Threats to museum collections and damage (intentional and unintentional) is not a new phenomenom. An internet search will bring up examples from across the globe.
This year the infamous Van Gogh Chair incident gave us an example of the threat to museum objects caused by visitor behaviour. It has also shown us how an image and response from a museum can go viral causing both the visitor and the museum to end up in the firing line, with some calling for the visitors to be banned and others blaming the museum for poor interpretive design.
How can we invite the public to interact with our collections while keeping both the visitors and the objects safe? How can we antiicipate visitor behaviour but also how to respond if the unexpected happens? And when museums can be seen as elitist and unwelcoming, how do we prepare for negative visitor behaviour but avoid patronizing and criticising our visitors for making mistakes?
Join us at this LET’S TALK event for NI Museum Council members to look at case studies and explore how to recognise threats and what to do if things go wrong.
Speakers
Andy Davis, Managing Director -Trident Manor
Carrie Calver. Ipswich Museums
Back in 2015, an accident turned itself into a good news story. From puzzle pieces to a puzzle jug, the story of the broken vessel made its way across the vast oceans of the world as we attempted to let those involved know, ‘all is good’. Conservation Assistant, Carrie, used this accident to develop her ceramics conservation skills. Many lessons were learnt and many new skills acquired.
