"Some museums like their culture dead and stuffed ...

This quote by Richard Kurin (2004) refers to the continuing focus of many museums on the exhibiting of physical objects, ignoring intangible cultural heritage (ICH), that is living heritage "embodied in people rather than in inanimate objects", and so includes customs, music, dance, performing arts, festivals, and traditional craftsmanship. The safeguarding of ICH by museums has been a theme in the past for International Museum Day and ICOM's General Conference, and this has translated into practice at many museums, especially in Asia and the Pacific. 

The term 'intangible cultural heritage' may not have caught on in museums in England, but that does not mean that they have no understanding of it. Its simply been expressed in different ways, using different terminology.  It also demands considerable imagination of museum professionals, and often more technology than the display of physical museum objects. 

Many English museums have successfully navigated the shift away from object led presentation, including the Towner gallery in Eastbourne. At the end of 2012, in conjunction with the Museum of British Folklore, it saw a two day festival of folk including performances by mummers, handbell ringers, sea shanty singers and morris dancers.  It also enabled children to make Punkie Night turnip lanterns and gingerbread men, and adults to make a hoodening horse. This led Cllr Carolyn Heaps to say that “This is set to be one of our busiest weekends of the year …” (Towner Gallery 2012)

                                 (c) Museum of British Folklore

Kurin (2004) has said that, "Museums are generally poor institutions for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage - the only problem is that there is probably no better institution to do so." So, for museums to engage in intangible heritage and embrace a more people-centred museology they have to include:

- Working with communities to preserve cultural knowledge and traditions,

- Empowering voices and narratives of different people,

- Rethinking meanings of collections (tangible and intangible),

- Using new media to document and communicate intangible heritage, and

- Creating spaces for the performance of intangible heritage

 (Alivizatou 2011)

  

Suggested reading: 

Alivizatou, M.  (2011)  The Role of Museums in Safeguarding ICH (Available at:  http://www.sac.or.th/databases/ichlearningresources/images/Lecture14-Eng-Summary_AD.pdf)

Alivizatou, M. (2012)  Intangible Heritage and the Museum.  New Perspectives on Cultural Preservation. Left Coast Press.

Jackson, A and Kidd, J. (2011)  Performing Heritage. Research, Practice and Innovation in Museum Theatre and Live Interpretation. Manchester University Press

Kurin, R. (2004)  Museums and Intangible Heritage:

Culture Dead or Alive?  ICOM News No.4 (Available at http://icom.museum/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/ICOM_News/2004-4/ENG/p7_2004-4.pdf)

This post was written by Suzy Brunyee, who will be undertaking her PhD on the Future of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the UK (its Challenges and Opportunities) at Nottingham Trent University from October 2014. She has begun to document and share her research on Britain's fascinating traditions and museums' uses of these online at http://www.intangibleheritageblog.com/

Working Towards a New Normality - Culture in Partnership

Sir John Moore's lively workshop on working with children and young people, in partnership, at the East Midlands Heritage Awards 2013

The Arts Council of England’s Great Art and Culture for Everyone strategic document published in October 2013, mentions the word partner, partners or partnership 33 times in a 65 page document. It would be fair to say the Arts Council acknowledge the importance of organisations working together, and for good reason. The Local Government Association, with its members faced with 33% (or more) cuts in the Local Services Support Grant, is advocating a ‘shared services’ approach to local government.

However this strategic thrust is at odds with what usually happens in times of economic hardship. The tendency is to withdraw and pull in on oneself, training budgets are cut, travel budgets are cut and conferences become a luxury rather than a necessity.

Therefore the challenge is for cultural organisations get together to share services, volunteers and/or staff. Can it be done? Already 95% of local authorities now share some services and a few have even experimented with shared chief executives.

The cultural sector has a history of collaboration rather than competition. We need to use this mind-set to turn collaboration into true partnership and joint working. I believe there is an urgency to do this by 2018 when the Arts Council’s current museum development funding stream ends. 

The regional strategic bodies have shown the way. Last year’s East Midlands Heritage Conference ‘Stronger Together’ showed that it can be done. It was a partnership initiative between Museum Development East Midlands, East Midlands Museum Service and Nottingham Trent University. It was free and inclusive encouraging delegates from the region and beyond to come together to share good practice. The next step is to take that good will and create something sustainable and resilient joint working practices.

The structures for this sustainable approach are in place. Strong county forums are in place to encourage smaller museums to come together. Major Partner Museums have the opportunity take a lead in joint working at the larger municipal level. Museum Development 2015-18 bidders also have the opportunity to help embed this approach strategically.

If we bury our heads in the sand we will inevitably begin to lose museums, but there is reason to be optimistic, but that optimism is dependent upon making the most of our limited resources – and that means working together in a meaningful way – permanently.

Resources from the East Midlands Heritage Conference 2013 can be found at http://emms.org.uk/east_midlands_heritage_conference_awards_2013/

More information on the East Midlands Heritage Conference 2015 will be released closer to the event. To join the mailing list, please visit www.emms.org.uk

This post is by Neville Stankley, a Senior Lecturer in Heritage Management at Nottingham Trent University, Vice-Chair of East Midlands Museums Service and key practitioner for the region. He is currently involved in several partnership projects, including the Postgraduate Certificate in Heritage Education, a pioneering model in vocational training that brings together the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law, Leicester City Council, Rutland County Council and Nottingham Trent University.