The term ‘thought-provoking’ is much overused. However, Dr Errol Francis’ talk challenged me to rethink what museums are, their value, their purpose, and who they serve. As Artistic Director and CEO of Culture&, Dr Francis spoke about the Black-led charity’s work. Culture& aims to diversify the arts and cultural sector and challenge traditional narratives.
Before moving into the cultural sector, he worked in health and social care, and ran NHS mental health services. He later studied at Central Saint Martins and the Slade School of Fine Art. Here, he became interested in the stories that museums tell, and he went on to complete a PhD on postcolonial responses to museums.
Making the cultural sector more inclusive
Inspired by bell hooks’ work on ‘choosing the margin as a space for radical openness’, Dr Francis explored two versions of marginality. The first is imposed; the second is chosen as an act of resistance. Despite being a small team, Culture& tackles huge issues through four main areas: education, consultancy, research, and public programmes. The range of their work and impact is very impressive.
Some of the statistics shocked me. Just 3% of the UK’s arts and heritage workforce is non-White. Worldwide, people from global majority backgrounds make up only around 1% of museum audiences. Through its educational programmes, Culture& is helping a wider range of people enter the cultural sector. Examples include:
- New Museum School, which provides access to postgraduate museum studies programmes at the University of Leicester.
- Cultural Leaders Programme, which offers Master’s scholarships with Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Challenging traditional museum spaces
A strength of Culture&’s work is its exhibitions, which deal with themes often neglected in mainstream arts. The charity collaborates with key players in the cultural sector to challenge traditional museum spaces and audiences.
I was particularly struck by The Keeper of All The Secrets tea service exhibition by Jamaican-born artist Jacqueline Bishop. It depicts a key figure of Caribbean society – the market woman – alongside the plants that gave Caribbean women bodily autonomy and control over their own reproductive health. The work also highlights how luxury European goods directly connected to enslavement and colonialism.
It is now on display at the Queen’s House, part of Royal Museums Greenwich. As Dr Francis highlighted, this is a very subversive setting. This hallowed piece of architecture has close ties to members of the royal family who founded the Royal African Company, which played a central role in the slave trade.
A lasting effect on me
The power and importance of these marginal narratives has stayed with me. I’ll be seeking them out (both through Culture&’s work and more broadly) and thinking more deeply about how I engage with museums from now on.
