BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC ENGAGEMENT WITH LONDON’S MUSEUMS€¦ · the London Museums Agency in...

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BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC ENGAGEMENT WITH LONDON’S MUSEUMS Telling it like it is: Nonuser Research January April 2004 Damian Tissier and Samir Singh Nathoo, StUF, May 2004

Transcript of BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC ENGAGEMENT WITH LONDON’S MUSEUMS€¦ · the London Museums Agency in...

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BLACK ANDMINORITY ETHNIC

ENGAGEMENTWITH LONDON’S

MUSEUMSTelling it like it is:

Non�user ResearchJanuary � April 2004

Damian Tissier and Samir Singh Nathoo, StUF, May 2004

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

THE CASE FOR CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

PATTERNS OF ATTENDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

STREET SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

FOCUS GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . .4

DEVELOPING AND REINTERPRETING COLLECTIONS . . .4

BETTER COMMUNICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

A STRONGER COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY . . . . . . . . . .5

PARTNERSHIP WORKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

LITERATURE REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

THE CASE FOR CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

PATTERNS OF ATTENDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

STREET SURVEY FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

PARTICIPATION RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . .24

INTODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

ATTITUDES TO MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES . . . . . . . . . .25

HISTORY AND CULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

BARRIERS TO ATTENDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . .34

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

CONTENTS

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Executive SummaryTELLING IT LIKE IT ISLondon's museums are a central featurein the cultural landscape of the capital.They offer an institutional expression ofour shared identity by preserving andinterpreting a common history. Yet toooften, London's museums are failing toattract the capital's population in all itsdiversity.

In December 2003, ALM commissionedStUF to investigate why London's museumsand galleries do not attract an audiencethat more truly reflects the diverse multi�cultural and multi�ethnic demographiccharacter of the capital's residentcommunity.

StUF conducted an initial review of existingliterature in preparation for the widerresearch project. The time constraints ofthe project meant this review was restrictedto 18 key reports, the majority of whichhave been published over the last sevenyears.

This literature review provided the analyticalframework for StUF's empirical research, inthe form of a street survey, in which 594visible minority ethnic people wereinterviewed. The street survey wasfollowed by four focus group sessionsinvolving 26 participants.

Although not the intention, in practice theresearch has focused upon VBME'sbetween the ages of 16 � 40. The youngerage profile reflects the fact that far fewerolder people were willing to stop for thestreet interviews, and were less likely tospeak good enough English to be able totake part.

The findings of this research echo many ofthe previous studies in the field and revealan attitude within the museum sector as awhole � with notable exceptions � thatdemonstrates what Sir William Macphersondefines as institutional racism. This isclearly an untenable position to maintain.

THE CASE FOR CHANGE It has been clear for a long time that peoplefrom black and minority ethnic communitiesdo not visit museums. What is surprising ishow little progress has been made inaddressing those issues.

Government departments and publicagencies have issued museums with a plethora of reports and guidance noteson engaging excluded audiences.Furthermore, the sector now has a positiveduty to promote equality of opportunity andgood race relations under the RaceRelations (Amendment) Act 2000.

If museums are to meet the challenges of playing a broader societal role they mustfirst demonstrate their relevance to Britain'sdiverse communities. Embracing diversity is no longer an optional extra, it needs tobe at the heart of everything that museums do.

PATTERNS OF ATTENDANCE Much work has already been undertaken toexplore patterns of museum attendanceamongst excluded groups. The LondonMuseums Service's 1991 report, DingyPlaces, found that white Londoners weretwice more likely than black and 50% morelikely than Asian Londoners to visit a museum.

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More recently, Holding up the Mirror(October 2003) concluded that London'sminority ethnic communities are getting a'raw deal' from the capital's museums. It would seem that little or no progress onthis issue has been made in the last twelve years.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERSThere is a substantial body of literatureacross the various public policy domainssuggesting that black and minority ethniccommunities face multiple barriers inaccessing public services and provision.

Numerous reports have observed that themuseum sector concentratesoverwhelmingly upon a dominant whiteculture, and one that has little or no directrelevance to the lives of black and minorityethnic people. In our opinion, thoseproblems are symptomatic of a wider failureof engagement.

It is also important to recognise thatnotions of both ethnicity and exclusion arecomplex. For this report, identity wasbased solely on ethnicity. This excludestherefore dynamics of age or gender, forexample, but perhaps, most importantly inthis case, socio�economicbackground/class.

A body of good practice has grown up andthere are some exemplar projects inexistence. However, 'Holding Up theMirror', the most recent report published bythe London Museums Agency in October2003, reveals that the isolated examples ofgood practice have not been transposedinto changing the mainstream practices ofthe museum sector.

STREET SURVEYStUF's street surveys revealed a generallack of interest in museums and galleriesamong BME groups. They were largelyunwilling to take part in the questionnaireas they felt they had not much to say aboutissues in the sector. Overall the responserate was around 1 in 10. Some key findingsemerged:

63% of participants were either negativeor indifferent about museums.

23% had never been to a museum.

40% went to a museum for the educationof their children.

70% of 16�25 year olds and 75% ofthose aged 60+ had not been to amuseum in the last two years.

75% of Black Africans had not visited amuseum in the last two years comparedwith 50% of those classifying themselvesas Black British.

74% had not heard of any museum intheir borough.

Awareness of the National museums wasmuch higher than local museums.

Popular local museums appear to be agateway to wider museum attendance.

FOCUS GROUPS The purpose of the focus groups was toexplore the views and attitudes of BMEmuseum non�users in greater depth.Although many themes expressing acommon view emerged, there was adistinct difference in attitudes betweenBME people who were born in the UK andthose who had moved here from abroad.

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The findings of the focus groups fall intofour categories.

Attitudes to museums and galleries

Museums and galleries are for schooltrips, history lessons and formal learning.

Museums and galleries are great placesfor a family day out.

Museums place too much emphasis onthe most boring aspects of history.

Visiting a museum is time consuming andinconvenient.

Museums are too formal.

Museums are for the white middleclasses.

Museums should showcasecontemporary culture and focus more onrecent history.

Museums should actively invite newaudiences.

History and culture

Current museum provision is boring and irrelevant.

History and culture is personal and somuseums should explore commonthemes such as immigration.

Museums have a role to play inpromoting greater understanding ofBritain's multicultural roots.

Museums should focus on thedevelopment of relationships betweenBritain and other countries.

Museums should show the role of theBritish in other countries.

Museums have the potential to promotedeeper self�understanding throughaccess to history.

Museums should stress the contributionof BME communities and peoples inhistory.

Museums should appeal to a youngeraudience through popular street culture,music and the cult of celebrity.

Barriers to attendance

Museums are exclusive and toospecialist.

Museums are closely linked to formaleducation.

Museums focus on the past.

Museums do not reflect or acknowledgeBME groups.

Museums do not welcome BME groupsor provide information in communitylanguages.

Museums do not engage with BMEgroups or encourage participation.

There is a lack of champions and rolemodels.

People have better things to do with their time.

What would you like to see in museums?

Museums should show secondgeneration BME people what life is like intheir parents' country of origin.

Museums should highlight ways thatdifferent cultures have impacted on andbeen claimed by modern British society.

Museum staff should be more pro�activeand knowledgeable.

There should be more BME people at asenior level.

Museums should focus more on recent history.

Museum displays should be more high�tech.

Museums buildings should bemodernised.

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Museums could be cultural andcommunity hubs.

National museums should do more topromote local museums.

Museums should take a more targetedapproach to attracting BME groups.

Museums should connect to religiousfestivals and other community events.

There should be a specialist BME History museum.

CONCLUSIONS ANDRECOMMENDATIONS London's museum sector is failing toengage the capital's population in all itsdiversity. One in three residents in Londonnow belongs to a black and minority ethniccommunity, but less than one out of everyfive visits to a museum is made by a blackand minority ethnic person.

All of this has been known for over thirteenyears � ever since the publication of 'DingyPlaces' in 1991. What is surprising is thelack of progress that has been made inencouraging more black and minorityethnic people to use museums.

We believe that a major factor behind thispersistent failure is insufficient awareness ofthe specific needs and preferences of ablack and ethnic minority audience.

Museums, through past curatorialpractices, are overwhelmingly 'object�oriented'. Our focus group participantsargued that if they are to attract black andethnic minority audiences they mustbecome what we would term more'relationship�centred'.

Museums must move beyond the purelymaterial approach to embrace other formsoff cultural experience in order to captureand more accurately represent London'srich past and diverse present.

The importance that museums have in thecultural life of our country rests in thesearch for a shared identity in a confusing,often conflicting and rapidly changingworld. Museums should work to presentan inclusive form of British identity andhistory. We have conceptualised this as an'open history' that encourage linkages,connections and comparisons andpromotes wider understanding of ourpopulation's diverse cultures and histories.

We have grouped the Conclusions andRecommendations into four seperate sections.

DEVELOPING AND REINTERPRETINGCOLLECTIONS All museums should strive to make theproduct more relevant to black and minorityethnic communities by:

Profiling potential black and minorityethnic audience base throughdemographic data.

Considering the relevance of the currentinterpretation of collections to black andminority ethnic communities.

Focusing more on people rather thanplace with a new focus on the role andcontribution of BME people.

Making their collections more diverse andmore relevant.

Creating temporary exhibitions, takingdisplays out into the community, andextending loans.

Presenting an inclusive form of Britishidentity and history.

Relating collections more directly tocurrent issues of importance to black andminority ethnic groups.

Placing a greater emphasis oncontemporary culture and recent history.

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Considering how they can achieveengagement with the emotions andfeelings of visitors through the use ofvideo, audio and tactile displays andmore interactive features.

BETTER COMMUNICATIONSAll museums should seek to build a biggerand more diverse audience by:

Raising awareness of the museum sectoras a whole.

Producing targeted publicity towardsdifferent black and minority ethniccommunities and age groups.

Ensure that all publicity materialspositively reflect the cultural and ethnicdiversity of London and avoidstereotyping.

Developing mechanisms for consultationwith all potential audiences.

Monitoring user databases, invite lists andmembership schemes and activelypromoting equality.

Ensuring that exhibitions relevant to aparticular community are promotedappropriately.

Actively inviting a wider range ofaudiences through events, other activitiesand celebrity openings.

Encouraging family activities and life�longlearning.

Displaying a commitment to a widerrange of contemporary arts and culture.

Creating stronger linkages between thepast and the present.

Having local champions within thecommunity to promote awareness andact as ambassadors for the museumsector.

Emphasising the value of visiting and thefact of free entry.

Raising the visibility of museums througheffective signage, advertising and externaldisplays.

Using ICT to reach out to a wideraudience.

Encouraging a 'drop by' approach.

