At BritainThinks we were delighted to be commissioned by the Museums Association to work with the public to explore their views of the purposes and roles of museums in the UK.
The depth and breadth of the debate in the museum sector became apparent from reading Museums 2020. However, this debate has not, until now, involved the public.
Clearly, there are some challenges to achieving this – the issues debated in Museums 2020 are complex and are not concepts that the vast majority of the public often considers.
But there are evident benefits to bringing these new perspectives into the debate given that the public is the single biggest group of museum stakeholders.
We were particularly interested to see whether the ambitious definition set out in Museums 2020 would resonate with the public; whether they would agree with the sentiment that “no 21st century museum could be satisfied with simply opening its doors and waiting for people to visit”.
Clearly if museums are to achieve the broad range of roles and purposes articulated in Museums 2020, then they will have to resonate with the public – citizens would have to agree that museums can provide a forum for public debate; that museums have a role to play in promoting social justice; or that they see museums as centres of their local community and supporting local identity.
If this vision does not resonate with the public and they don’t see these as the roles and purposes of museums, then regardless of how actively this agenda is pursued by the sector, the impact that museums can have on society will always be limited, with public attention diverted elsewhere.
The research is ongoing, and answers to these questions are not yet clear.
However, the good news is that trends are emerging in how every group of citizens around the UK – both visitors and non-visitors – considers museums. The centrality of museums in educating and inspiring children is clear and consistent, as are the incredibly high levels of trust and pride in museums.
Viki Cooke is the founding director of BritainThinks
The depth and breadth of the debate in the museum sector became apparent from reading Museums 2020. However, this debate has not, until now, involved the public.
Clearly, there are some challenges to achieving this – the issues debated in Museums 2020 are complex and are not concepts that the vast majority of the public often considers.
But there are evident benefits to bringing these new perspectives into the debate given that the public is the single biggest group of museum stakeholders.
We were particularly interested to see whether the ambitious definition set out in Museums 2020 would resonate with the public; whether they would agree with the sentiment that “no 21st century museum could be satisfied with simply opening its doors and waiting for people to visit”.
Clearly if museums are to achieve the broad range of roles and purposes articulated in Museums 2020, then they will have to resonate with the public – citizens would have to agree that museums can provide a forum for public debate; that museums have a role to play in promoting social justice; or that they see museums as centres of their local community and supporting local identity.
If this vision does not resonate with the public and they don’t see these as the roles and purposes of museums, then regardless of how actively this agenda is pursued by the sector, the impact that museums can have on society will always be limited, with public attention diverted elsewhere.
The research is ongoing, and answers to these questions are not yet clear.
However, the good news is that trends are emerging in how every group of citizens around the UK – both visitors and non-visitors – considers museums. The centrality of museums in educating and inspiring children is clear and consistent, as are the incredibly high levels of trust and pride in museums.
Viki Cooke is the founding director of BritainThinks
