Opinion
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 …
Disposal is key to a healthy museum
More than 10 years ago, I published an article in Cultural Trends about a research project I had undertaken as part of my Clore Leadership Fellowship. I was concerned that museums were continuing to increase their collections, while complaining that stores were full. Object disposals were still relatively infrequent, partly because justifying them seemed based …
Editorial | Digital initiatives must not repeat past errors
As awareness of the huge impact that digital technology can have on museums and their work to engage the public increases, alongside an understanding that the focus needs to be on the impact of this work, not on the technology, there have been several recent initiatives designed to support and develop digital capacity. The Digital …
What does the new migration policy mean for museums?
The government is a poor judge of what counts as 'skilled' work
How can people affect change when they aren’t in a leadership role?
Thanh Sinden is a cultural consultant and the chair of Museum Detox; Pip Diment is the acting head of exhibitions at Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum Wales) Dear Pip: Everyone, no matter their position, can affect change. It starts with noticing what’s missing or could work better, as well as understanding your purpose in your organisation …
The policy column | Addressing the power struggle
When deciding the theme for our annual conference, we work with colleagues in the host nation to take stock of what’s happening in the wider world and look at how museums are responding. For this year’s conference in Edinburgh, we’ve looked at the huge amount of change in the UK over the past five years, including …
Digital | New voices
Staff-led podcasts offer a twist on the usual museum podcasts, as they showcase the favourite stories of those working behind the scenes, especially those who are less confident or unlikely to be heard often. Whether it is an anecdote about a museum object, exhibition, community project or outreach activity, pressing “record” on your staff and …
The answer to diversifying museums is already there, outside our doors
Birmingham Museums has been working hard to diversify its staff, programming and audiences. We have had successes in increasing the representation of the people of Birmingham and their stories within our programmes and collections. Our workforce has had black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) managers, senior managers and trustees. We have won awards and recognition …