A STRONGER COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITYMuseums need to improve their customerrelations, particular with BME groups whoperceive the sector as catering, almostexclusively, for the white middle�classes. Allmuseums should:

Consult with and actively involve localblack and minority ethnic communities.

Present a more inclusive form of identityby acknowledging in a more balancedinterpretation of Britain's links andhistorical relationships with other countries.

Forge stronger links with local communityand faith groups to attract new users.

Promote activities at black and minorityethnic cultural events.

Be aware of the calendar of activitieswithin black and minority communitiesand seek to develop participatory events.

Promote citizenship programmes relevantto London's increasingly diversepopulation for all residents.

Employ staff from a diversity ofbackgrounds to ensure that they aremore representative of London's blackand minority ethnic communities.

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PARTNERSHIP WORKINGThere is growing demand for the museumsector to work in partnership with outsideorganisations and engage more effectivelyin wider government agendas. To this endALM should:

Do more to promote the value created bylocal museums to statutory, voluntary andprivate organisations.

Engage more effectively with the relevantpan London networks.

Work more closely with London localauthorities and Local StrategicPartnerships to develop cultural diversity strategies.

Work more closely with the localmuseums to foster closer relationshipsregeneration partnerships.

Encourage better partnership workingbetween libraries and museums.

Strengthen arrangements for museums to collaborate more effectively on joint projects.

Build the entrepreneurial capacity of local museums.

Ensure that all museums are aware of therelevant guidance concerning culturaldiversity and equal opportunities.

Collect, collate and monitor patterns ofmuseum attendance and employment toensure that progress is made in achievingdiversity targets.

Promote the establishment andpromotion of cultural quarters.

Additionally, all museums should

Develop stronger partnership workingarrangements with local black andminority ethnic groups.

Consult with local schools and the localcommunities to supplement the national

curriculum around local history and inparticular black and minority ethnichistory needs.

Ensure that collections are linked to therequirements of the national curriculum

Build stronger links with their appropriatelocal authority and Local StrategicPartnership.

Ensure that they maintain goodknowledge of what is happening in othermuseums and promote those eventsmore widely.

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Literature ReviewINTRODUCTIONThe purpose of the literature review wasto prepare the ground for the empiricalresearch into why London's museumsand galleries do not attract an audiencethat more truly reflects the diverse multi-cultural and multi-ethnic demographiccharacter of the capital's residentcommunity.

Our empirical research took the form of astreet survey in which 594 visible minorityethnic people were interviewed. The streetsurvey was followed by four focus groupsessions involving 26 participants. Theliterature review provided the analyticalframework to constitute the questions forthe street survey and the topic guide of thefocus group discussions.

In total, some 18 different reports, policypapers and have been summarised andanalysed. Common themes have beenidentified, and these have been structured as:

The case for change

Patterns of attendance

Breaking down the barriers

The concluding section pulls the mainthreads together. Much work has alreadybeen undertaken to explore patterns ofmuseum attendance. It has been clear fora long time that people from black andminority ethnic communities do not visitmuseums and the reasons are wellunderstood. What is surprising is how littleprogress has been made in addressingthose issues.

First though a note of explanation on thescope of the literature review and themethodology employed in carrying it out.

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGYThe literature review has been constrainedby the project timescale and resourcesavailable. Hence we would not claim that itis comprehensive. Most of the materialwas provided by the client, supplementedby our own knowledge of some keydocuments in the field. From the outsetthen, we need to be clear of the limitationsof the exercise.

The procedure for a full literature reviewusually entails a systematic trawl throughmany different sources and kinds ofdocumentation, employing an agreedmethodology for the selection and sifting of relevant material. Typically it will includepeer recommendations and reviews, key word searches of various electronicdatabases and library catalogues, and websearches using the main search engines. If those search protocols are followedrigorously it is not unusual to acquire lists inthe order of 500+ hits. Our partial literaturereview has covered a much smaller rangeof 18 reports, the majority of which havebeen published over the last seven years.

The issue of black and minority ethnicexclusion has been extensively researchedover recent years, and there is a large andrapidly growing body of literature available.For example, a literature review carried outby Nina Morris1 on access to public openspaces by black and minority ethnic groupsincludes 127 references. A similar densityof publication exists in other social policydomains such as housing, healthemployment, education, and arts andculture. A cross�cutting literature review

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across all the social policy domains toidentify common themes is long overdue.

Finally, for most literature reviews thestandard practice is to start with a definitionof terms. Again the constraints upon theproject have made this unachievable. Butit is important to recognise that notions ofethnicity and exclusion are complex. Eventhe use of the term 'minority ethnic group'has been contested. Concepts of identitybased solely on ethnicity exclude thedynamics of age, gender, sexualorientation, class and place.

Similar constitutive and normalisingprocesses underwrite our conceptualisationof museums and galleries. Collins EnglishDictionary defines a museum as 'a place orbuilding where objects of historical, artisticor scientific interest are exhibited,preserved, or studies, and a gallery as 'aroom or building for exhibiting works of art'.The erosion of difference betweenmuseums and galleries as practiced by theDepartment of Culture, Museums andSport (DCMS) is not particularly helpful inthis regard as it is clear to us that mostpeople in practice make a clear distinctionbetween the two. Overwhelmingly,museums are associated with history andheritage. Again, we are aware that theseare areas of considerable debate.

THE CASE FOR CHANGEMuseums have played, and continue toplay a central, if at times not always animmediately visible role, within a country'scultural life. Their institutional importancederives from the way in which they create,preserve and legitimise a sense of nationalidentity by reference to a shared, commonhistory. It is no accident that the firstmuseum, established in 318 B.C. in

Ancient Rome, was essentially a militarymuseum, which through its display of thespoils of conquest provided a powerfulreminder to its audience of Roman imperialmight2. Similarly our museums (perhapsmost particularly the national museums) areintrinsically tied to Britain's own imperialpast; and it is the legacy of that imperialpast and the way that it is presented thatcan be problematic for our black andminority ethnic communities.

Ever since the end of World War Two, thenature of our national identity has been amatter of much ongoing discussion anddebate, precipitated by the loss of theBritish Empire, and the consequent searchto find a new place in the world that stillshapes much of our foreign policy. Overthat time Britain itself has become anincreasingly diverse and multi�culturalsociety, partly through the economicsituation of the late 1950's and early1960's, when the pressing need for labourwas met in a large part by immigration fromthe West Indies (an interesting parallel withthe emerging labour and skills shortages inthe UK today); and also as a result of morerecent demographic and lifestyle changesconsequent upon rising prosperity andaffluence. Those dramatic social andeconomic changes mark a fundamentalstructural shift in society to that of the post�imperial, post�modern, or post�industrialage.

The election of the New Labourgovernment in 1997(and subsequentlyagain in 2002) represents the success of apolitical party more finely attuned to thespirit of the times. Over the last sevenyears, New Labour has embarked anambitious and far�reaching programme ofnational renewal and reform in many areasof economic, social and public life. For our

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purposes here, the key policy imperativesof most relevance can be summarised as:

Creating a fairer, more equitable andmore inclusive society.

Raising the skills levels and educationalachievement of all our citizens to remaincompetitive in a global economy.

Modernising our public institutions inorder that they become more relevant,effective and efficient.

This Government is forcing the pace ofchange for the museum sector on manydifferent fronts. For example, thegovernment's economic policies are rootedin the belief that the future prosperity of thecountry depends upon it becoming a highwage/high skill economy. In the'knowledge economy' creativity and cultureare at a premium. Museums are not onlyimportant cultural institutions in their ownright as major visitor attractions, andprovide a valuable knowledge resource forother cultural industries, but they are alsoconsidered to have an importanteducational and training role. The DCMSreport, 'A Common Wealth � Museums inthe Learning Age', emphasised theimportance of the educational role ofmuseums, particularly in fostering creativity.It describes education as "the golden key"that opens doors to skills, money andfacilities and it promotes the role ofmuseums as catalysts for lifelong learning.

Museums are considered to be, at leasthave the potential to be, major agents forsocial change, promoting and supportingsocial inclusion and neighbourhoodrenewal. The Government's vision for therole of libraries museums and galleries intackling social exclusion is set out in the2001 report issued by the Department forCulture, Media and Sport (DCMS) called

'Libraries, Museums, Galleries and Archivesfor All'3. It follows publication of themuseum access policy standardspublished by DCMS in 1997 (updated in1999)4. Museums are expected topromote social inclusion and ensure that inthe delivery of their services they serve andmeet the needs of all sections of society,particularly those groups who aremarginalized and excluded from themainstream. As the cultural diversity andsocial inclusion agendas are interlinked,museums have a central role to play inensuring that all our different culturalgroups and communities are involved inopportunities for education, lifelong learningand cultural development. The importanceattached to the work of museums in thisarea is perhaps best illustrated by theplethora of papers, reports and guidancenotes that have been issued by differentGovernment departments and other publicagencies to encourage museums toengage successfully with diverse andexcluded communities.

As the majority of museums receivesubstantial public funds, one would expectthe sector to be more responsive to thepriorities of government. Moreover around40% of registered museums are operatedby local authorities, and they fall under thelegal requirements of the Local GovernmentAct 19995. This Act introduced the BestValue regime, which sets out the newprocurement regime in the supply of publicgoods and services. Although arcane tomany, it has placed local governmentservices, including museums, under muchgreater scrutiny then before. The purposeof the Act is threefold: to increase thetransparency of decision�makingprocesses; to raise the efficiency andefficacy of public services; and to build agreater sense of local community

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connection to our public institutions. BestValue has introduced new monitoring andmore rigorous regimes, and anaccompanying script of 'key performancetargets' and 'floor targets'.

Another piece of legislation that has amajor bearing on the museum sector is theRace Relations (Amendment) Act 2000,which was enacted following thepublication of the recommendations of theStephen Lawrence Inquiry. The Act placesa positive duty on all major public bodies topromote equality of opportunity and goodrace relations.

Thus the museum sector has to be moreaware of and responsive to variousgovernment agendas. In order to survivemuseums will have to become more thanvisitor attractions, and demonstrate thatthey are contributing to wider strategicobjectives and a broader societal role.Whilst some have argued that museumswill 'need sustainable funding to build socialinclusion work into the core functioning andmissions of local authority museums'6, wethink that this is a fundamental misreadingof the modernising agenda. Socialinclusion work is not an optional extra, itneeds to be at the heart of everything thatmuseums do and may well require areprioritisation of existing resources. Yet,as the next section shows, many museumsare struggling to demonstrate theirrelevance to Britain's diverse communities,let alone being able to contributesignificantly to other social regenerationand educational priorities. In our opinion,those problems are symptomatic of a widerfailure of engagement.

