Читать книгу Museum Practice - Группа авторов - Страница 75

It was inevitable that the implementation of Renaissance would depart from the Task Force’s proposals. There was no formal, forward plan for it, and Renaissance was subject to a number of factors – most importantly, the amount of funding available, government priorities, and choices made by MLA. The Renaissance Review, written seven years after the publication of the 2001 Regional Museums Task Force Report, and in anticipation of nearly £300 million having been spent on the program by 2011, tracked the program’s achievements. Regional museums had come a long way since 2001: they had a political profile; were more capable of levering in other funding, and their capacity to contribute to regional regeneration agendas was better understood and recognized. Regional museums were noticeably more confident in the management and presentation of their collections than previously. Research and evaluation had become an increasingly standard part of their work; they were increasingly modernized; have introduced greater cultural diversity; and were reaching more audiences through learning projects with children, young people, and adults. Volunteering has not only added to the value of museums, it has also enabled hubs to engage more effectively with members of the local community, as well as helping volunteers to develop their own skills and self-confidence. Beyond the hubs, the Museum Development Officer structure was regarded as achieving “real change” (RRAG 2009, 11). The Review also made recommendations for the future priorities, management, and delivery of the Renaissance.

With the abolition of MLA, Arts Council England assumed a number of MLA’s functions for museums. Following a review as to how its strategic goals could best reflect the museums and libraries sectors alongside the arts (Morris 2011), it published A Review of Research and Literature on Museums and Libraries (ACE 2011b) and a 10-year strategic framework for the sector (ACE 2011a). ACE’s principal museum responsibilities include the Renaissance in the Regions program; the regional museums’ improvement and development agenda, including the Accreditation Standard and Designation Scheme; the protection of cultural objects; export controls; tax incentives and projects relating to the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. In January 2012 it announced its funding decisions for the Renaissance major grants program, valued at £20 million a year.