Creative Engagement

Creative Engagement written by Ricky Burdett of the LSE Cities Programme, demonstrates the extent, variety and often-surprising nature of the roles undertaken by national museums and galleries. Largely based on case studies, it illustrates how these institutions engage in a huge range of innovative activities with different communities across the UK, from Business and Science to Youth and Fashion. In doing so, Creative Engagement highlights the ability of museums and galleries to inspire and empower individuals and groups, to create social capital and networks that, in turn, stimulate dialogue. The report also demonstrates how significantly museums contribute to cross government policy objectives.

Kids controlling Chernobyl, Sparking Reaction, Science Museum (c)

The UK's national museums, libraries and archives are, collectively, one of the world's biggest repositories of art, culture, science and natural history. Perhaps only in the United States and France is there anything similar in terms of breadth and scope. For people and companies within the UK, the close availability of such rich and diverse collections encourages a particular set of interactions. Museums and galleries potentially allow the curiosity of 60 million Britons (and many other from overseas) to feed off the world-class expertise and stimulation contained within their walls.

But there is also a problem. While expert commentators and those intimately involved with museums and galleries can point to immense numbers of creative interactions between such institutions and (amongst others) private companies, universities and other educational establishments, government departments and the public, such creativity is virtually impossible to catalogue or measure. Indeed, because so much of the visible activity of museums and galleries is "front of house" (ie. where the public visit), the many deeper and continuing creative links between these bodies and the wider world can easily be overlooked.

This report explores creativity across the NMDC sector today, recognising the collections as the key resource. It uses extensive research into the activities of Britain's museums and galleries to create a modern picture of their contemporary capacity to interact with individuals and institutions. The report highlights the ability of museums and galleries to create social capital, educating and empowering individuals and groups alike, creating networks and stimulating dialogue. Importantly, as it is clear from the many examples set out below, they also inspire creativity in their audiences, thereby enhancing both individual fulfilment and, through their contributions to the creative industries and broader economy, the well being of the nation.

The kind of activities explored in this report include:

strengthening civil society
working with large companies and research institutions to explain complex and controversial scientific issues and in so doing to enhance the public understanding, acceptance and utilisation of scientific and technological innovations
initiatives reaching out to groups of young people who would otherwise never go near a cultural institution
efforts to provide socialising experiences and opportunities for constructive engagement for those excluded from a range of conventional public and private sector bodies, notably Britain's black and Asian communities
using new technology to increase access to collections (for example for those who live far from cities or who have disabilities) and in so doing demonstrating the capacity of British cultural institutions to provide world leadership in educational innovation from schools, to universities to life-long learners
working with private sector scientists and designers to improve the commercial viability of goods
linking historical artefacts with today's creative needs
changing Britain's image from that of a traditional, class-based, society into a more fluid, innovative and diverse one
providing a show-case for architecture and successful improvements to public space by using new developments to assist in providing the public with an understanding of how buildings and their contents can be juxtaposed to achieve creative effects
using cultural power to create new urban quarters as an element in the physical regeneration of run-down areas

and, importantly

providing an opportunity for taxpayers to visit – on a voluntary basis – a creative output provided as a result of their tax contribution

All of the above creative outcomes – and more – are achieved by the NMDC projects highlighted in the report. Museums and galleries are now involved in such an array of activities that the traditional tasks of preserving and exhibiting items are only two among many functions.

Of course, it is not always possible to measure the educational benefit, or design improvement, or a reduced crime rate, or an improved neighbourhood or the additional tourism that results from the creative projects highlighted in this report. In much the same way that, say, a new childcare service or a public health improvement cannot often be shown to have a direct result on a particular individual, the links are clearly there.

The advantage for the government in using national museums and galleries in this way is that there is a two-for-one benefit. A pound spent on this kind of cultural activity generates not only the (conventional) transmission of knowledge or culture, but also the creative spin-off represented by the changed life, the redeveloped site or the high value-added goods. Compared with many other forms of public expenditure, where a pound often buys a single outcome, cultural creativity of the kind explored in this report is highly productive.

The parallel study by LSE and Imperial College on Valuing Museums captures the direct impact of the NMDC sector on the national economy. This report focuses on softer forms of creative practice which have less quantifiable but as profound impacts on people living in and visiting the UK. It is beyond the scope of this report to measure the qualitative impacts on individuals and communities who are exposed to these new forms of creative practice, even though this will be a valuable exercise in its own right. But the case studies do reflect the emergence of a new type and range of activity that both responds to and extends the range of Public Sector Agreement targets set by the DCMS in the following areas:

improving access for school children
improving access for young people and diverse communities
improving productivity for the cultural industries
improving value for money for government sponsored bodies

The examples described and analysed in the report have been organised under the following headings:

making links (to new audiences and constituencies)
changing perspectives (impacting on areas of social exclusion)
research, development and consulting (building on skills and resources)
places and spaces (contributing to the civic public realm)

They have been selected to provide a good cross-section of the kind of creative endeavour currently to be found in NMDC institutions. Of course, the variegated nature of such a large number and type of projects means that every example is a one-off. But the volume and broad principles of the projects considered allow a more general conclusion to be drawn. Museums and galleries offer the potential of social improvement and the strengthening of the nation's cultural diversity. This report shows how this is achieved.

Creativity Working Group

Lindsay Sharp, National Museum of Science & Industry (Chair)
Roy Clare, National Maritime Museum
Alex Beard, Tate
Jill Finney, British Library
Liz Hallam Smith, The National Archives
Sean Bullick, NMDC