PATTERNS OF ATTENDANCEOur research project can be considered tobe book�marked by two reports. The firstis Dingy Places7, a groundbreaking pieceof work, published in 1991, which drewupon the 1989 Arts Attitudes Surveycarried out by Greater London Arts. The1989 Survey revealed that white Londonerswere 50% more likely than Asian and 100%more likely than black Londoners to visit amuseum. The propensity to visit amuseum can be presented in a slightlydifferent fashion as follows:

White 44%

Asian 33.3%

Black 22.2%.

Dingy Places makes the point that mostLondoners simply do not go to museums.They are generally viewed as dull,expensive and unwelcoming places, failingto interest and engage with potentialaudiences � and that the lack ofengagement is particularly marked for blackand minority ethnic communities. The report recommends various ways inwhich visitor figures can be improved andhow museums could attract a greaterdiversity of audiences.

If we fast forward to the most recentresearch contained in Holding Up the Mirror(October 2003)8, we can see what, if any,progress has been made by London'smuseum sector in attracting a larger andmore diverse audience base. Although onein three Londoners are from black orminority ethnic groups, less than a quarterof museum visitors (24%) are drawn fromthose communities. Examining theaudience figures in more detail, only 7% ofvisitors are of an Asian and 9% are of ablack background. Whilst the report

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praises the pioneering cultural diversitywork that some museums are doing, itconcludes that 'London's minority ethniccommunities are getting a raw deal for thecapital's museums and galleries'.

Comparing two studies that analysemuseum attendance using differentmethodologies is fraught with difficulty.Dingy Places takes a sample survey of thegeneral public, asking individuals abouttheir visiting patterns: whereas, Holding Upthe Mirror is an analysis of actualattendance figures. For all sorts ofreasons, people are more likely to say thatthey go to, than actually visit museums or galleries. Nevertheless, thecorrespondence between the two reports is striking. In 1991, Dingy Placesestablished the significantly fewer blackand minority ethnic Londoners say thatthey visit museums when compared to thewhite population; and in 2003, Holding Upthe Mirror showed that there are markeddifferences in actual attendance ratesbetween black and minority ethnic groupsand white people. Little or no progress inbreaking down the barriers to museumattendance amongst London's black andminority ethnic communities over the lasttwelve years.

An opposing point of view emerges fromthe study published as Focus on CulturalDiversity: The Arts in England in 20039.This is the second of two comprehensivesurveys of the attitude, experience andengagement of England's diversepopulation with arts and culture by theOffice of National Statistics. The results aresurprising, and in many cases fly in the faceof many generally accepted assumptions.Just over a third of the survey respondentshad visited a museum or art gallery withinthe last year. For white people the

percentage is 36%, lower than the 1989Art Attitudes Survey; but what is moststriking is that 44% of mixed ethnicityrespondents and 32% of black or Britishblack respondents have visited a museumor gallery � compare the latter with 22.2%of black Londoners. The attendancepatterns for the Asian population are muchlower than the 1989 Survey.

Both the Office of National Statistics studyand Dingy Places employ broadly the samemethodology. But they arrive at differentconclusions. One way of explaining thedifference is that over the last ten or soyears a marked shift has occurred in thepropensities of different black and minorityethnic groups to say that they visitmuseums. Even if this is the case, actualaudience figures suggest that patterns ofbehaviour have not changed and that manyblack and ethnic minority communities areexcluded from museums and galleries.

We shall examine the barriers toparticipation later in the report. At thispoint, it is worth considering whether thosebarriers are specific to black and minoritygroups in society, or if any other causalfactors are at play. The first Office forNational Statistics Survey suggests a clearassociation between socio�economic groupand also age and expressed preferencesfor visiting museums and galleries.Managerial and professional groups weremore than twice as likely (54%) to visitmuseums and galleries than the semi�routine (22%) and routine groups (21%);and the age groups most likely to visitmuseums were the 35�44 and 45�54, withattendance figures much lower for 16�24(28%) and 75+ (21%). Because thedemographic profile of the black andminority ethnic population is both youngerand skewed towards the lower level socio�

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economic groups, this may be theexplanation for lower participation rates.However research in other areas suggeststhat black and ethnic minority communitiesdo face specific disadvantages. Thus evenwhen you take into account the wholerange of controlling factors andcircumstances, people from minority ethnicgroups do not get a fair deal from today'slabour market (Fieldhouse & Gould1998)10. Berthoud11 terms this the ethnicpenalty in their labour market participation.Does a similar ethnic penalty restrict accessto museums and galleries? Much morework is required to establish the relativeimportance of ethnicity, class and age indetermining the audience composition ofmuseums and galleries and their interactiveeffects.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERSFor many years now, a substantial body ofliterature across the various public policydomains has suggested that black andminority ethnic communities face multiplebarriers in accessing public services andprovision. Whilst overtly racist practices areproscribed by legislation, more insidiousand hidden forms of discrimination are stillcommonplace. In his report on the inquiryinto the murder of Stephen Lauwrence, SirWilliam Macpherson12 coined the term'institutional racism', which he went on todefine as 'the collective failure of anorganisation to provide an appropriate andprofessional service to people because oftheir colour, culture or ethnic origin'.He suggested that institutional racism wasendemic amongst our public institutionsand recommended that all public servicesshould do more to promote racial equalityand tackle discrimination.

The Macpherson Report stated that 'It isincumbent on every institution to examinetheir policies and the outcome of theirpolicies and practices to guard againstdisadvantaging any sections of ourcommunities'. The reports written fromDingy Places onwards contain a wealth of background analysis and policyrecommendations available to be drawnupon by the museum sector in order toprovide appropriate services to the blackand minority ethnic communities.

The Mori research study conducted forEnglish Heritage in 200013 identified fourmain barriers to experiencing heritage,which can be applied equally well to themuseum sector. These are:

Pressure of time � changing patterns ofleisure (particularly the increase in homebased leisure pursuits), increasedcompetition and greater variety of choicebetween different types of leisureopportunities; more pressure on timebecause of longer working hours.

Lack of interest � visits to heritage sites(and museums) restricted to holidays andtourists; teenagers and young people areleast interested; little relevance to certainsocio�economic and black and minorityethnic groups.

Poor awareness � poor publicity andmarketing; perception of difficulties ofunderstanding and aesthetic appreciation(the 'highbrow' factor) and of lookingstupid.

Not feeling welcome � perception moreprevalent among some socio�economicand black and minority ethnic groups;memories of previous bad experiences.

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Whilst some of these barriers applygenerally across the population, othersapply with greater force or more specificallyto black and minority ethnic communities.Those communities are much more likely tohave negative impressions of museumsbecause of previous experiences, to feelout of place when they visit museums, andnot lack information and knowledge ofmuseums. Throughout the literature acommon observation is that the museumsector concentrates overwhelmingly upon adominant white culture, and one that haslittle or no direct relevance to the lives ofblack and minority ethnic people.

There is no lack of advice about how thosebarriers should be tackled. The Resourcereport into creating the conditions foraccessible learning in museums, galleriesand libraries14 suggests that attentionneeds to be paid to the following factors:

Physical � are buildings, events andcollections accessible and welcoming?

Sensory � are the needs of those withhearing or visual impairment being met?

Intellectual � are diverse language andeducation abilities addressed? Are peoplewith learning disabilities catered for?

Cultural � are all members of thecommunity reflected and represented?

Attitudinal � are new users welcomed, dostaff embrace diversity, is there a focus onusers and potential users?

Financial � do charges take into accountfamilies and those on low incomes?

We have drawn together a list of specificactions from various sources. Many of theideas first originated with Dingy Places.

Other important source documents include:the fact sheet by Naseem Khan producedfor the Museums & GalleriesCommission15, the report by Helen Jermynand Philly Desai16,Museums for theMany17, the findings of the RegionalMuseums Task Force18, the recent reportby the DCMS Libraries, Information andArchives Division19. Collectively, the mainpoints can be summarised as:

Collections should more relevant, reflectthe diversity of their local audience.

Culturally diverse displays and usingimages that promote diversity.

Revising collections policies, especiallyconcerning provenance.

Exhibitions should reflect the history andcontribution of black and minority groupsin Britain, both in relation to majorhistorical events such as the SecondWorld War and to everyday life, withoutignoring their 'homeland history'.

Creating diverse temporary exhibitionsand taking displays into the community.

Extending loans of relevant items andexhibitions.

Working with local communities, andengaging them in collection andinterpretation.

Targeting underrepresented groups andtailoring services to meet the needs ofblack and ethnic minority ethniccommunities.

Developing the skills and traditions oflocal communities and researching thehistory of specific groups.

Developing community relations throughoutreach work.

Consulting local communities anddeveloping user involvement.

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Promoting a 'Cultural Champions'programme to engage young people indeprived areas.

Piloting small scale projects andevaluating their impact.

Developing imaginative marketingstrategies, programming and ticketingarrangements (including the extensive useof advertising in the black media).

Initiating comprehensive new approachesto visitor surveying.

Using ICT to reach out to a wider audience.

Becoming agents of social change bydeveloping projects that improve the livesof the socially excluded.

Encouraging family activities and lifelong learning.

Employing staff from a diversity ofbackgrounds.

Ensuring displays are interactive and varied.

Examples of good practice do exist.Through effective outreach work theDulwich Picture Gallery has attractedexcluded communities, and the potentialfor even small museums to engage with thelocal regeneration initiatives is exemplifiedby the Ragged School Museum20. BristolCity Museum and Art Gallery, the Victoria &Albert Museum, and the WolverhamptonArt Gallery and Museum are cited asoperating model projects in Museums forthe Many. Other examples include theMuseum of London's "Voices project", theHorniman Museum's "Inspiration Africa"project and programme of communityconsultation, and the Geffrye Museum'sinformal education project, which attracts ahigh proportion of black and minority ethnicparticipants21.

CONCLUSIONSThe fact that proportionately fewer blackand minority ethnic people are likely to visitmuseums than their white counterparts hasbeen known from the late 1980's onwards.The reasons for this are complex, and otherconstitutive factors, such as class and age,need to be disentangled from the effects ofracial disadvantage and discrimination.Nevertheless, the literature makes itapparent that there is a clear ethnicdimension to patterns of museumattendance.

In the decades since the publication ofDingy Places, a lot of research has beenconducted into examining the barriers thatrestrict access to museums by our blackand minority ethnic communities. A bodyof good practice has grown up and thereare some exemplar projects in existence.However, 'Holding Up the Mirror', the mostrecent report published by the LondonMuseums Agency in October 2003, revealsthat the isolated examples of good practicehave not been transposed into changingthe mainstream practices of the museumsector. The report concludes that themuseum sector is giving London's diversecommunities a 'raw deal'.

One can speculate why the Londonmuseum sector has been so resistant tochange over the last ten years or so. The attitude of the sector as a whole � and there are notable exceptions �demonstrates what Sir William Macphersondefines as institutional racism. This isclearly an untenable position to maintain.

