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MA programme will promote anti-racism
Museums needs to live up to their commitments to make institutional change, says Joshua Roberston
Issues of anti-racism and decolonisation in the museum sector can sometimes feel perennial. Despite commitments to institutional change, which sprang up in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, anti-racism and decolonisation are still significant challenges that seem to bewilder museum leadership. The lack of diverse programming and the deeply embedded colonial narratives in collections are yet to be interrogated, let alone dismantled.
A small but growing number of museums has taken up the mantle of change, but far too few have lived up to their promises of a new dawn.
So the Museums Association (MA) has teamed up with Talk Listen Create to launch the Anti-Racist Museums programme to develop a cohort of senior professionals ready to transform their organisations into anti-racist museums. Delivered through six half-day workshops, the programme will provide participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to rethink and, ultimately, rebuild their practice with an anti-racist and decolonial lens.
The programme is a pilot, so we will also be recruiting individuals
to sit on our anti-racism and decolonisation steering group to provide strategic oversight for both campaigns and for future iterations of this work. Applications are open until 14 April and the programme will run over the summer.
Joshua Robertson is a policy officer at the Museums Association