FIRST MEETING OF THE MUSEUMS SUMMIT THINK TANK
15 SEPTEMBER 2009
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY
Attendees
Members of the Think Tank:
Dr Jim Arnold, Director, New Lanark World Heritage Site
Professor Stewart Brymer, Chair of Dundee Heritage Trust
Baillie Liz Cameron, CEO, Culture and Sport Glasgow
John Leighton, Director-General, National Galleries of Scotland
Frank Little, Museums Manager, Culture and Sport, Edinburgh
Dr Gordon Rintoul, Director, National Museums of Scotland
Rachel Skene, Development Officer, Strathnaver Museum
Ewen Smith, Director, Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery
Jim Tildesley, Company Secretary and Acting Director, Scottish Maritime Museum
Dr Sharon Webb, Director and Curator, Kilmartin House Trust
Scottish Government:
Mike Russell MSP, Minister for Culture, External Affairs, and the Constitution (Chair, first part of the meeting)
David Seers (Chair, second part of the meeting), Team Leader, Cultural Excellence
Carole Robinson., Sponsorship Manager, Cultural Excellence.
Introduction
The Minister began by welcoming members to the first meeting. He was delighted by the full attendance of the Group. He stressed that members were members of the Group in order to offer their skills and experience rather than to represent individual bodies. The Scottish Government would provide secretariat assistance for the group.
Members introduced themselves.
Museums Summit: issues arising
The Minister provided a recap of the main outcomes from the Summit which had been held in June. He recognised that there were long-standing and well-known issues and there was a need to develop a coherent national policy that would carry the sector forward in both the medium and longer term. The challenges identified at the Summit were: articulating the sector's contribution to Scottish society; the balance between local authority, national and independent provision; making the best use of limited resources through collaboration and setting priorities; and a sustainable future for all Scotland's industrial collections.
He appreciated that a solution to the issues facing Scotland's museums will not come easily and urged the Group to be completely open-minded and consider innovative solutions. The Minister invited the Group to confirm whether these were indeed the main issues for consideration
The key points raised in discussion were:
· Development of national policy was important and necessary. Importance of developing Scottish solutions for Scottish problems.
· Important to begin by making the case for the sector. This would then allow for a strategic framework for policy development.
· Resources were a problem across the sector - there was a need to maximise them through greater collaborative and partnership working.
· Funding from local authorities to the sector was declining and there was a need to convince councils of the importance of museums and galleries.
· There was a danger of the sector not meeting the demand from the public.
· Benefits of independent museums were not recognised.
· There should be discussion about the status of the industrial collections.
· The Scottish Government would have difficult decisions to make as there was a recurring problem of some museums facing funding crises. Not all regional museums would continue to survive. These were not new problems. There was a clear need to set priorities.
· The sector needed to consider its future direction. At a time of economic downturn, preservation of collections for the future, and education about their value, were important issues to be considered.
· Best practice should be shared. Various projects that members were working on could be used as exemplars of collaborative working. There were other models, such as Scandinavia, that could be considered as examples of the structures that might be adopted. The sector was not always good at sharing and implementing good practice.
The Minister appreciated these concerns and made clear that there were no further resources available to the sector. The key issue was how to use the resources currently available and make these work for the sector. He emphasised his strong support and ambition for the sector and the importance of the sector finding workable solutions with as much consensus as possible. The Minister stressed that he was open to suggestions from the Group: there were "no givens". The current structure may not be sustainable and this could be considered by the Group. It was crucial to consider the current position and how to move forward rather than dwelling on decisions that has been taken by previous Administrations. The Minister expected the Group to put aside sectoral or personal interests and show their commitment to the work of the Think Tank.
Timescale
It was agreed that the Group's conclusions would be available by Spring 2010. There would be meetings every 4-6 weeks with work in between from members. Sub- groups would be established to take forward key strands of work.
The Minister left the meeting and David Seers took over as Chair.
Remit
The remit would be published on the Government's website once agreed. The Group agreed that the order of the issues for consideration should be amended so that "articulation" became the first of the 4 points. "Priority setting" should be added to reflect that this was important when considering resources. The Group agreed that the remit outlined the role they would play.
Sub-group: Articulation
It was agreed that a sub-group should be established to set out what the sector provides, how well it performs and how and what could be done better. The following areas/themes would be considered by the sub-group:
· Education
· Community needs. Identity and knowledge. Regeneration.
· Access
· Economic factors. Tourism, contribution at local, national and international level, role in creative industries.
· Partnerships. Working with other sectors.
· How the sector operates. Enterprise development.
The sub-group would consider the impact, outcomes and benefits of the factors identified in relation to the sector. Previous reports and studies could be distilled and the group were invited to advise of any relevant literature that could be reviewed. An outline of the current position and structures of the sector would be provided by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government would facilitate research support.
It was agreed that the sub-group would be convened by John Leighton, joined by Liz Cameron, Ewen Smith and Sharon Webb.
Sub group: working methods
It was important to explore ways that the sector could work together to produce results. Partnerships should be looked at - examples of best practice could be found at local and national level. Current good practice should be mapped out and adopted. International models could offer a useful comparison - Denmark was suggested as model to review. Shared services and drivers from local authorities should be considered too.
It was agreed that the sub-group would be convened by Frank Little, joined by Gordon Rintoul, Stewart Brymer and Rachel Skene.
Involvement of Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS)
The Group were asked to consider the role of MGS given that the Minister had not asked them to be formal members of the Think Tank. Ewen Smith and Rachel Skene advised that they were on the MGS Board and would welcome clarification. After discussion, the Group agreed that the experience and knowledge of MGS could be brought to the Think Tank by their being invited to input to the sub-groups in a research and advice capacity. The Scottish Government would arrange a discussion with MGS, Ewen Smith and/or Rachel Skene. [Discussion held on 7 October; MGS invited to input to both subgroups as consultees].
Communications strategy
The Group discussed the need to have the right mechanisms in place to distil the message of the Group. The remit and minutes would appear on the SG website. The Chair asked that the Group suggest at the next meeting how best to engage with the sector and ensure communication of the key messages emerging.
Dates of meetings
It was agreed that the sub-groups should meet the week commencing 26 October. A full meeting of the Group was anticipated for the week commencing 27 November. Liz Cameron offered to host in Glasgow.
Action points
· Group to advise of any relevant literature for use/ review.
· Scottish Government (SG) to provide an outline of the current position and structures of the sector.
· SG to amend remit, circulate to members and publish on the SG website.
· SG to arrange discussion between MGS board members, SG and MGS.
· Group to consider communications strategy for discussion at the next meeting.
· Sub-groups to meet end of October.
· SG to confirm meeting date in November and venue.
Scottish Government
October 2009