'Holding Up the Mirror' makes the case forchange on the basis of four arguments.

Business case � There is a direct linkbetween performance on diversity

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(attracting a wider audience) andbusiness success. London'sdemographic composition is changingfact. We are fast becoming anincreasingly diverse society. The 2001census revealed over 40% of Londonersbelong to a black and minority ethnicgroup, and in one London Borough(Newham) the majority population aredrawn from black and minority ethnicgroups. The Draft London Plan suggeststhat the diversity of London's populationwill continue to increase.

Legal Case � As we have notedpreviously, the Race Relations(Amendment) Act 2000 places a positiveduty on all major public bodies topromote equality of opportunity and goodrace relations. Similarly, the LocalGovernment Act of 1999 makes a majorimpact on many museums. However, thelegal case may be broadened usefully toinclude wider government objectives andto describe the general drive bygovernment to address such issues aslifelong learning, social inclusion andneighbourhood renewal.

Ethical Case � In part, at least, theGovernment's argument for reform inbased upon ethical principles. In addition, the ethical case describes the pursuance of race equality and widersocial inclusion as an extension of theethical standards embraced byprofessional curatorship.

Intellectual Case � This highlights theneed to raise awareness of internalprejudice to ensure that contemporarymuseums are dynamically and culturallyrelevant.

In conclusion, and this is a conclusion weshare, 'Holding up the Mirror' identifies theneed for a step change in attitudes towardsthe cultural diversity throughout the

museum sector. It highlights the needs fora strategic agency to pioneer and to forcethe pace of change, and to developsustainable partnerships that will deliverthat change. Achieving a successfuldiversity strategy is no easy matter. An increasingly sophisticated black andminority audience is becoming much morealert to cultural stereotyping, patronisingdisplays and poor quality exhibitions22.

REFERENCES1 Morris, Nina. Black and Minority EthnicGrouips and Public Open Space �Literature Review. Openspace: theresearch centre for inclusive access tooutdoor environments, Edinburgh Collegeof Art and Heriot�Watt University. July2003.

2 Sennett, Richard. Flesh and Stone � TheBody and the City in Western Civilisation.Faber and Faber Ltd. Pp. 113. 1994.

3 Libraries, Museums, Galleries andArchives for All. DCMS. January 2001.

4 Museums for the Many, DCMS. 1997.

5 Lawley, Ian. Local authority museums andthe modernising government agenda inEngland. The Potteries Museum and ArtGallery, Stoke on Trent. 2000.

6 David Fleming, Director of Tyne and WearMuseums, quoted in Local authoritymuseums and the modernising governmentagenda (ibid)

7 London Museums Service. "Dingy placeswith different kinds of bits: An attitudessurvey of London museums amongst non�visitors. London Museums Service.19991.

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8 Helen Dennison Associates. Holding upthe Mirror � Addressing cultural diversity inLondon's museums. London MuseumsAgency. Oct 2003.

9 Arts Council of England. Focus oncultural diversity � the changing face of artsattendance and participation in England.Arts Council of England. Dec 2003.

10 Fieldhouse, E. and Gould, M. Ethnicminority unemployment and local labourmarkets in Great Britain. Environment andPlanning, vol. 30, pp. 883�853. 1998.

11 Berthoud, R. Ethnic EmploymentPenalties in Britain. Journal of Ethnic andMigration Studies, vol. 26, pp. 389�416.2000

12 Macpherson of Cluny, Sir William. TheStephen Laurence Inquiry: Report of anInquiry by Sir William Macpherson of Cluny.The Stationery Office. February 1999.

13 MORI, Attitudes towards the Heritage,English Heritage July 2000.

14 Inspiring Learning for All: A Vision forAccessible Learning in Museums, Archivesand Libraries, Resource � the Council forMuseums, Archives and Libraries), update6/05/03

15 Khan, Naseem. (Asian Leisure and ArtsPlanners). Responding to Cultural Diversity:Guidance for Museums and Galleries.Museums and Galleries Commission. 1998

16 Desai, Philly and Jermyn, Helen. Arts �What's in a Word? Ethnic Minority & theArts. Arts Council of England. Jan 2000.

17 Department for Culture, Media andSport. Museums for the Many � Standardsfor Museums and Galleries to use when

developing access policies. Department forCulture, Media and Sport � Museums andGalleries Division. 1999 (first draft 1997).

18 Department of Culture, Media andSport. Renaissance in the Regions �Executive Summary of the RegionalMuseums Task Force. Department ofCulture, Media and Sport. Sept 2001.

19 Department for Culture, Media andSport. Libraries, Museums, Galleries andArchives for All � Co�operating Across theSectors to Tackle Social Exclusion.Department for Culture, Media and Sport �Libraries, Information and Archives Division.Jan 2001.

20 London Museums Agency. London'smuseums sector. London MuseumsAgency. 2003.

21 Department of Culture, Media andSport. Review of the Museum of London,Horniman Museum and Gardens, and theGeffrye Museum � Stage One Report.Department of Culture, Media and Sport �Museums, Libraries and Archives Division.

22 Grange Museum. Engaging Asian NonUsers. Grange Museum (with the supportof the London Museums Agency).December 2003.

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Street SurveyFindingsINTRODUCTIONThe street survey formed part of a widerresearch project to examine the reasonsfor low museum and gallery attendanceamongst London's Black and MinorityEthnic (BME) communities and canvastheir views on how museums mightbreak down the barriers.

StUF interviewed 594 people in eightdifferent areas across inner and outerLondon from 14th � 31st January 2004with the primary aim of recruiting non�museum user participants for focus groups.In addition, the street surveys provided avaluable opportunity to gain an initialoverview of general impressions of andattitudes towards museums.

METHODOLOGYThe street survey comprised structuredface�to�face interviews with visible BMEadults, each lasting 2�5 minutes. A copy ofthe questionnaire is contained in Appendix1. The results were analysed using SNAPProfessional software.

The eight separate survey sites werechosen to reflect the varying pattern ofmuseum provision across London andassess whether individual museums hadmade a difference.

The survey sites were:

Stratford Station and Green Street

Wandsworth Shopping Centre

Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre

Ealing Broadway

Dalston Kingsland Train Station

Ealing Road � Wembley

Whitgift Centre � Croydon

Camden � High Street.

PARTICIPATION RATESThe survey sample is not a stratifiedsample either by age or ethnicity, so therespondents' profile does not truly reflectthe demographic make�up of London. Thiswas primarily due to time constraints onthe project. There was a high proportion ofyoung respondents because many elderlypeople were less willing than the under40's to stop and voice their views. In somecases elderly respondents didn't speakgood enough English to take part.

The cold weather and the explosion ofclipboard�clutching charity workers alsocontributed to public indifference.Additionally, a survey about 'museums' wasoften not appealing enough to make manystop and take part. A common reply was'you're asking the wrong person' or 'I don'tknow anything about them'. Overall theresponse rate was around 1 in 10 (10%).

Gender: Male: 297 (50%)Female: 297 (50%)

Age:16�25: 223 (38%)26�40: 228 (38%)41�60: 93 (16%)60+: 50 (8%)

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Ethnicity:

Ethnicity and Age:

Further detail of participation rates iscontained in Appendix 2.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGSThis section presents a summary of themain findings from the street interviews. The topic areas covered by the surveywere:

Patterns of attendance

Perceptions of museums

Awareness of local museum provision

Barriers

Attractions

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Indian

Pakist

ani

Banglad

eshi

Asian B

ritish

Asian O

ther

Black A

frican

Black C

aribbea

n

Black B

ritish

Black O

ther

Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi AsianBritish

AsianOther

BlackAfrican

BlackCaribbian

BlackBritish

BlackOther

16�25 38 16 12 18 5 43 44 32 7

26�40 34 12 8 23 12 55 41 34 12

41�60 8 7 1 10 5 20 24 15 6

60+ 13 3 1 3 4 10 17 0 1

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Patterns of attendanceThe table below shows that 65% (386people) of our survey sample could beclassified as non�users of museums.

We asked participants: 'When was the lasttime you went to a museum?'

Never: 23%

Over Two Years ago: 41%

Over One Year ago: 8%

Within the Last Year: 8%

Within the Last 6 Months: 12%

Within the Last Month: 8%

A detailed analysis is contained in Appendix 3.

Other conclusions that can be drawn fromthe surveys are:

There appears to be no differencebetween the sexes in terms of attendance.

People with children above 5 years oldappear more likely to visit museums thanthose adults without children.

70% of 16�25 year olds and 75% ofthose aged 60+ had not been to amuseum in the last two years. This dropsto 60% amongst 26�40 year olds and58% amongst 41�60 year olds.

66% of all Asian groups had not visited amuseum in the last two years comparedto 70 % of Black Caribbean's and 75%of Black Africans. Of those classifyingthemselves as Black British 50% had notbeen to a museum in the last two years.

PerceptionsThe survey shows that 63% of participantswere either negative or indifferent aboutmuseums.

The single most common perception ofmuseums is that they are concerned withhistory. For the majority of participants, thisequated to something boring and irrelevant.

Respondents were asked what theythought of and associated with museums.Their replies can broadly be split into threecategories:

Positive Perceptions:

20% thought museums were aninteresting and good thing.

17% thought they were a good source of information and education.

2% thought of them primarily as entertainment.

2% thought of them as free.

Negative Perceptions:

14% thought museums were boring andwere not interested.

7% had nothing to say or had not everthought about museums.

2% thought of museums as costing toomuch to visit.

Associations: Non�definable perceptions

36% thought of history, heritage or thepast � this was the most commonanswer.

41%

23%8%

8%

8%

12%

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20% thought of old things and antiques.

12% associated museums with Art.

7% associated them with Culture.

7% thought they were only for childrenand associated them with school trips.

4% associated them with specific exhibitions.

It is clear that the majority do notimmediately have something positive to sayabout museums. 63% were eitherindifferent or negative in their response.Many had simply not thought aboutmuseums and so responded in a way thatwas either expected of them or to get theinterview over and done with.

Frequent users (37%) quickly and willinglypraised museums and gave the mostindividualistic responses.

The 36% that thought of 'history' and the20% who mentioned 'old things' seemed,for the most part, to consider this history to be boring and irrelevant. The answerdemonstrated a common perception ofhistory that is reflected in a belief thatmuseums are stuffy, irrelevant and stuck inthe past. Clearly, many black and minorityethnic people do not feel engaged bymainstream history. This may be due to thestyle and nature of curriculum teaching orthe current provision in museums, or a combination of both these factors.

Obviously, for frequent visitors and thoseinterested in museums, 'history' and 'oldthings' had positive implications. This highlights the non�definable nature of some of the respondents' answers.However, for the most part, the wordhistory was used pejoratively andsuggested a sense of exclusion from this history.

