of museums and their role in society. We’re still finalising the brief for the research – but I hope we will be able to find out which aspects of museums people value the most.
Will it be learning, safe spaces to spend leisure time, helping define a community, scholarship, acquiring and preserving collections – or perhaps other things we haven’t thought about?
The research findings will inform the development of the Museums Association’s vision for the future of museums and their impacts – but, more importantly, it should help museums and funders plan their future development and prioritise their activities with an understanding of what people consider to be the most important.
Funding for the research is coming from Arts Council England, but we hope as far as possible to take a UK-wide view. If your museum has done any research into why people think you exist, please do let me know.
Email: maurice@museumsassociation.org
But so far there’s something missing from the discussion. Museums 2020 draws on the ideas of leading museum practitioners, academics, policy-makers, thinkers and funders. So, what’s missing? The voices of the beneficiaries of museums: the public!
We know quite a lot about what encourages people to visit museums — and museums have used that knowledge to change what they do and attract far more people than they used to.
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Taking Part data, between 2005-06 and July 2011 to June 2012, the proportion of people in England who had visited a museum or gallery in the last year significantly increased from 42% to 51%.
However, we seem to know very little about what people think museums should be for, which is the question at the heart of Museums 2020.
To fill this gap, the Museums Association will commission research into public attitudes on the purpose of museums and their role in society. We’re still finalising the brief for the research – but I hope we will be able to find out which aspects of museums people value the most.
Will it be learning, safe spaces to spend leisure time, helping define a community, scholarship, acquiring and preserving collections – or perhaps other things we haven’t thought about?
The research findings will inform the development of the Museums Association’s vision for the future of museums and their impacts – but, more importantly, it should help museums and funders plan their future development and prioritise their activities with an understanding of what people consider to be the most important.
Funding for the research is coming from Arts Council England, but we hope as far as possible to take a UK-wide view. If your museum has done any research into why people think you exist, please do let me know.
Email: maurice@museumsassociation.org
