Working Wonders - Action plan for museum workforce

Iain Watson, Director, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums@iainawatson

Old museum/new museum

• Museums are provided on behalf of their audiences and audiences are expected to accept what is provided

• Audiences are active participants and not passive consumers of information; they are involved in shaping their museum

• In the entrepreneurial museum they are also involved in its success and resilience

Deutsches Auswandererhaus, Bremerhaven

Before the Crash

• Steady increase in public finances and grants (HLF/ACE/Renaissance)

• Sector growth – millennium developments etc.

• Greater emphasis on social model – engagement

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

UK museum closures since 2005http://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/funding-cuts/19062013-museum-closures-map

Museums Association Cuts Survey 201231% of respondents experienced a budget cut of more than 10% in the past year alone. 22% of respondents have reduced access to sites by closing whole or parts of sites, permanently or temporarily.

More than a third of museums who responded to our 2011 and 2012 surveys had experienced a cut of over 35% over the two years, leading to reduced staff and reduced public services.

By 2016 national museums in England may have had their funding from government cut by almost 30%.

This decline in the UK’s world-class museums coincides with increasing demand for museums 52% of the UK population visited a museum in 2012/23 - a significant increase from 42% in 2005/06.

What has changed

• Rapidly declining public funding, and increased competition for lottery funding

• Government focus on Philanthropy• Funding focussed more on sustainability of organisations• Need to find new ways of plugging the funding gap to deliver

mission

Museums value

"at any point of time in a country's history, whether the public or private sector is larger or smaller, we want to feel that it is a mark of good citizenship, both locally and centrally, to contribute to maintaining our museums, our galleries, our theatres - all those things that give that added dimension to our lives." Jennie Lee 'Government and the Arts', Museums Journal 1965

•Intrinsic value•Social value•Educational value •Economic value

Mission

Engage users

Users contribute

Museums are more resilient

Mission can be delivered

Virtuous circle

I’ve preached for years that “nonprofit is a tax status, not a business philosophy.” http://futureofmuseums.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/challenging-assumptions-who-says.html

Iain Watson, Director, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums@iainawatson

Old museum/new museum

• Museums are provided on behalf of their audiences and audiences are expected to accept what is provided

• Audiences are active participants and not passive consumers of information; they are involved in shaping their museum

• In the entrepreneurial museum they are also involved in its success and resilience

Deutsches Auswandererhaus, Bremerhaven

Before the Crash

• Steady increase in public finances and grants (HLF/ACE/Renaissance)

• Sector growth – millennium developments etc.

• Greater emphasis on social model – engagement

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

UK museum closures since 2005http://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/funding-cuts/19062013-museum-closures-map

Museums Association Cuts Survey 201231% of respondents experienced a budget cut of more than 10% in the past year alone. 22% of respondents have reduced access to sites by closing whole or parts of sites, permanently or temporarily.

More than a third of museums who responded to our 2011 and 2012 surveys had experienced a cut of over 35% over the two years, leading to reduced staff and reduced public services.

By 2016 national museums in England may have had their funding from government cut by almost 30%.

This decline in the UK’s world-class museums coincides with increasing demand for museums 52% of the English population visited a museum in 2012/13 - a significant increase from 42% in 2005/06. This is not replicated in Scotland with a figure of 31%

What has changed

• Rapidly declining public funding, and increased competition for lottery funding

• Government focus on Philanthropy• Funding focussed more on sustainability of organisations• Need to find new ways of plugging the funding gap to deliver

mission

Museums value

"at any point of time in a country's history, whether the public or private sector is larger or smaller, we want to feel that it is a mark of good citizenship, both locally and centrally, to contribute to maintaining our museums, our galleries, our theatres - all those things that give that added dimension to our lives." Jennie Lee 'Government and the Arts', Museums Journal 1965

•Intrinsic value•Social value•Educational value •Economic value

Mission

Engage users

Users contribute

Museums are more resilient

Mission can be delivered

Virtuous circle

I’ve preached for years that “nonprofit is a tax status, not a business philosophy.” http://futureofmuseums.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/challenging-assumptions-who-says.html

What do you think?

Which is the area of greatest relevance?• To you• To your museum• To the Scottish museum sector

What do you think?

Compare and discuss with the people next to you.

What do you think?

How can you develop in order to meet this need?

Feedback

Share your drawings and ideas with your table.

Feedback

Select one idea to feedback to the group.

Q&A

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