Very few respondents' distinguishedmuseums by theme or collection, definingthem rather as a homogenous body ofsimilarly unappealing institutions. Thestaunch Britishness of the nationalmuseums coloured people's perceptions oflocal museums as snobbish, self�importantand exclusive.

The general perception of museums is thatthey are only concerned with the past. Ifthey wish to attract a younger and morediverse audience they need to ensure theircommitment to contemporary arts andculture is emphasised. It is clearly thepresentation of recent history thatmuseums need to concentrate on toinvolve members of London's BMEcommunities.

Awareness of local museumprovisionParticipants were asked if they had heardof a museum in their local area (either alocal history museum or an independentbody). Out of those interviewed:

74% had not heard of any museum in theirborough.

26% had heard of a museum local to them(both independent and local history).

8% had last visited a museum in theircountry of birth.

The first place that came to participants'minds was generally one of the nationalmuseums. This was probably due to theirstatus in the local area (eg Geffrye Museumin Dalston) and the scope of their outreachprogrammes, particularly amongst localschools.

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Where the Nationals dominate, awarenessof local museums seems to be lower (e.g.Camden and Southwark). It is also likelythat the specialist nature of the majority ofsmaller museums in the participants' localareas was a factor.

This explains answers to Question1 suchas "Egypt" or "Science" or"Animals/Dinosaurs" � respondents thoughtof the British Museum or the SouthKensington set.

Where local area museums occupy a primelocation and concentrate on local historyand culture, awareness is much higher (e.g.Wandsworth and Croydon). Suchmuseums tend to be far more accessiblethan their specialist counterparts, both interms of location and content.

Good awareness of a local museum didnot necessarily mean high attendancefigures. Many respondents had heard of theGrange in Brent, for example, but had not visited.

There is some evidence to suggest thatpopular local museums can act as agateway to wider museum attendance. InNewham, for example, awareness of localmuseums and attendance at Nationalmuseums were both low.

By contrast, museum attendance amongstrespondents in Hackney and Croydon wasconsiderably higher. Both these boroughshave established a "Cultural Quarter" wherethe museum can attract visitors usingassociated facilities such as a library ormusic venue.

The percentage of who had heard of theirlocal museum is shown below.

Local museum awareness

The 455 respondents who use museumswere asked which museum they lastvisited. The majority had last visited one ofthe national museums. A large number ofthese visits were made over two years agowhen people were still at school.

British Museum: 20%

Natural History Museum: 12%

Science: 6%

The majority of those who had visited theImperial War Museum, The Geffrye and theMuseum of Childhood came from the localarea.

8% had last visited a museum whileabroad. The majority of these were visitsmade before moving to London fromforeign countries, though a fewrespondents had visited a museum whileon holiday.

10% could not remember the name ofthe last museum they went to. Thissuggests the visit was either a long timeago or hadn't made a significantimpression.

5% of respondents' last visits were to alocal museum.

Croydon

Hackney

Newham

Southwark

Camden

Brent

Wandsworth

Ealing

0% 20% 40% 60%

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BarriersThose who were classified as non�userswere asked for reasons why they hadn'tvisited a museum in the past two years(Base 386 � 65%).

Barriers

No time: 31%

Not interested: 31%

Don't know of any/where they are: 12%

Not relevant to my interests: 12%

No one to take me: 6%

None local/too far to town: 4%

Other reasons: 4%

The common feeling seemed to be that'museums are not for us' but rather thepreserve of the white middle classes.

Museums were clearly associated with theformal learning of schools and othereducation providers rather thanentertainment and an opportunity forinformal and additional learning. In essencemuseums were associated with work i.e.school, research or academia. There was adistinct desire from many people to

distance themselves from this style oflearning.

Some respondents (around 5%) wererelatively new to the country and didn'tknow London very well. They did notconsider visiting their local museums to bea top priority. This point again reinforces theneed to actively invite and direct people tomuseums.

AttractionsRespondents who were classified as userswere asked to specify their main reason forvisiting a museum (Base 208 � 35%).Although the survey was intended toassess non�user views, Holding up theMirror recommended that both users andnon�users from BME communities shouldbe canvassed.

42% replied they visited for personalreasons: either entertainment oreducation.

40% went to a museum for the educationof their children.

8% visited to see a specific exhibition.

10% had other reasons (e.g. to takevisitors from abroad, as part of a schooltrip and to learn about British culture).

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

No time

Not inter

ested

Don’t kn

ow of any

Not relev

ant

No one to

take

me

None lo

cal

No. of respondents replying

Series1

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CONCLUSIONSBME groups demonstrated a general lackof interest in museums and galleries. Theywere largely unwilling to take part in thequestionnaire as they felt they had notmuch to say about issues in the sector.This is reflected by the generally indifferentor negative perceptions of the participantswho associated museums with a historythey viewed as boring.

Amongst the BME people who took part inthe survey, attendance figures were quitelow, as was awareness of local museums.Awareness of the National museums wasmuch higher than local museums.

Just over a third had been to a museum inthe past two years. A significant minority ofthese had visited museums in othercountries, either in their place of birth orwhile on holiday.

The main barriers to attendance were lackof time (31%) and lack of interest (31%).12% had considered visiting but feltmuseums were not relevant. The mainreason for attendance was either personalinterest or education.

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Focus GroupsSummaryFindingsINTRODUCTIONFour focus groups were held from 8th to 14th February 2004. The groups consisted of:

Females 16�25 (3 people)

Males 16�25 (9 people)

Females 25�40 (7 people)

Males 25�40 (7 people)

The purpose of the focus groups was toexplore the views and attitudes of BMEmuseum non�users. The topic guideconcentrated on four broad areas:

Attitudes to museums and galleries

History and culture

Barriers to attendance

What participants would like to see in museums

There was a distinct difference in attitudestowards museums, galleries, history andculture between those in the groups whowere born in this country and those whohad moved here from abroad: those whohad grown up here were far more likely toconsider themselves to be British and beinterested in British history (as well as thehistory and culture of other countries).

PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENTSArising from the focus groups, the mainpriorities for improvements can besummarised as:

Better Communication andCustomer Relations

A guide and a friendly face at the museum

An attractive and enticing outsideappearance

More publicity and advertising in the local area

Links between museum � eg nationals topromote local museums to visitors

Actively inviting people and letting themknow what is on to encourage repeat visits

AccessLocal museums in all areas

Different opening times and languages

A cheap café to relax in

Easy access � especially for local museums

CollectionsChanging displays

Popular Culture on display

Use music to attract people, especiallyyoung people

Concentrate on immigration

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ATTITUDES TO MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

The groups all associated museums withhistory and galleries with contemporaryculture and art. However, all groups felt thatmuseums should also showcasecontemporary culture.

Museums were generally associated withschool trips, history lessons and formallearning. Group participants felt they hadfar better things to do with their free time.They also felt that the provision of historyand culture on offer at museums is notrelevant enough to attract more visitors.

A common theme across all groups wasthe belief that museums place too muchemphasis on what they generallyconsidered to be the most boring aspectsof history in museums.

'War, War, War' and 'the more monotonousside of English culture' were fairlyrepresentative comments.

Many participants said that more emphasisneeded to be placed on the present or thefuture. Museums were seen as 'stuck in thepast' and not reflective of modern life. Itwas further felt that there should be moreemphasis on what the groups consideredto be the right aspects of culture in modernLondon.

'They're boring there's no variety, it's all justold English stuff.'

'All cultures are represented by their art.'

'Local culture should be exhibitions ofAfrican art made by local women.'

Another commonly held view was thatadults 'have better things to do' than visit

museums. The lack of local museums andthe distance and effort involved with a dayout to central London meant that the ideaof a museum visit was associated withtaking a long time out of one's week andleisure time. Visiting a museum was simplynot convenient.

All the groups agreed that museums andgalleries were great places for a family dayout. They were seen as places forschoolchildren and old people, conjuring upmemories of 'school trips and sandwiches'.For this reason, they weren't consideredrelevant to people who had left school orstopped studying history.

Museums are not somewhere peoplethought they would visit socially or withfriends. Several of the groups thought thatif people were actively invited in tomuseums, they would be more likely tovisit. People were taken when they therewere at school, but no one ever suggestedthey visit once they had left.

The groups felt museums were too formalwith their uniformed guards and the 'lookbut don't touch' attitude. They were alsoseen as places for the white middleclasses, an audience which is in a minorityin the catchment areas of many ofLondon's museums.

The groups thought that history and cultureshould be shown in museums whereasgalleries existed to display only culture.Both museums and galleries were felt to besuitable homes for contemporary culture.Certain aspects of culture crossed theboundary between museums and galleriese.g. art and fashion.

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HISTORY AND CULTUREFocus group participants were asked todiscuss their views and attitudes towardshistory and culture.

It was clear that attitudes towardsmuseums can not be divorced fromconcepts of history and culture. Attitudesto the current provision of history are that itis boring and irrelevant.

History was felt to be something one wasborn with whereas people can adoptaspects of other cultures, e.g. in theirmusic taste or dress sense. Both historyand culture were thought to be handeddown through the generations.

Participants wanted to see an emphasis onthe development of relationships betweenBritain and other countries. This would bethe basis for an 'open history' thatportrayed many different histories and cultures.

Culture was defined as 'way of life' andincorporated elements such as dress, food,art and music. It was felt that history fedthis culture, which could be seen in broaderissues like marriage traditions or religious practices.

More specifically, the focus groups definedhistory as 'why am I here?'. It is notsurprising then that participants wouldwelcome a wider focus on immigration.

What also emerged from the groups was apossible divide amongst Black and MinorityEthnic communities. Their appeared to bedistinction between second generationAsians and Blacks who had been born andschooled in the UK and felt a hugeattachment to Britain, and those born inanother country.

'I feel half British, half Jamaican.'

'It depends on how long you've been here.'

The participants who were born abroadwere less likely to consider themselves tobe British and more likely not to haveEnglish as a first language. This subgrouphad even less desire to learn about Britishhistory than those who were born in the UK.

These findings highlight the personal natureof one's history. Culture is different foreveryone so museums must explorethemes that are common to all. A good example of this is the HackneyMuseum where the collection focuses on immigration.

There were also generational differencesbetween the young, who were surroundedby a cosmopolitan mix of cultures, and theolder generations, who were more likely toisolate themselves with people of a similarcultural background.

The younger generations felt they hadmuch to learn from their elders in terms ofhistory and culture. There is, however, awide generation gap which is reinforced bya western outlook amongst the youngcompared that is very different from the'much more strict and religious' attitudes ofthe older generation.

In general, the groups' experience reflectedthe popular definition of London as acultural melting pot. As one respondentsaid: 'People inherit the language, religionand food of their parents but they canadopt aspects of other cultures in theirdress sense and music tastes.'

