museums finally given the green light to begin reopening

plus: more LGBTQ+ objects at the British Museum, and win a new Derek Jarman book

Jun 25, 2020

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happy Thursday! and it’s a very happy Thursday as this week, after 3 months of closure and much uncertainty, England’s museums and galleries were finally told when they can reopen. 4 July ICYMI. yet, as i’ve said many times in this newsletter, the road ahead is really not great, with an unprecedented financial crisis on the horizon. BUT at least it feels like we’re moving in the right direction at last.

London’s Garden Museum will be one of the first to reopen, and with a brand new Derek Jarman exhibition. they’ve kindly partnered with me to offer you fabulous people a chance to win the stunning catalogue which i know will be perfect for all your coffee tables. see below for details on how to enter. and this week for Pride month, i chat to the one and only ‘museum queerator’ Dan Vo. happy reading!

catch up // NEWS

proud. the British Museum has put 5 objects from it’s collection on permanent display to help better represent the whole LGBTQ+ initialism. Gay Times

back in business. to celebrate its 120th anniversary, London’s Wallace Collection reveals it will be the second national museum in the capital to reopen. Evening Standard

bleak. England’s museums and galleries have been given the greenlight to reopen. but there are warnings that many may never open again. Express and Star

golden. its 50th anniversary edition might have been canceled because of you-know-what, but the V&A has still been celebrating half a century of Glastonbury. The Guardian

weekly bad news update 1. the National Gallery of Australia is to sack 12% of its employees to save costs. Sydney Morning Herald

weekly bad news update 2. the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York is facing a $45 million deficit and is laying off staff. New York Times

gone. a prominent statue of US President Theodore Roosevelt is to be removed from the entrance of the American Museum of Natural History. CBS News

Fons Americanus. Kara Walker’s monumental fountain in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall will return, and not be destroyed as first planned. The Art Newspaper

Louvre makeover. the world's most visited museum is working on a major overhaul ahead of the Paris Olympic Games. France 24

not again! there’s been ANOTHER botched painting ‘restoration’ in Spain. it must be seen to be believed… The Sun

good try. Yorkshire has been revealed as the home of a brand new National Rugby Musem. Yorkshire Live

perfect. an Ed Sheeran exhibition - yes really - helped draw record-breaking crowds to museums in the East of England. BBC News

roman lamp going on display at the British Museum

listen up // INTERVIEW

if you’ve seen/experienced/enjoyed any LGBTQ+ museum activity over the past few years, chances are Dan Vo had a hand in it. he established and runs the hugely popular LGBTQ+ tours at the V&A, as well as at the National Museum Cardiff and University of Cambridge Museums. he even had a hand in the British Museum’s LGBTQ+ tours as well. during lockdown he’s been doing daily live #MusuemFromHome broadcasts with a host of experts and curators to bring stories to people while museums are closed. i spoke to him ahead of what would have been this weekend’s Pride in London.

your daily live #MuseumFromHome broadcasts have been a treat during lockdown. how did they come about?

My #MuseumFromHome chats spun out of my need during lockdown to stay connected with friends from museumland. It's rough and ready, with a decade old computer monitor on my dining table facing my iPhone serving as the 'studio'. But I think it filled a need in other people too. I should also say, anyone can get involved by posting a video with a museum fact on social media with the hashtag, just as Sacha Coward did with the very first one. It's for everyone and it's fun seeing newbies joining in!

you've now done around 80 MFH live broadcasts. which was your favourite?

Oh no, you won't trick me that easily, I can't choose a favourite! Everyone has been so generous. In about 15 minutes we cover all sorts of topics and it also shows how everyone is committed to equality, representation, accessibility and inclusion in gallaries, libraries and museums. I've just passed that 100 days of lockdown milestone, and although I've been on my own, on my big #MuseumFromHome board where I pin photos of those that have taken part, there’s now more than 80 bright and beaming faces I get to say good morning to!

tell me about your all-day collaboration with BBC Arts. was that a lot of fun?

BBC Arts let Sacha and me takeover their digital channels for a day and as museum freelancers it was a hoot to be let loose like that! We also got to put a spotlight on some amazing colleagues like Florence Schecter at the Vagina Museum and Jess Turtle at the Museum of Homelessness, and help raise awareness about their challenges as new museums. Along with Charleston Trust, these three organisations are the ones I've chosen to donate to and support in this period.

you look after the V&A's award winning LGBTQ+ volunteer tours. How have the team been coping with the Museum being closed?

As far as I'm concerned we've kept our tradition of always meeting under the Dale Chihuly chandelier on the last Saturday of the month when we usually run the V&A LGBTQ+ tours. We've delivered 3 virtual tours under my poster of the chandelier now! The next one is this Saturday June 27 when we're teaming up with Refugee Week to present a special LGBTQ refugees tour that will feature glamourous folk like Freddie Mercury, Marlene Deitrich and Rotimi Fani Kayode.

if people still want to celebrate Pride with museums this month, what should they check out?

This Friday June 26 I'm on the Queer Britain Twitter, teaming up with Museum Pride London, to ask you to 'Show Us Your Pride'. Post your selfies in this year's pride shirt or pics from previous years and I'll share everything to brighten up everyone's feed. On Friday July 3 I'll be hosting the Uniqlo Tate Lates: Night In which is this year's big queer party! Also as a scoop for you Maxwell, stay tuned for a new podcast from GiveOut called 'SoundOut: Voices of LGBTQI Activism' which will give you a flavour of how Pride will be celebrated around the world, hosted by yours truly.

and when museums reopen, which one will you be heading to first?

Not too far away from my home is Gunnersbury Park Museum. They recently had a fire in the cafe, which is devastating, so I'm not sure if they'll be serving coffee and cake right away (my usual Sunday treat), but I'm sure I can find a nice book in the shop to read in their gorgeous gardens! I'm now also heading up the Queer Heritage and Collections Network formed of a partnership between National Trust, English Heritage, Historic England, Historic Royal Palaces and the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries with support from Art Fund, so there's about 900 heritage sites I need to visit too!

watch some of the #MuseumFromHome broadcasts here. follow Dan on Twitter @DanNouveau.

Dan leading a tour around the V&A

luck up // COMPETITION

have i got a treat for you! London’s Garden Museum will reopen on 4 July with a brand new exhibition exploring iconic film director Derek Jarman’s love of gardening, and the sanctuary he found in the garden of his beloved Prospect Cottage in Kent.

to celebrate, i’ve teamed up with the Garden Museum to offer maxwell museums subscribers the chance to win one of 3 copies of the BEAUTIFUL accompanying catalogue. to win: just email me your name and ‘Derek Jarman’ in the subject to maxwellmuseums1@gmail.com. that is it! just remember to use the email you use to subscribe to the newsletter. i'll pick a winner at random from all entries received by 23:59 on Sunday 28 June and will contact you by email if you're the lucky winner. GOOD LUCK!