Methodology
The underrepresentation of museum professionals of colour was highlighted in both our research and the online workshops aimed at leaders and managers. To address this, two discovery discussion sessions were facilitated by Jessica Agudelo and Tamsin Russell in June and July 2024.
Participant recruitment
A call for participation was published on the MA website and disseminated via email, inviting museum professionals of colour to participate in discovery discussion sessions. The call aimed to gather insights from underrepresented museum professionals regarding their wellbeing and work experiences. A total of 29 individuals responded.
Shortlisting
As UK-focused research only, individuals based in the UK were invited to attend. Other factors associated with location across the UK and employment status (for example being a volunteer or a freelancer) also influenced invitations to participate. It should be noted that being an MA member did not influence participation opportunities.
Confirmation and workshop preparation
Following the response deadline, confirmations were sent to all participants, along with joining instructions distributed at the beginning of June 2024.
Payment for participation was offered as part of our commitment to fair pay and treatment.
Facilitation
Participants joined the discovery discussions through the video conferencing platform Zoom.
The sessions were structured to first contextualise the MA’s wellbeing research and highlight the underrepresentation of museum professionals of colour in that research.
This was followed by an exploration of individual experiences and collective reflection, aiming to delve deeper into participant insights.
The session followed a structured timetable:
- Welcome
- Wellbeing research, campaign and context
- Ways of working and boundaries
- Exploration and reflection
- Sharing and signposting
- Close
The discussions centred around the following three exploratory questions:
- Impact factors: What factors within and outside of your museum/organisational setting are having a deeper impact on your experience of work/life and your wellbeing?
- Support measures: What have your organisations, line managers or peers done to support, mitigate or centre your wellbeing?
- Organisational needs: What is missing – what would you like to see put in place at an organisational level to address, support and improve your experiences of work?
As a whole group, participants engaged in discussions around questions 1 and 3. For question 2, participants were divided into smaller groups using breakout rooms to facilitate more intimate and detailed conversations.
Both facilitators took detailed notes during the discussions to capture the key insights and themes emerging from participant contributions. This structured approach ensured that the sessions were focused, inclusive and conducive to gathering valuable qualitative data on the wellbeing of museum professionals of colour.