Our response to Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy

The Museums Association (MA) welcomes the publication of a bold and ambitious strategy for museums and galleries in Scotland that shares many values with the MA’s vision, mission and campaigns.

Scotland’s museums and galleries strategy for 2023 – 2030 was launched by Museums Galleries Scotland on 2 February 2023 and is centred around three themes of Connection, Resilience and Workforce.

Under each strand are priority areas which will inform a set of new, streamlined grant outcomes for MGS’s existing funding streams. The priority areas are inclusion, health and wellbeing, education, place, fair work, diversity, skills and confidence, financial resilience, climate action and collaboration.

The MA also welcomed the announcement by the minister for culture, Europe, international development and minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, Neil Gray, of an additional £500,000 of capital funding for Scottish museums.

Sharon Heal, director of the MA, said: “The MA very much welcomes this new strategy and the direction it sets for Scotland’s museums. The emphasis on supporting museums to tackle big issues such as climate justice, anti-racism and the financial future of our sector very much chimes with our vision at the MA for inclusive museums at the heart of their communities. We look forward to working with MGS to deliver the strategy.”

Image: Teenage visitors at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, credit Olami Images