Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter

'Public institutions do not sit "outside" society, they are the barometer of time and place. How museums and galleries open themselves up to change and engage dissenting voices is not obvious or easy, but as a recent visitor said, "Art is an invitation to a conversation" - so perhaps our role might be to unlock that conversation.'As the world adapts to the consequences of a global pandemic, museums continue to experience unprecedented disruption and change. At the same time, there is a growing debate and dissent over what museums are for, who they speak to and what the histories, objects and ideas they are tasked with holding reflect - all taking place within a public sphere that feels increasingly dynamic and volatile. Taking a wide-ranging and thought-provoking look at the roles and responsibilities of some of our most well-known and best-loved public institutions, Gathering of Strangers explores the critical challenges and opportunities for the museum at this point in the twenty-first century. Moving from the historical origins of the gallery to important current debates taking place around art and public engagement, the climate emergency, race equality and decolonisation, and the value of the arts in education - this book sets out the role of art and artists in imagining and shaping our collective future. It is also a love letter to the museum, from a sector leader who is at the forefront of the cultural conversation today.

About the Author :
Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate. Previously, she was Director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester; Director of Manchester City Galleries; and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council. Maria is Chair of the National Museum Directors' Council and is a Trustee of the Factory International Board in Manchester. She is also a member of the Women Leaders in Museums Network and a member of the Bizot group of leading global museums. In 2015, she was awarded a CBE for services to the arts.

Review :
‘Ambitious, generous and packed with ideas, this is a thrilling, thought-provoking invitation into the museum of the future, where both art and people are made welcome.’ Olivia Laing ‘The love Maria Balshaw shows for museums is infectious, the dedication to her profession inspirational, the sensitive thought about its vulnerability is touching, the rigour she applies to telling our story openly is profoundly impressive – and when she sets out paths through the complexity, she is clear, compelling and right.’ Gus Casely-Hayford, Director of V&A East ‘This is a superb book. It does so many things at once with a remarkable deftness and lightness of touch. It is an intervention in a debate about the past and future of museums which Maria Balshaw navigates with an authority that is always warm, humane and undefended. It offers lucid and insightful discussion of a range of works and tendencies in contemporary art, especially those directly invested in the ethics and politics of the museum. And somehow it works into the spaces between a really helpful and accessible introduction to many of the great contested issues of our time – race, the colonial legacy, gender, the climate emergency.’ Josh Cohen