Everyone is trying to work out what Brexit means for them. The result of the referendum seems to have taken most people by surprise, leaving many in a state of shock as the myriad consequences emerge.
Really, no one knows what those consequences are, as the claims made by campaigners are abandoned or explained away as mistakes, or are so long-term that we cannot yet comprehend what they are.
As we noted at a recent executive team meeting at National Museums Liverpool, “not knowing is the new knowing”. Already, costs have risen for cultural organisations that do business abroad, thanks to the falling value of sterling, and hoped-for funding from EU sources has dried up for others.
Some people claim Brexit has not created problems but has opened up new opportunities – only time will tell. For now, uncertainty reigns.
So we now have post-Brexit uncertainty to add to the reality of the reduction in public spending that is hitting some museums so hard. There has never been a greater need for a sense of direction among museums.
This explains why two major reviews of the sector are being undertaken. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is conducting a review in England only, while a Museums Association Taskforce is reviewing the UK-wide sector.
Hopefully, out of these reviews will flow some certainty about the condition of the sector.
David Fleming is the director of National Museums Liverpool and the president of the Museums Association
Really, no one knows what those consequences are, as the claims made by campaigners are abandoned or explained away as mistakes, or are so long-term that we cannot yet comprehend what they are.
As we noted at a recent executive team meeting at National Museums Liverpool, “not knowing is the new knowing”. Already, costs have risen for cultural organisations that do business abroad, thanks to the falling value of sterling, and hoped-for funding from EU sources has dried up for others.
Some people claim Brexit has not created problems but has opened up new opportunities – only time will tell. For now, uncertainty reigns.
So we now have post-Brexit uncertainty to add to the reality of the reduction in public spending that is hitting some museums so hard. There has never been a greater need for a sense of direction among museums.
This explains why two major reviews of the sector are being undertaken. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is conducting a review in England only, while a Museums Association Taskforce is reviewing the UK-wide sector.
Hopefully, out of these reviews will flow some certainty about the condition of the sector.
David Fleming is the director of National Museums Liverpool and the president of the Museums Association
