Welcome back from London Museums Group Chair Joe Sullivan.
This Chair’s blog has been absent for a little while, but with our first live events since 2019 in the planner, this is the perfect time to get back to blogging.
I am delighted that after our successful webinar programme around Agile project management in 2021, we are getting back to running real life, in-person events. On Tuesday 17 May we will be welcoming London Museum Group members (and non-members) to hear from an expert panel discussing What roles can museums have in tackling climate emergencies. Even better for me, we are holding it at my own museum, The Cartoon Museum, so all I have to do to attend is leave my office!
It will be a very timely event that explores how museums and galleries can help create creative solutions to tackle climate emergencies. Our panel speakers will discuss how workers within museums, galleries and collections can contribute personally to help the world reduce greenhouse gases, reduce species extinctions and explore the value of science, art and heritage in developing solutions for the future of our planet. Hopefully I will see you there, and for a drink at our local, The Champion, afterwards.
Behind the scenes, London Museums Group has been undergoing some changes since our webinar event series in Spring 2021. Our funding partnership with London’s Museum Development Office has now ended, and I want to thank Ben and the team for all of their support for our work over the past decade. This means we have been looking at ways to remain relevant and resilient. From my own personal experience alone, the last two years have included furlough, the death of a staff member due to COVID, a huge hit in visitors and income, and lots of work on funding bids that were ultimately rejected. It has been tough for us all, and things have been slow on the London Museums Group front as a result. Our volunteer board members were forced to redirect their energy towards keeping their museums secure through the pandemic, on top of childcare, home schooling, and the many mental stresses we have all experienced over the past two years. I am excited that we have moved - hopefully – beyond the worst, and having been re-open since May with ever-increasing visitor numbers, I can see confidence starting to return across London.
After two long years that has taken - and continues to take - a heavy toll on London’s museums, we are happy to still be here to represent and help to develop the workforce of London’s many fantastic museums. We’ll see you all at The Cartoon Museum on 17 May and in the meantime keep and eye on our blog and social media.
All the best,
Joe Sullivan