Opinion
A slow shuffle in a forwards direction
The first Young Graduates in Museums and Galleries (YGMG) internships started in 2005. When I wrote the YGMG programme I was adamant that its students would be inclusive of all the cultures in Britain. But it is a worrying trend that, often when I speak of YGMG, many think it is confined to black, Asian …
Stopping collecting will squeeze the lifeblood out of museums
When Victor Hugo wrote that necessity is the mother of invention I doubt he was thinking much about museums and the curatorial ingenuity needed these days to keep them and their collections thriving. But if you work in museums it won’t come as a surprise to hear that acquiring new work – once the very …
Letters
Putting natural history collections on the museum map I read your correspondent’s contribution on this topic of natural history collections, Why do museums neglect the public’s favourite heritage?, with interest. The Natural History Museum (NHM) saw an underlying rise in visitor numbers of more than 500,000 between 2005 and 2008, and a further big increase …
Cue lights, cue music, cue gallery space
For the last two years I have been interviewing scientists, cultural commentators and artists about identity. Each interview I conducted began with the same two questions: “Who are you?” and then, “Who do I think you are?” Simple questions. I am the artistic director of the theatre company On Theatre. And each year we produce …
How are US museums and galleries coping with the recession?
Last December the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, a history and art museum founded in 1896, owned and operated by the city, was told to close because of the recession’s effect on city finances. This is worrying since it is in many ways typical of the 18,000 or so museums in the United States. Roughly half …
Letters
Raising the issue of Renaissance underspendI would like to say thank you to Museums Journal for raising the issue of the Renaissance underspend and to the Museums Association (MA) for taking it up with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. I am not writing using my own name and do not feel confident in …