Voxpop

“If, sometimes, museums are no more (or less) than warm safe places in what can be a cold and fearful world, that is OK by me. Getting that message out even more widely has to be a good thing.

I think that museums are among the most inclusive cultural organisations and that UK museums are among the most inclusive there are.

Our planning must be needs led, not resource led. We must recognise museums’ power to change lives – and that change can happen only when we are engaged in quality conversations with people, reaching out to both existing and new audiences.”


“Can museums be all things to all people, all of the time? In Barnsley we build and maintain strong relationships with local people. Museums need to step out of their comfort zones and try new things. This month teenagers have planned an ‘alternative night out’ with video gaming on giant screens and live rock music in our local history galleries.

We need to keep things relevant. Free entry is important too. It’s vital to facilitate first-time museum visits and keep things changing. The physical building is just the starting point – museums should also embrace social media.”


“There are lots of examples of innovative project work being done to widen access to museum venues and collections.

It takes time to build up relationships and trust when working with vulnerable and under-represented groups. If this work is motivated by a need to fulfil quotas to gain funding, then it can become artificial rather than truly sustainable.
 
As museum professionals we must share our collective experience to find practical ways to embed this work into the core of our museums, and demonstrate the value and scope of it to government and funding bodies.”


“I think museums are already pretty good at making arts and culture accessible – it’s something we all believe in and it’s something we do well.

But that doesn’t mean that we can put our feet up. There’s always more we can do. For me, it is about really involving people in our organisations and giving them the chance to play their part in experimenting with ideas, contributing to programming and creating content.

This is what we will be doing this summer at the People’s History Museum with our forthcoming Work in Progress exhibition.”