Thus the groups felt that if museums are tobe relevant, they must concentrate on the

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links and the development of relationsbetween Britain and different countries. It is these links that have led to our diversesociety with its many minority ethnicgroups. Giving prominence to artifacts such as 'posters encouraging West Indianwomen to become nurses in England'would be one way to reflect these links.

It was also felt that museums had a role toplay in promoting greater understanding ofBritain's multicultural roots. For example,showing Commonwealth soldiers whofought in the War might help peopleunderstand that many minority ethnicgroups were actually invited to becomeresident in the UK.

Furthermore, while the groups agreed thatit was important to show the British in othercountries, they felt it was equally importantto show the same countries before theywere colonised.

'To show this open history': 'White peopleare interested in our history, they should beand they are.'

All groups agreed that both history andculture should be displayed in museums,but felt this culture should offercontemporary reflections andinterpretations of history. Culture andhistory were seen to be intertwined, eachdefining shaping and interpreting the other.

'Your history is part of your culture.'

Participants felt that while modern art fromall cultures could be displayed in galleries,popular street culture could be shown inmuseums. All agreed it was important formuseums to stress the contribution of BMEcommunities and peoples in history as well.

'Art can represent any and all culturesespecially those that do not have muchwritten about them.'

Culturally, clothes and food are often themost obvious expressions of diversity. Theyare an easy way of showing and preservinga certain way of life. But there is also asingle overriding theme that seems to unitethe different black and minority groups. Itwas immigration that gave participants acentral point of reference for their lives inBritain. This issue, they felt, deserves muchmore emphasis.

'The wars that led to partition and thebreak up of other countries also.'

'To understand why people are refugeesand asylum seekers.'

'The British in India and what they did.'

The groups also stressed that historyshould not be whitewashed and that thestory of those who came to this country byforce needed to be told.

'Museums need to show and not hide howBritain has exploited people.'

'Museums should not be propaganda forBritain� they should admit mistakes.'

All groups felt that BME history wasrelevant to all people. They also agreed thatit was important to understand bothEnglish history and the history of theirparents' culture. Young people oftenstraddle a cultural divide and are defined bya dual history (e.g. Black British). It is theseyoung people who have the most to benefitfrom learning about where they come from.

The groups felt that their culture was muchwider than the established arts.

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For example, marriage ceremonies,religious ceremonies in fact any eventinvolving BMEs was viewed as a culturalevent because of the new interpretationthey bring to it. Thus presentation of cultureshould involve those areas where BMEs aremost represented and involved such as art,music and sport.

Culture and history were thought to evolvefrom the home and so it is important formuseums to develop and aid this processbetween parent and child. However, severalparticipants noted that neither their parentsnor their school had made an effort toteach them about their history and culture.For these people, museums have apotentially vital role to play in promotingdeeper self�understanding through accessto history.

'My Dad would have never told me whoMarcus Garvey was….unless it was thename of a race horse!'

The groups were all interested to learnabout local celebrities and how they hadmade a name for themselves. This cultureof celebrity interest is not necessarily new,but the obsession is a modern one. Youngadults in particular relate and listen tofamous faces they can identify with. This interest in and desire to preservecontemporary culture can also be seen inthe explosion of collectables. Trainers froma few years ago have become cult classics,as have flyers from local raves orprogrammes from certain football matches.These objects may be contemporary, butthey have immediately gained a legendarystatus in the eyes of young people, and thesame can be said of famous faces.

BARRIERS TO ATTENDANCEThe focus groups examined the mainbarriers to participation/attendance for non�users.

The image of museums is that that they areexclusive and far too specialist. Variety isneeded both in collections and in theirinterpretation, and marketing needs toattract a wider audience. Popular culture,whilst not exactly highbrow, can be used toattract people and engage them in issuesaround past cultures and histories. Rightlyor wrongly, the public perception ofmuseums is that they only show the past.Ethnic Minorities also feel an alienation frommany of these historical events as theyplayed no part in them. Museums need toplace more focus on influential moderntrends and tastes.

The Asian participants were keen to stressthe language barrier, particularly for theelderly and those who had recently cometo the country. There is also an element ofa postcode lottery with many people fromouter London having fewer opportunities to visit museums both locally and centrally.The Commonwealth Museum (based inKensington prior to relocation) was notedby several people for its interesting eventsand exhibitions. More generally, it was feltthat BME history was not given adequate coverage.

The barrier that can be removed mosteasily is making BME groups feel morewelcome in museums. Providing a warmwelcome is an essential, yet simple stepthat shouldn't be difficult for museums toachieve. Signs or information in communitylanguages can also help, but activelyinviting people to step through its museumdoors is the key to good access policies.

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The main barriers highlighted by the focusgroups were:

Lack of encouragement/role models

Attitudes to learning

Lack of interest

Publicity and relevance

Language and intellectual barriers

Lack of interaction

Lack of acknowledgement/Issues around provenance

Lack of time

'I'd only go to a museum if I wassightseeing I'd never go on my own.'

'They're always in really depressing buildings.'

'They don't attract you in.'

'They're for old people and young kids.'

'There's a stereotype around museums;that they're for geeks. They need to attractmore normal people so they don't seem so boring.'

'There's nothing I'm interested in.'

'They need to concentrate on moderntimes: club culture.'

'Because you're forced to go at school,you don't feel like going now.'

'Black history is definitely of interest butpeople need to be directed there. Morepublicity is needed but that's not to saypeople shouldn't be directed to Englishhistory as well.'

Solutions: 'What would you like to see inmuseums?'

The focus groups were asked to considerwhat improvements museums could makeand how they could become more relevant.They came up with a variety of suggestionsand ideas.

The groups thought that museums couldbe used to show second generation BMEpeople what life is like in their parents'country of origin. They could also highlightways that different cultures have impactedon and been claimed by modern Britishsociety. One obvious example was fashion,with items such as bindis and mirrorsbecoming part of London style. The olderparticipants, in particular, felt thatsecond/third generation youngsters couldbenefit from a wider debate on thesetopics.

'Calvin Klein uses mirrors in his clothes �that's from saris.'

'There are many imitations of Westernthings in India and also vice versa.'

It was felt that museum staff should bemore pro�active and knowledgeable,particularly those who have regular contactwith the public.

All the groups were conscious that BMEgroups were not adequately represented ata senior level in the sector. It was widelyagreed that the lack of diversity amongstmuseum managers undoubtedly had aninfluence on collections and policy.

The groups would like to see a more evenrepresentation of modern and 'olden'times. It was felt that recent history was aperiod of great change and upheaval, andpeople need to understand the events thathave shaped their own lives andsurroundings.

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'To show how far we have come in modern times.'

It was agreed that displays should be multi�media and sensory. Models, maps andpictures were highlighted as beingespecially important, particularly models toshow changes in the local area.

'They need to use computers more to getyou interested.'

The focus groups were interested to hearabout the first Black and Asian people tosettle in this country. They suggestedschool photos could be used to show howfaces have changed. They also wantedmore focus on other cultures andcivilisations in the school curriculum.

It was felt that local archaeology wasessential. Showing what came from theground locally was a seen as a good wayto understand the development of an area.

The quality of museum exteriors wasfrequently mentioned. An attractive frontageshowing people what was inside was seento be a good way of encouragingparticipation. It was felt that buildingsshould have as many modern facilities aspossible. All the groups thoughtcomputers were a useful way of attractingmore people. The groups suggested theycould be used for internet access andresearch into areas of further interest. This provision of information could extendacross the arts with museums becomingcultural hubs that can direct people toother local events.

'The buildings are too bland, they don'tattract you to come in, they don't have any signs.'

'The displays need to be varied and quirky;keeping young people captivated by their variety'

Participants thought museums need toensure they are aware of the localdemographic of their area in order to havethe most relevant displays and exhibitionsthat truly leave a taste of the local flavour:distinctly local culture is a hybrid of thegroups who have settled there along sidethose that have always been there.Language and food is often from one'sparents but people can adopt manydifferent cultures in their style and way of life.

'How people have lived here through theages': 'To not forget old shops.'

The groups thought that museums couldeasily put money into the communitythrough activities such selling local art.Galleries were thought of as being morecommercial because they sell artwork,whereas the bigger museums need todemonstrate, in some form, the good workthey are doing in their local community.

The commercial preoccupations of ayoung, urban society � such as trainers,mobile phones, finger nails and fashions �need to be considered by museums if theyare to engage young people. How can thisculture of materialism be viewed in anhistorical context?

It is worth noting that youth culture is notnecessarily confined to an ethnic group orgroups, but is rather a mix of multiculturalviews, styles and attitudes. Many of today'syouth are generally familiar with othercultures' fashions and way of life becausethey are part of their own reality.

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The younger age groups talked aboutbeing interested in local celebrities, againhighlighting the desire to see contemporaryculture in museums.

This celebrity fascination is another modernphenomenon that museums may chooseto concentrate on when promoting theirservices. BME celebrities and academicscould be important role models for peopleto identify with.

The focus groups felt they wanted to seecomparisons between past and present.For example, older versions of everydayobjects such as jewellry and other fashionitems would be of interest, as wouldchanges in food and diet.

All the focus groups, both young and old,agreed that Black and Asian music waspopular throughout London. It was felt thata focus on this world�famous 'urban' (i.e.BME) scene would be very attractive.Music is the single biggest phenomenonamong London's diverse minority groups.Music is something they can proudly claimownership of and have an influence in.Many younger people define their cultureby this music.

If museums wish to present a multiculturalviewpoint of society they need look nofurther than London's club scene.Presenting this culture acknowledges andvalidates its contribution. Music eveningswould be a big attraction. Bhangra is a mixof rural Punjabi beats with Westernsamples; Carnival and mas band musiccan show links with the West Indies andother counties; steel pan music has a directlink to the War as do Reggae lyrics.

'Music is what would attract me � Asianmusic is very fashionable right now.'

It was felt that contemporary arts couldbest be shown in cultural centres ratherthan museums. The focus groups thoughta mixture of museum, library, gallery,archives and performance venue would bea great success in encouraging culturegreater participation.

The groups also suggested that Nationalmuseums could do more to direct peopletheir local museum by providing moreinformation. For example, small librariescontaining prints and pictures of what othermuseums have to offer would encouragemore people to visit.

It was agreed that there was not did notenough advertising in the types places thatBME people might go. Museums may beable to connect to a more diverse audienceby developing links with nationalembassies, local mosques and Gospelchurches. Other important locations forposters and leaflets included Sixth FormColleges, local shopping centres, leisurecentres and ice rinks. In addition, literatureshould be available in different languagesand demonstrate what people would getout of their visit.

'If they have Somalian exhibitions theyshould advertise in Somalian cafes.'

'On Eid my whole college shuts down,that's how many (Muslims) there are there,so museums should come to the College.'

