1. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Dr. Tehmina Goskar
@tehm

2. why are you here? #creativecase
Unwrapping the past gallery, Royal Cornwall Museum
why are you here?
#creativecase

3. The creative case for diverse rural museums
why are we here?
who are we for?
who’ll miss us if we’re gone?
#creativecase

4. The creative case for diverse rural museums
museums are a good thing in civil society, as windows onto the world and providing a better understanding of that world. We need that now, more than ever.
#creativecase

5. The creative case for diverse rural museums
As well as capturing data on workforce, programme and audiences, we also continue
to monitor the success rates
of diverse applicants to all our funding streams. Understanding the barriers that might limit the success of diverse applicants will help us to target our resources, be those advice and support or specific investment.
Arts Council England, Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case. A Data Report
#creativecase

6. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Many leading artists and cultural organisations are based in rural areas, and their work and connections with local communities underpin a high and healthy level of engagement with the arts and museums in particular – engagement that is higher in rural areas than in urban ones. 

Position statement – The Arts Council and communities living in rural England, April 2014.
#creativecase

7. The creative case for diverse rural museums
People from high socio-economic backgrounds are almost twice as likely to say public spending on arts and culture benefits them than those with smaller incomes.
Christy Romer, Arts Professional, 14 June 2016.
#creativecase

8. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Voices from the region, and especially Cornwall, tend to get muffled or ignored or simply deemed too far and too remote and not plentiful enough to engage with. Within this situation, what hope do minority people have in finding a voice?
Valuing Diversity, Museums Association, July 2016.
#creativecase

9. The creative case for diverse rural museums
There are over 70 museums in Cornwall. They have never been more popular attracting 1.5 million visits in 2015 (up 22% on the previous year). 30% of audiences are local and 70% are visitors making them a substantial part of our cultural tourism offer.
Cornwall Council, White Paper for Culture, Edition 2, April 2016.
#creativecase

10. The creative case for diverse rural museums
The government expects the cultural sectors to represent our diverse society in their artistic talent, workforce and audiences. Diversity is essential to success. Genuinely diverse cultural sectors will use all our national talent, will challenge and rejuvenate themselves, and will increase their audiences.
DCMS Culture White Paper, March 2016.
#creativecase

11. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Witnesses and submissions made it clear that diversity remains a challenge for the sector.
UK Parliament, Countries of Culture, December 2016.
#creativecase

12. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Diversity remains low in the sector. As seen from the survey results, the workforce is largely highly educated, female, heterosexual and white. More work needs to be done to create opportunities and attract talent from diverse backgrounds into the museums sector. This also includes the need for further socio-economic diversity.
Character Matters, Attitudes, behaviours and skills in the UK museum workforce, September 2016.
#creativecase

13. The creative case for diverse rural museums
On the one hand, there is a simple equation around public funding
– that it must benefit all the public – and on the other, there are profound social, moral and economic reasons why we must ensure that the work we invest in is not only more reflective of the world that we live in, but that it can anticipate and shape the world that is evolving.
Arts Council England, Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case. A Data Report
#creativecase

14. participation in museums is a minority activity by and for white, English, abled-bodied, middle and upper class people with time and money on their hands. Museums exist to preserve the deeds of famous men but there might be too many women working for them. Rural museums are for tourists.
Miss Cornwall doll, 1960s
#creativecase

15. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
#creativecase

16. The creative case for diverse rural museums
1. challenge take your power self-reflect who is not taking part?
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
#creativecase

17. The creative case for diverse rural museums
2. be heard rural voices not heard tourism = cash cow rural proofing needed
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
22% visitors to Cornwall – that’s 1 million people - cited that a museum was one of the main reasons for their visit. During their visits these 1 million tourists contribute £2billion to the Cornish economy every year.
Cornwall Council, White Paper for Culture, Edition 2, April 2016.
#creativecase

18. The creative case for diverse rural museums
rural proofing 9.8 million (19%) = rural 86% of land mass = rural 13% employment in tourism in rural regions 68% of SMEs located in rural regions (37% urban)
Guide to Rural Proofing National guidelines, July 2013.
#creativecase

19. The creative case for diverse rural museums
rural proofing
Cornwall & Scilly
mainly rural
6 hub towns*
Bodmin, St Austell, Newquay, Truro, Helston, Penzance
*population 10k-30k service provider of wider hinterland
Government Statistical Service, The 2011 Rural-Urban Classification for Local Authority Districts in England
#creativecase

20. The creative case for diverse rural museums
Barriers to rural growth
Mobile phone “not spots”
Lack of access to skills and training opportunities
Lack of access to hubs of innovation due to distance and poor connectivity
#creativecase

21. The creative case for diverse rural museums
2. Challenges to service delivery
Public transport limited. [Long travel times, infrequent services, slow roads, parking]
Proportionally more older people living in rural areas. [and running museums]
#creativecase

22. The creative case for diverse rural museums
3. Quality of life challenges
Fuel poverty owing to levels of income, more costly fuels, energy efficiency of homes. [Why should local people pay to use your services?]
Smaller pockets of deprivation harder to identify
Household incomes can be lower due to part time or seasonal working
Policy misses poorer people as rural deprivation is scattered
#creativecase

23. The creative case for diverse rural museums
3. take part move away from desk integrate share decision-making be digitally active when are you open? consider co-location
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
#creativecase

24. Rural proofing in practice
“Remaining user focused is a critical part of the initiative’s success.”
#creativecase

25. The creative case for diverse rural museums
4. seize the opportunity
more talent?
more users/audiences?
more resilient and relevant?
better programme?
Diversify
workforce
programme
users
decision-making
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
#creativecase

26. The creative case for diverse rural museums
5. work together
measure
analyse
ask and compare
improve
act
Mobilise
make a pledge
join the Rural Diversity Network
Challenge
Be heard
Take part
Seize the opportunity
Work together
#creativecase

27. Make a pledge
#creativecase

28. The creative case for diverse rural museums
A Museum and Free Library are as necessary for mental and moral health of the citizens as good sanitary arrangements, water supply and street lighting are for their physical health and comfort.
Thomas Greenwood, 1888
#creativecase