Opinion
The best of times, the worst of times
After the pandemic, can museums help reinvent social closeness or will they be seen as a pre-corona indulgence?
Manchester’s next cultural wave will centre on social impact
We're collecting the evidence to show that museums really do change lives
Are permanent exhibitions a thing of the past?
This article was written before the coronavirus lockdown Dear Jon: I think there is a lot of value in permanent exhibitions, both for the public and for the museum. They show a large proportion of the collections that people wouldn’t see otherwise. They are a fabulous way of showing the highlights of the collections to …
Voxpop: What should stay or go in Icom’s proposed museum definition?
The International Council of Museums (Icom) has restarted the process of finding a new museum definition after disagreement over the wording of its previous proposal. At the council’s Extraordinary General Meeting in Kyoto last September, the national and international committees agreed to postpone a vote on the new definition until a consensus could be found. …
Good digital practice is about people
The sharp contrast between those with digital confidence and those struggling has become more apparent
How do we interpret and display artists such as Gauguin in the #MeToo era?
Dear Clare: The film that accompanied Gauguin’s Portraits at the National Gallery said the exhibition “expands our definition of portraiture in his work” by highlighting the artist’s relationship with the people he portrayed, including those that have “until now been viewed as generic Tahitians”. As far as I could see, this hinges on a single …
Why is disability an issue that is still fighting to be heard?
It’s 1am on Friday morning and I’m in an ambulance hurtling towards Accident & Emergency with my daughter fighting for her life in the back. Another seizure and this time it’s bad. This isn’t our first trip in an ambulance, but there is a distinct point during our journey when I fear it will be …
The policy column | Empowering Collections: a progress report
A year on from the Museums Association’s (MA) Empowering Collections report, it’s pertinent to revisit our vision of making collections more relevant and dynamic. Is the sector making this vision a reality? And how can museums and others sustain the report’s ambition across all 11 recommendations? Sector bodies have responded. The Collections Trust aims to …
Voxpop: Why do we need a new approach to displaying disability?
The Wellcome Collection and Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester has recently published new guidance outlining how museums can take an ethical approach to interpreting disability and difference in gallery spaces. Why don’t we see more exhibitions and displays about disability? Richard Sandell, co-director, Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, …
Cultural democracy is at the heart of Emya 2020
The annual conference and award ceremony of the European Museum of the Year Awards (Emya) will be hosted by National Museum Cardiff from 29 April to 2 May. This is the first time in Emya’s 43-year history that Europe’s oldest and most socially focused museum competition has come to Wales. The theme for Emya 2020 …