Events that encouraged interaction with the older generations were thought to be agood idea, e.g. showing the youngstershow to cook. International days such asthose celebrated in many schools couldinvolve the popular attractions of nationalfood and dress. Practical demonstrations

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are always welcomed as are hands�on displays.

'They should have a food day when oldpeople teach us to cook yard�style.'

'Museums should use people from abroadto explain things to people who live here �to show how other people present theircultures and to show them in a positive light.'

Participants all of ages and backgroundsfelt there was a need for a specialist BMEHistory museum. Black History month andthe focus groups show that there is a hugeinterest in the provision of this history, butmuch more needs to be done to connectexisting and future initiatives with targetaudiences.

This is why mailing lists and actively invitingpeople are so important. Museums need tobecome more aware of religious festivalsand special anniversaries when wholecommunities come together. These can beideal opportunities for targeted outreachwork or opening up the building as part offestivities. Simply acknowledging thesefestivals will send out a message thatmuseums are embracing multiculturalsociety as well as involving some audienceparticipation.

'Borrow from museums back home and incentral London.'

'The exhibitions need to change so youreturn there.'

'They should have international days like atschool which focus on certain countriesand their food and clothes.'

CONCLUSIONSIn all the groups there was evidence of adefinite divide between those who wereborn in this country and those who hadmoved her from overseas. Those born heregenerally considered themselves to be (atleast half) British, yet were less wellinformed about their parents' culture andcountry than those who had moved here.

As the elder groups in particular agreed, it was these second and third generationBME youngsters who could potentiallybenefit most from a more inclusive view ofBritish history. This history should be openand tell the story of those who have cometo this country both willingly and by force.As far as the focus groups wereconcerned, the history of BMEcommunities meant the history ofimmigration.

The participants associated museums withhistory and the past, whereas gallerieswere associated with contemporary cultureand art. However, it was felt that museumscould also play a part in presenting modernculture. Culture was thought to be fairlywide�ranging for the groups andincorporated everything from food andfashion to weddings and religiousceremonies. Celebrity culture wasfrequently touched upon as something thatwould attract a lot of interest.

Group participants felt they had muchbetter things to do with their time,particularly as the provision of history andculture on offer at museums is not relevantenough to attract more visitors. The groupsfelt museums concentrated on the wrongaspects of history such as war.

Museums were recognised as great placesfor a family day out and were thought to be

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primarily for younger audiences. Visiting amuseum with friends or to socialise, wassimply not something people would chooseto do.

There have been many previous studiesdone into barriers to attendance. Barriersfor our focus group participants reflectedprevious research and included:

Lack of encouragement/role models

Attitudes to learning

Lack of interest

Not enough publicity and relevance

Language (particularly for those new tothe country and elderly Asians) andintellectual barriers

Lack of interaction and varying displays

Lack of acknowledgement/ Issues around provenance.

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CONCLUSIONS ANDRECOMMENDATIONSINTRODUCTIONThe primary purpose of the researchproject was to find out why black andminority ethnic Londoners do not, as arule, visit museums, and to seek out theirviews on how museums can break downthose barriers to attendance. It followson from the work conducted by HelenDennison Associates for the LondonMuseums Agency and published as thereport 'Holding Up the Mirror' in October2003. The report concluded thatLondon's black and minority ethniccommunities are getting a 'raw deal'from the museums sector. Despite thefact more than one in three residents inLondon now belongs to a black andminority ethnic community, less than oneout of every five visits to a museum ismade by a black and minority ethnic person.

All of this has been known for over thirteenyears � ever since the publication of 'DingyPlaces' in 1991. What should be ofconcern to anyone who cares about ourmuseums, and who believes in theirimportance to the cultural life of the capital,is the lack of progress that has been madein encouraging more black and minorityethnic people to use their services. In anyother area of public service, this would bedescribed in the words of Sir WilliamMacpherson as 'institutional racism'.Despite some evidence of good practice ina few museums, across the museumsector as a whole there has been littlesystematic or effective engagement withLondon's black and minority ethnic

communities. We believe that a majorfactor behind this persistent failure isinsufficient awareness of the specific needsand preferences of a black and ethnicminority audience.

The research project then had six mainaims. These were:

To explore what black and minority ethnicpeople may identify as the barriers tothem using museums and galleries andtheir services.

To explore how black and minority ethnicpeople think those barriers could betackled.

To explore the role that black and minorityethnic people think museums could andshould play in today's diverse society.

To identify good examples from theexperience of black and minority ethnicpeople of perceived good practice withinmuseums.

To provide the London Museums Agencywith comprehensive findings of why blackand minority ethnic communities do notuse London museums more and to elicittheir views on how museums can breakdown those barriers.

To identify the actions that the museumsector needs to take to address theneeds of black and minority ethnic peopleand to make recommendations on whatthe London Museums Agency, and thesuccessor regional agency (ALM London)need to do to support museums inaddressing those issues.

The methodology for the project entailedboth primary and secondary research. Thesecondary research consisted of a literaturereview in order to frame the context for thefieldwork in the primary research phase.The fieldwork employed street interviews

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and focus groups. The main purpose ofthe street interviews was to recruit and siftparticipants from visible black and ethnicgroups (VBMEs) to the four focus groupsessions, but the street interviews alsoprovided an opportunity to surveyattendance patterns and to carry out somepreliminary attitudinal testing. The focusgroups were designed to explore those'attitude issues' in more depth, examiningbarriers to engagement (actual andperceived), awareness and perceptions,interests and motivations, and finallyattitudes to learning because of the strongassociation between museums andeducation.

Although not the intention, in practice theresearch has focused upon VBME'sbetween the ages of 16 � 40. The youngerage profile reflects the fact that far fewerolder people were willing to stop for thestreet interviews, and were less likely tospeak good enough English to be able totake part. Thus we had a much smallerpool of older potential recruits from thestreet survey and this proved an insufficientnumber to be able to organise focusgroups. Generally, contact rates in thestreet survey were low, with only one in tenpeople willing to participate. A commonresponse was "you're asking the wrongperson" or "I don't know anything aboutmuseums".

SUMMARY OF FINDINGSOver the course of the street survey, 594VBME people were interviewed at eightdifferent locations across London. Thestreet survey confirmed findings fromprevious surveys like the 1989 ArtsAttitudes Survey (quoted in 'Dingy Places').Results are compared in the table below:

Table 1 Proportion defined as non�visitorsall categories

There appears to have been somemovement in the attendance patterns ofthe Black group. Our research suggeststhat this is restricted to the category ofBlack British.

Table 2 Proportion defined as non�visitorsBlack categories

The biggest barrier to attendance appearsto be perceptual, in that most of therespondents (63%) hold negative views of,or at best were indifferent to museums.This was generally because of theassociation of museums with a subjectmatter, which, despite television make�overs by the likes of Simon Schama andDavid Starkey, is still viewed as boring andirrelevant. The claims that history is the newrock and roll seem just a trifle overblown!Awareness of local museums � and onemight have expected a closer connectionwith the local community � is also low, with74% of those interviewed saying that theydid not know of the existence of a museumwithin their Borough. But whilst many areput off by the didactic nature of museums,the educational experience does attract

Arts AttitudeSurvey (1989)

Telling it like it is(2003)

White 56% N/A

Asian 67% 66%

Black 78% 65%

Telling it like it is (2003)

Black British 50%

Black Caribbean 70%

Black African 75%

Black average 65%

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those who we would term as activelearners and parent with children.

The four focus groups examined thosebarriers to engagement in more detail.Recruitment to them was carried out fromthe street survey, and the focus groupsconsisted of: female 16�25; male 16�25;female 25�40; and male 25�40. All of themcontained a broadly representative mix ofVBME groups.

Whilst no major variations of views orexperiences were apparent between thefocus groups (age or gender dynamicsappear to be of little significance), withinthem observable difference in attitude wereclearly discernable between first andsecond�generation immigrants. Thus,those who were born and who grew up inthe UK were far more likely to considerthemselves to be British and were muchmore likely to be interested in British historythan those who had moved here fromabroad. Of course, the constituent factorsof personal and cultural identity arecontingent and complex; and the existenceof generational divide within the BMEcommunity reflects the different degrees ofseparation and attachment to their countryof origin and the country of arrival.Nonetheless, the focus groups reinforce thesense in which there are unique anddistinctive features to what can be generallytermed Black heritage, and these can beheld to come out of a dislocation of peoplefrom place that is the legacy of Britishimperialism. It is around the experiences ofimmigration and racism that a unifying andabiding interest can be held to reside.Moreover, there is an unease about thedoubtful provenance of many museumcollections and the associations withconquest and exploitation.

Some key themes to emerge from thefocus groups were:

Museums have a strongly negativeassociation with history � the way it isconstructed and depicted within Britishculture, and how it is taught in schools.Too much emphasis is placed upon whatare considered to be the boring aspectsof history: kings and queens, wars, etc.Museums focus too heavily on a white,middle�class view of the past.

Museums do not reflect contemporarylife. They should concentrate more on therecent past and popular culture.

Museums are of little relevance to blackand minority ethnic communities.

Low levels of awareness of the existenceof museums (especially local museums)and the services they provide.

All the focus groups stressed a distinctionbetween history, culture and heritage.History is something you are born with;whereas culture is something that can bechanged and adopted. If notions of historyare tied intrinsically to a sense of place andpast, then those of culture are morereflective of relations between people andare therefore located in the present. Forthe participants, heritage has a muchbroader and inclusive cultural meaning,embodying elements like language, religion,community customs and traditions, fashion,art, music and sport; this was in contrast tomore traditional static and object basedassociations. Museums, through pastcuratorial practices, are overwhelmingly'object�oriented'. Our focus groupparticipants argued that if they are toattract black and ethnic minority audiencesthey must become what we would termmore 'relationship�centred'.

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Museums concentrate upon the collection,preservation and display of physical objectswithin the conventions of acceptedhistorical narratives. Yet for immigrantcommunities, their experience of place andpast is one of profound disruption.Immigration, by definition, is an experienceof dislocation, which persists acrossgenerations, and one that gives rise tofundamental and unsettling questionsabout identity. Even more so, when formany of our black and minority ethniccommunities, the cause of thatdisplacement entailed a greater or lesserextent of coercion. The challenge for themuseum sector must be then to promoteand foster better linkages between people,place and the past. Our focus groupssuggest that establishing that greater senseof connection has a critically importantreparative function for our society as awhole.

RECOMMENDATIONSThe lack of progress made in the last tenyears or so in raising museums attendancefigures of black and minority ethnic groupssuggests that there needs to be afundamental review, firstly of the purposeand role of museums in order that theybecome more relevant to the needs of anincreasingly culturally and ethnically diverse,consumer oriented and rapidly changingsociety. Secondly, any such review willhave to address the institutional barriersthat are inhibiting any real or sustainablechanges in the sector. But this is obviouslybeyond the brief of this report.

