Opinion
Not so wonderful Copenhagen
At the end of last year, leaders from over 190 countries gathered in Copenhagen to negotiate what should have been a statement of global agreement in the fight against climate change. Instead, we are left with the feeble Copenhagen Accord, which falls far short of the reductions necessary to protect ecological integrity. This lack of …
Scientists say: Get out and get a life
There is now considerable scientific and medical evidence that visiting museums (and other forms of cultural participation) has such a powerful impact on people’s wellbeing that they live longer as a result. This evidence is distinct from the well-established findings on the benefits for health of art therapy and participation in creative activities, because it …
Letters: February 2010
The comfort of a good read In response to Timothy Mason struggling through Museum Materialities, I would suggest he buy a copy of The Comfort of Things by Daniel Miller, the professor of anthropology at University College London. It’s a book that I have on my bookshelf. I really enjoyed reading about the objects which …
Say it loud and say it proud… we love museums
Do you sometimes think your museum deserves a higher profile? Does it sometimes feel undervalued, misunderstood… unloved? If so, remember a basic truth about communication: if people aren’t getting your message it’s up to you to improve things. Help is at hand. …Love Museums, the Museums Association’s (MA) campaign to help you make the case …
There are some reasons to be cheerful despite the gloom
You would have to be Curator of the Hermit’s Cave not to have realised that the forecasts for 2010 have been uniformly gloomy. There is an expectation of public expenditure cuts on a scale that will really hurt. The year will be dominated by this; what else is there to say? Quite a lot hopefully. …
Working in partnership is a necessity not a luxury
‘The suppression of mutual loathing in the pursuit of government funding.’ Whoever thus defined partnership didn’t understand the critical role that collaborative networks can play in shaping the cultural landscape. And they certainly didn’t anticipate how the worst recession in living memory would illuminate the benefits of meaningful collaboration. At a time of political uncertainty, …
Letters: January 2010
Disappointed to find discrimination in a museum… again I was curious what the Ashmolean experience would be like for casual visitors who are blind or deaf or who have a learning difficulty. There, I witnessed blatant exclusion as I did at the Darwin Centre (Museums Journal, December 2009, p18). There is no touch tour for …