Humanities & Social Sciences

What Are Museums For?

by Jon Sleigh

Description

The days when museums were dusty, stuffy institutions displaying their wealth and wisdom to a reverential public are over. Museums today are a cultural battleground. Who should decide what is put on display and how it is presented? Who gets to set the narrative?

In this passionately argued book, Jon Sleigh maintains that museums must be for all people and inclusion must be at the heart of everything they do. But what does good inclusion look like in practice? Cleverly structured like a museum tour, Sleigh uses seven illustrative museum objects from seven very different museums to explore such wide-ranging issues as trust-building, representation, digital access, conflicting narratives, removal from display and restitution.

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Rights Information

Chinese rights sold

Endorsements

“Cannot recommend this heartfelt, generous and expansive book enough. Never didactic or patronising, Sleigh is endlessly curious, thought provoking and socially conscious – the perfect guide to our museums and the people who make them today!” Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum

Author Biography

Jon Sleigh is a freelance arts and heritage Learning Curator, working nationally connecting audiences with artworks and collections for their advocacy. He was formerly Learning Officer for the Arts Council Collection based at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Copyright Information

Bristol University Press

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Bibliographic Information

Publisher Bristol University Press
Publication Date June 2024
Orginal LanguageEnglish
ISBN/Identifier 9781529231397
Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
FormatPaperback
Primary Price 8.99 GBP
Pages160
ReadershipGeneral
Publish StatusPublished
Original Language TitleEnglish
Edition1
Copyright Year2024
Dimensions203 x 127 mm
SeriesWhat Is It For?