Voxpop: What does 2014 hold for museums?

“There is no doubt that 2014 is going to be tough for museums, and will challenge us all to find new ways of delivering to remain at the heart of our communities.

The beginning of the commemorations of the first world war will provide opportunities for virtually all museums to engage with their communities, hopefully resulting in new interpretations of objects and uncovering hidden objects and images.

In Wales, we’ll also be starting to think about what the next museum strategy should include. And we’re looking forward to welcoming you all to Cardiff for October’s Museums Association conference!”


“This will be another challenging year with a struggle to maintain services under continuing financial pressure, but as a sector we are learning to work more collaboratively and to make more effective use of limited resources.

We will need to progress the Rebalancing our Cultural Capital report; continue to deal with change; be more flexible; and ensure our programming is relevant. There will be opportunities such as working internationally, partnering local charities and developing digital initiatives. Museums still have lots of potential and as long as we retain our core values, we can turn 2014’s challenges into opportunities.”


“Sustainability is at the top of the agenda and there will be radical change for many institutions in order to survive and move forward. More than ever we need to be creative and innovative. Never was it so important to work with other museums and galleries to gain mutual support; to look for increased local and community involvement; and to seek new ways of funding.

It will also be a year of anniversaries with 100 years since the outbreak of the most devastating of wars. At Gainsborough’s House we are looking back 300 years to the beginning of the Georgian age in 1714 and celebrating our local and national heritage.”


“Visitor numbers are holding up but I think this year there will be more evidence of the impact of the cuts. The corrosive effect of the cuts is hitting home even though museums have been excellent at adapting.

You can only trim for so long before decline sets in – and the quality of work, the state of buildings, the programmes and, inevitably, visitor numbers will begin to fall.
Meanwhile, everybody will be trying hard to find new models.

Trusts, mergers, social enterprise and joint working will be the hot topics. My concern is that these new models are not yet in place and buildings, collections and services will be put at risk.”