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Network
Member Newsletter of the Museum Education Roundtable
Fall 2006
Reports and Reflections: Museums and Relevancy
The annual MER members' reception was held on Saturday, April 29th at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston. Held in conjunction with the AAM annual meeting, 60 MER members and AAM colleagues turned out for the event. Our special thanks go to David Henry, Director of Programs, and the Staff at the ICA for hosting the event at their institution. Monica Smith, Editior of the Journal of Museum Education took the opportunity to announce the new look of the Journal which is now being published by Left Coast Press. A very special thank you goes to Gail Anderson, President of Gail Anderson and Associates, who agreed to extend the conversation on Museums and Relevancy that she began as guest editor of the Spring 2006 issue of the Journal of Museum Education. Gail has kindly allowed us to reproduce an abridged version of her talk in Network. For a full disucssion of the topic, Museums and Relevancy, refer to the Spring 2006 Journal of Museum Education, Volume 31 number 1.
SOME THINKING ABOUT MUSEUMS AND RELEVANCY
Gail Anderson, President of Gail Anderson and Associates
First, I believe a museum positions itself well by being clear about its mission and role in the community. That means that not only is there a meaningful mission, and knowledge and an understanding of the community, but there has been substantial discourse about what it means to carry that mission into action. In many cases museums need to completely rethink their mission because it is out of touch with contemporary life and is not a useful management tool. A good mission addresses relevance by the concepts or role conveyed in the mission and it places itself in a useful and relevant place relative to its users, communities, and visitors. Also a good mission provides guidance - a jumping off place - in determining what and how to address issues of relevance for one's audiences.
Second, I believe museum leadership (trustees and staff) will strengthen their respective museums by having an ongoing dialogue together about the ongoing process of engaging and assuring relevancy within an institution. That may show up in institutional values that are used to assess decisions, and direct programs and exhibitions. It may be that at regular intervals there are discussions dedicated to external issues and community needs to assure that the museum remains positioned to be responsive and determines when and how to respond. Those discussions provide an opportunity to invite and engage community leaders or representatives who bring significant perspectives and knowledge to bear for discussions occurring within the museum. I know that many museums have advisory boards or convene community meetings to invite external perspectives and build partnerships. Those are important efforts to continue or expand upon.
Third, I believe there are opportunities for museum staff and board to have meaningful engagement in the community not just when the community has come through our doors or we need community support for a capital project. Are we sitting at the table participating in the dialogue and positioning the museum as a contributor to community betterment? Along those lines I would recommend heightening and refining our listening skills. I recently was observing a session about engaging the community where the facilitator provided a description of a community and the museum and posed the question what could the museum do? Immediately hands shot up and program ideas were suggested until moments later a thoughtful participant said, "We need to talk and find out more about the community first, find out what they are dealing with and thinking about..." Sometimes I think we fear looking like we don't know what we are doing so we jump to the idea and solution stage prematurely - before we know or understand what needs to be responded to.
Fourth, we should consider changing the long held formula for the way museums work and build in flexibility and time so we can be responsive when the moments and opportunities arise. I admire the institutions that really embrace risk-taking - a willingness to try some unproven strategies, learn from mistakes, and celebrate achievements. One of the greatest challenges around museums' ability to be responsive is openness and readiness, and a willingness to change long established operational formulas such as how museum trustees, staff and volunteers go about their work, the type of programs we offer, the research we do, the exhibitions we mount. Some old habits may need to cease, others modified, and new ones introduced. Establishing an exhibition schedule two to three years out has been the norm for many museums for years. If all is set in stone and public service can only occur when it has been planned so far in advance, where is the flexibility to respond to a contemporary issue in the present? Finding a new formula and changing processes takes a commitment to determine what the museum is trying to achieve and assuring that the organizational structure and method of working supports these goals.
Fifth, museum educators and leaders, such as all of you here tonight, have wisdom to share and experiences to relay within the greater institutional framework, at the highest level of museum leadership, and at the community table. Many of you have been developing and implementing innovative educational programs and community initiatives for years. I think you and others like you are part of the answer as you continue to integrate your thinking, your frameworks into an institutional wide sensibility. Your leadership is needed to help this shift in institutional repositioning and thinking.
Last, I believe institutional success rests with strong and shared leadership in a museum - at the top and throughout the organization. Do our museums have the leadership in place to be responsive and tackle relevant topics? Stimulating and integrating discussions about issues and institutional direction and priorities is essential as mentioned earlier. Cultivating and addressing succession planning for leadership in our institutions and profession is, as many of you know, a pressing issue and challenge before us. Real fundamental change cannot happen without strong, committed leadership.
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