This workshop, led by Bernadette Lynch and Mark O’Neill, will explore the strategic potential of engagement work in our society to democratise museums and reduce inequalities in museum attendance.

Click here to book today!

Bernadette Lynch: ‘From an ethics of charity to active solidarity’

Ten years on from her seminal report for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Whose Cake is it Anyway? Bernadette will reflect on how little has really changed in that time in the process of democratising museums. She will go on to give a brief account of her work in leading the International Solidarity in Action Network for Museums, and the potentially break-through strategy that the network is developing.

Mark O’Neill: ‘Beyond ‘projectitis’: ethical and effective engagement’

The data on museum visiting in the UK by low income/low educational attainment groups suggest that inequalities in attendance have not changed in the past 40 years, despite huge efforts by many museum staff. This raises significant questions about the strategic effectiveness and ethical basis for many museum engagement, outreach and learning projects.

Given this reality, what are the principles on which engagement/outreach and learning activities can be carried out so that they are more likely to genuinely democratise museums and reduce the inequalities in the demographics of museum visitors? How can GEM members, who often do not hold senior positions or are on temporary contracts, function most effectively in this situation?

This workshop works well in conjunction with the GEM Creating Sustainable Community Partnerships course, beginning on the 23^rd June. You can sign up for the course here.