Opinion
Letters
Supporting small and medium-sized museums Small and medium-sized local museums make up the majority of the museum sector. They survive on small budgets with small multi-tasking staff teams. They are always vulnerable to local budget cuts but are strongly supported by their volunteers and communities. Are they represented by the Museums Association (MA)? You will …
Vox pop
Should we spend less on big national projects and more on supporting local and community museums?
From where I’m standing
Cambridge museum makes steps in the right direction with Egyptian collections
Museums are about people, not things
What makes a museum different to all the other information sources available? In an ever more complicated and forward-looking world, how can we justify investment in something which, by its very nature, looks to the past? The stock answer has been that museums hold objects and that there is nothing like the experience of the …
Potential for giving is limited outside London
I am an enthusiast for the encouragement of philanthropy. To avoid decline, museums need to invest, and philanthropy has a role to play. But how far can it replace public investment in major display renewal? My concern is that culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s expectations are based on the potential he sees in London and ignores …
MA president’s plea to culture department
I would urge culture minister Ed Vaizey to prioritise the following: Safeguard the investment in museums. One of the big success stories has been free admission for the nationals, which should be maintained. Much of the nationals’ success has been due to funding that has enabled them to fulfil a truly national role. Cuts in …
Letters
Lessons in leadership for women The Lessons in Leadership session at the Museums Association (MA) conference this year, organised by the Women Leaders in Museums Network (WLMN), brought sharply into focus the need for ongoing professional and personal support for women of all ages working in museums. The conference session was supported by 23 members …