Opinion
The 2020 column: It’s time to confer
The three themes at this year’s Museums Association conference (11-12 November) relate to Museums Change Lives and Museums 2020. Tomorrow’s World looks at the future of museums from a range of perspectives, including the implications of technology for democratising museums, culminating in a session imagining what a museum would be like if it was designed …
We need to listen to critical reviews
Review sites, internet forums and social networks generate thousands of reviews, and millions of comments, about Britain’s museums annually. But are these rich opportunities to further how we understand our audiences or the domain of outspoken unrepresentative critics? A quick browse on TripAdvisor suggests a major museum’s current refurbishment is a surprise to visitors disappointed …
Educational alliances and museums
Wikipedia explains that the origin of the word museum derives from the Greek muses, denoting a building set apart for study and the arts. My organisation, the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), has a passion for “study and the arts” and is one of the UK’s largest providers of adult education. The WEA’s vision is: “A different …
In search of the happiness factor
The other day I met three ex-miners who had worked at Woodhorn colliery in Northumberland in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. They are organising a reunion (the colliery closed in 1982 before reopening in 1989 as a museum) and as I left them in the cafe, it struck me that most of our time together …
Editorial: how long can we keep holding on?
The results of the Museums Association’s annual cuts survey were revealed this month and, as usual, they make gloomy reading. While the British economy might be showing tentative signs of recovery, the survey shows that museums are still suffering. Cuts are continuing with nearly 50% of all respondents experiencing a reduction to their overall income …