Ed Vaizey interview
Former culture minister chats museum entry charges, tech disruption and his predictions for 2021
maxwell museums magazine - 12 January 2021
It’s my first maxwell museums magazine of the year. Hurrah!
This is the fortnightly edition of my newsletter that’s full of features, including a brand new original interview with someone from or about the world of museums. And I am kicking off 2021 in STYLE.
Ed Vaizey, now Lord Vaizey, was Culture and Digital Minister in the UK government for 6 years, and was hugely respected in that role. I’m absolutely delighted to have chatted to him to get his valuable insights. I asked more than I could fit here so read on for the highlights, or skip straight to the full interview by clicking here.
If you enjoy the interview with Ed, please do share it using the button below. I’m going to be bringing you many other big names this year so I really appreciate spreading the word.
Love museums? Then you’ll love my newsletter. I send a round up of museum news every Friday, and every two weeks a jam-packed edition of original features including interviews. Subscribe to get the next edition.
interview
UK culture ministers don’t tend to stick around very long. Since January 2018, there have been 4 Secretaries of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and 3 Ministers of State. So Ed Vaizey was something of an anomaly at the DCMS for his staying power.
Serving as Minster for Culture and Digital for over 6 years from 2010, he became the longest serving minister in that role. His longevity was no doubt partly a result of his passion for the brief. At the end of his tenure, senior arts figures called him “a true friend of the creative industries.”
He quit as an MP ahead of the 2019 general election, and in September last year was handed a peerage meaning he now sits in the House of Lords as a Conservative Life Peer. Lord Vaizey continues to be a champion of the intersection of arts and tech, including as a writer, podcaster and newsletter creator.
He’s the perfect figure to kick off my newsletter interviews of 2021!
Happy new year! How are you finding your move into the House of Lords?
I love it. I felt my time in the Commons had come to a natural end, but this is a brilliant way to have a second act, as I am still keen to support culture and get involved in cultural policy debates. I am lucky to have got a position on the Communications and Digital Committee, so I can pursue issues in depth with my colleagues there.
Your newsletter The Vaizey View is a must read for those working in the arts, tech and media. Tell us a little about how it's put together and what's been the key to its success?
Thank you! I think it has been successful because it is non-partisan and light-hearted. It's also very light in the sense it just gives you each bit of news in one or two sentences, so you get a very easy overview of what's happened in the week. It now has a brilliant editor in Alex Pleasants, who has really made it his own with his appalling and juvenile sense of humour.
The Vaizey View was a trailblazer. You set up it up over decade ago, and now we're seeing an explosion of newsletters and the rise of platforms like Substack. Are newsletters the future for journalism, and can arts organisations learn anything from them?
I set up the newsletter to promote myself when I was opposition spokesman. So newsletters are a great way to keep front of mind, and any museum running a friends organisation should be doing one - with a light tone and not too often. I think newsletters will have a big impact on journalism - think about Politico's or the Athletic, which is revolutionising sports journalism.
You've said on your podcast that you love the 'disruption' of tech innovation. Are we overdue a tech revolution in museums and galleries, and what problems could tech solve for them?
YES! Our museums have made lots of progress but they are still way too conservative. Digital is still an add-on. No one is really thinking - the museum is essentially a Victorian creation using Victorian technology. What is a museum today? If my audience is on a phone or laptop, what is the best way to reach them - by putting bricks and mortar online or doing something completely different? I don't know the answer, but please ask these kinds of questions.
Even the national museums are facing severe financial strain from covid. Should the government consider bringing back entry charges?
No - it's a distraction. It would cause an enormous row and use up loads of political capital. You cant have a rational debate. Though I'm surprised that no one has run a Brexit argument that we could keep museums free for the Brits and charge the Europeans! We have been so horrible to them for the last four years, so it wouldn't surprise me.
Do you agree with the Culture Secretary who told museums last year they need to look at “monetising digital offers”? What do you think about the National Gallery's recent paid-for online tour of their Artemisia exhibition?
Yes I do - it chimes with my view that museums are not truly embracing digital and thinking how they could do better. There are lots of art-tech start ups out there which find it impossible to have a dialogue with museums, and they would be willing partners in new commercial strategies.
What are your predictions for museums and galleries in 2021?
I think 2021 is a write-off. Museum staff have been heroes and it has been the worst time, but I think 2021 is more of the same, getting through and trying to survive. But I do hope some hard thinking is going on to look at what can be done differently if we ever get back to normal.
Sign up to the weekly the Vaizey View newsletter here
Read the full interview with Lord Vaizey here
what’s on
With museums and galleries across the UK and much of Europe shut, here’s a mix of online, IRL and on the airwaves events to get in your diary.
Damien Hirst: Mental Escapology, across venues in St Mortiz, Switzerland - over 40 works by the iconic British artist go on holiday to the icy Alpine city. Opens 23 January
Natural History Museum: World of Wonder, Channel 5 - go behind the doors of one of the greatest museums in the world in this four-part primetime documentary. Thursdays 8pm or catch up on My5.
The role of museums in the Era of Reclamation with Bonnie Greer and Dr Lonnie G Bunch III, online - this British Museum event sees the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution talk about the shared responsibilities of museums in this age of social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement. 26 January
barometer
going up ⬆️
How’d you fancy being the very first person to see an important museum object? You’re in luck as a nifty new tool from the Science Museum shows you items that have never been seen online before. Procrastination but educational.
going down ⬇️
Another victim of the coronavirus pandemic might be the Louvre’s claim to be the world’s most visited museum. Numbers collapsed by 70% in 2020, meaning we might see another global museum snatch the crown. A hollow victory, but one to watch.
and finally
The only good thing to come out of lockdown 1 is back to save us in lockdown 3. Grayson’s Art Club is returning to Channel 4 next month! Fancy taking part this time? Watch the announcement from Grayson and Philippa below and get submitting!
Love museums? Then you’ll love my newsletter. I send a round up of museum news every Friday, and every two weeks a jam-packed edition of original features including interviews. Subscribe to get the next edition.