Instead, we have concentrated upon morepractical areas of change. Much of theground has already been covered by otherreports, dating back to Dingy Places. What

is new, though, is the evidence we havefound of a widening generational dividewithin black and minority ethniccommunities, and the emergence of morefluid and creative forms of identity amongstsecond and third generation immigrants.Those issues of cultural preservation,assimilation and reinterpretation inform thedebate of what it means to be British, andrequire a set of more flexible andappropriate responses from the museumssector than may have been the case in the past.

We have grouped our recommendationsinto main areas of action:

a) Developing and reinterpretingcollections: making the productmore relevant to black andminority ethnic communities

Throughout the report we have argued thatthe museum sector needs to have a muchmore sophisticated understanding of theneeds and interests of black and minorityethnic communities and to appreciate thatthese are not fixed or static. Therefore allmuseums should:

Build up and maintain effective profiles ofthe potential black and minority ethnicaudience base through intelligentapplication of demographic data. TheLondon Plan predicts a continuing growthin the diversity of London's population,and the museum sector needs torespond more positively and quickly tothis changing demographic landscape.

Consider the relevance of the currentinterpretation of collections to black andminority ethnic communities. Our focusgroups suggest that there was a largeamount of interest in the changing natureof British society, and its relationships

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with other countries in the world,particularly in recent years. Thepresentation of past and present side byside would help in promotingunderstanding and awareness of thescale, nature and significance of suchcultural shifts.

Focus more on people rather than place.Our focus groups were interested in theirimmediate neighbourhoods primarily inrelation to their patterns of settlement. Allthe participants were interested in the firstpioneering black and minority residents ofan area, and the role of black andminority ethnic people played in localhistorical events. The way in which hostand immigrant cultures interact andassume new forms and identities wasconsidered to be of particularimportance, and that this should not behomogenised or 'made safe'.Nevertheless, cultural diversity should bepresented and promoted in a sensitiveand positive fashion.

Make their collections more diverse andmore relevant.

Create temporary exhibitions, takedisplays out into the community, andextend loans.

Present an inclusive form of Britishidentity and history. We haveconceptualised this as an 'open history'.Open histories encourage linkages,connections and comparisons. Moreneeds to be done to promote widerunderstanding, and black and minorityethnic history should not be 'ghettoised'.

Relate to collections more directly tocurrent issues of importance to black andminority ethnic groups: questions ofcitizenship, understanding why peoplebecome refugees and asylum seekers,the dynamics of immigration. The 'whyam I here' question.

Have a stronger emphasis oncontemporary culture and recent history.The past is indeed a foreign country formost black and minority ethniccommunities.

Consider how they can achieveengagement with the emotions andfeelings of visitors through the use ofvideo, audio and tactile displays andmore interactive features (what is called'polysensuality').

b) Better communications: building a bigger market

Our street survey and focus groupsshowed that most people simply are notaware of the existence of any localmuseum provision. The highest levels ofrecognition were when local museumswere located with other cultural or learningfacilities. Much more needs to be done toidentify new audiences and to employ avariety of marketing mechanisms to attractnew audiences. The museums sectorshould be marketed as a whole, as well asindividual museums marketing their ownactivities. A higher profile marketingstrategy, employing a range of differentmedia, should be developed by ALMLondon, to raise public awareness.Specific one off events could include anopen museums week and/or a local historyweek co�ordinated across the museumsector with a suitable programme ofevents.

All museums should:

Raise awareness of the museum sectoras a whole by signposting to otherfacilities/venues.

Produce publicity targeted towardsdifferent black and minority ethniccommunities and age groups, and ensure

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that it is distributed widely including nontraditional venues.

Ensure that all publicity materialspositively reflect the cultural and ethnicdiversity of London and avoidstereotyping.

Consult potential audiences on allaspects of museum services and publicityby establishing appropriate consultativemechanisms.

Review and monitor user databases,invite lists and membership schemes toensure that they are representative of thelocal community and actively promoteequality issues.

Ensure that exhibitions relevant to aparticular community are promotedappropriately.

Actively invite a wider range of audiencesthrough events, other activities andcelebrity openings.

Encourage family activities and life�longlearning.

Display a commitment to a wider range ofcontemporary arts and culture, andcreate stronger linkages between thepast and the present.

Have local champions within thecommunity to promote awareness andact as ambassadors for the museumsector.

Emphasise the value of visiting and thefact of free entry.

Raise the visibility of museums througheffective signage, advertising and externaldisplays.

Use ICT to reach out to a wider audience.

Encourage a 'drop by' approach.

c) A stronger commitment todiversity - improving customerrelations

Bluntly, most black and minority ethnicpeople think that museums are simply notfor them. A variety of barriers to accesshave been identified. Museums are stillwidely regarded as the preserve of thewhite, middle�class, catering almostexclusively for their tastes and interests.Our research suggests that black andminority ethnic groups have a widerconception of heritage that embraces amuch more extensive range of culturalforms and traditions. The museum sectorneeds to become more adept at tappinginto and reflecting black and minority ethniccultural practice and relating this to whatwe have termed 'home, hearth andhistory'.

All museums should:

Consult with and actively involve localblack and minority ethnic communities.

Present a more inclusive form of identityby acknowledging in a more balancedway (which involves presenting a range ofdifferent and often competingperspectives) Britain's links and historicalrelationships with other countries.

Forge stronger links with local communitygroups (including faith groups) to attractnew users.

Promote activities at black and minorityethnic cultural events.

Be aware of the calendar of activitieswithin black and minority communities(festivals, anniversaries, etc) and seek todevelop participatory events.

Promote citizenship programmes relevantto London's increasingly diversepopulation for all residents.

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Employ staff from a diversity ofbackgrounds to ensure that they aremore representative of London's blackand minority ethnic communities.

d) Partnership working.

There is growing pressure on museums toextend and build upon their traditionalcuratorial functions in order to fulfil theirmain purpose of public education anddeveloping cultural literacy in Britain today.Life�long learning is the key to unlockingthe door to skills, employment andopportunity, and it is about both individualand community development. Museumsshould be 'a resource for public learning ofexceptional educational, social, economicand spiritual value � a common wealth.This wealth is held in trust by museums forthe public good, not just for our own timeand society but for all times and people's'.

The increasingly complex and varieddemands being placed upon the museumsector require new ways of working.Museums have to look beyond the walls oftheir institutions to become much moreactively involved in a range of differentpartnerships with other actual and potentialstakeholders in order to engage effectivelywith the government agendas on lifelonglearning, neighbourhood management andsocial exclusion. One example of howservices can be linked together is the IdeasStores strategy1 in Tower Hamlets, whichhouses lifelong learning and culturalattractions together in purpose built andattractively designed building in localshopping areas. Our research shows thatlocal museums co�located with otherfacilities have significantly higherattendance figures. The entertainment and

retail industries have long appreciated themultiplier effects of clustering.

Partnership working is, of course, morethan placing facilities together: it requiresan alignment of organisational agendas,greater openness and transparency, and asharing of information and knowledge.

ALM London should:

Do more to promote the value created bylocal museums to statutory, voluntary andprivate organisations, particularly thoseacting as umbrella organisations andregional or sub�regional bodies, andengage more effectively with the relevantpan London networks.

Work more closely with London localauthorities and Local StrategicPartnerships to develop cultural diversity strategies that incorporate local museums.

Work more closely with the localmuseums to build their capacity todevelop stronger links with regenerationpartnerships (e.g. New Deal forCommunities) and to contribute moreeffectively to regeneration programmesthat are tackling social exclusion anddeprivation.

Encourage better partnership workingbetween libraries and museums, and inparticular to develop the use of librariesas venues for museum exhibitions.

Strengthen arrangements for museums tocollaborate more effectively on jointprojects.

Build the entrepreneurial capacity of localmuseums.

1 Another lesson to be drawn from the Ideas Stores strategy is the effort that was invested in developing astrong brand identity for the concept, the extensive marketing strategy that was adopted, and the importanceplaced upon building local support for the schemes.

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Ensure that all museums are aware of therelevant guidance concerning culturaldiversity and equal opportunities.

Collect, collate and monitor patterns ofmuseum attendance and employment toensure that progress is made in achievingdiversity targets.

Promote the establishment andpromotion of cultural quarters.

Museums should:

Develop stronger partnership workingarrangements with local black andminority ethnic groups (e.g.supplementary schools, arts and culturalorganisations, pensioners associations).

Consult with local schools and the localcommunities to supplement the nationalcurriculum around local history and inparticular black and minority ethnichistory needs.

Ensure that collections are linked to therequirements of the national curriculum.

Build stronger links with their appropriatelocal authority and Local StrategicPartnership body and to developprogrammes of outreach work incollaboration with them.

Ensure that they maintain goodknowledge of what is happening in othermuseums and promote those eventsmore widely.

CONCLUSIONSLondon's two hundred plus museums playan important role not only in the social,economic and cultural life of the capital butalso for the nation as a whole. They areone of the main reasons why Londonattracts 30 million visitors annually. More importantly, London's museums tellus a lot about ourselves as Londoners,helping us make sense of our individualhistories and identities within some kind ofshared framework of collective experience. The development of that shared frameworkis an endeavour fraught with difficulty,necessitating the negotiation of complexand sometimes conflicting historicalaccounts and backgrounds in order toachieve a broader understanding of ourcommon present. As defined by theMuseums Association, museums are'institutions that collect, safeguard andmake accessible artifacts and specimens,which they hold in trust for society.' One of our central arguments is thatmuseums must move beyond the purelymaterial approach to embrace other formsoff cultural experience in order to captureand more accurately represent London'srich past and diverse present.

We cannot escape the fact that we live in asociety largely driven by the imperatives ofthe market and consumer relations, wherethe mass media is critical in informing anddetermining individual preference andpurchasing behaviours. This leads some toview museums simply as part of theentertainment industry, competing withmany other attractions for audience sharein a world of ever widening choice (and yetone with an increasingly restricted timewithin which to exercise that choice).Whilst the museums sector needs to beaware of commercial realities, and to

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absorb the lessons from the private sector,museums are much more than anotherbranch of Disney World.

For, as we have already noted, museumsand galleries have a much deeper civicrelevance. At this most fundamental level,their collective institutional weight helpground local and national identity withinsome notion of a shared, collective pastand a common set of present day values �what, in other words, it means to beBritish. The importance that museumshave in the cultural life of our country restsprecisely in the search for identity in aconfusing, often conflicting and rapidlychanging world. This search for andconstruction of identity cannot be left in thehands of a privileged few and mustbecome part of all or our inheritance.Thus, museums are, at the one and thesame time, agents of social consolidationand agents of social change.

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