What does a PR do?
INTERVIEW: Poppy Andrews on communications at the National Portrait Gallery
— In partnership with Smartify
Hello.
It’s not Friday, which means I’m bringing you a ‘views and interviews’ edition. The news is back tomorrow.
My Big Interview today shines a light on PR in the museum world, something I’ve wanted to do for ages in this newsletter. So I speak to Poppy Andrews who looked after the biggest museum PR campaign of last year with the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery.
The 250 Take today is on why London Zoo has taken inspiration from museums for its bicentenary.
And my Hot List features a new book and a new bar. An excellent match.
But before we dive in, I’m delighted to offer a huge hello to my new sponsor, Smartify. They have come on board to support the whole summer season of these ‘views and interviews’ editions, and I’m thrilled to be working with a team which has helped so many cultural institutions across the world in recent years. Find out more about their work below — and please support my sponsors as they help me bring you this newsletter.
— maxwell
— In partnership with Smartify
More engaging AND more profitable?
The Smithsonian American Art Museum has a new augmented reality experience. The National Gallery of Scotland has AI-powered personalised guides. And there’s now a VR tour of London’s Cutty Sark.
These three exciting visitor enhancements all have one thing in common: they are powered by Smartify.
700 museums, galleries and cultural institutions around the world have partnered with Smartify since it was founded by museum professionals in 2016.
These organisations all turn to Smartify’s powerful digital solutions to attract new audiences, generate more revenue, and engage people before, during and after they visit.
So if you’re looking for a customisable, cross-platform, accessible visitor guide that integrates fully with every part of your organisation, look to partner with Smartify to deliver an unforgettable visitor experience.
Explore Smartify’s possibilities here.
The Hot List
My curated round-up of what’s new to see, do, watch, read and more. From the UK — and around the world.
*Purchasing through links in this section may earn me a valuable affiliate commission
EXHIBITION
1️⃣ Judy Chicago: Revelations | Serpentine North Gallery
The pioneering American artist gets her largest London solo exhibition to date. It covers the entirety of her six-decade career, with a particular focus on mesmerising, floral drawings.
now open — until 1 September | find out more here
ART BAR
2️⃣ Roth Bar | Hauser & Wirth Somerset
The idyllic West Country art gallery gets a brand new bar which is billed as an art installation in its own right. It’s composed of salvaged materials, and cocktails inspired by the gallery’s farm home will be served.
opens on Saturday | find out more
BOOK
3️⃣ The Art of Naval Portraiture | published by the National Maritime Museum
The portrayal of naval personnel has been a significant branch of British art for over 500 years. This new publication charts the world-beating naval portrait collection at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
available in hardback now \ buy your copy
EXHIBITION
4️⃣ Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-90 | at National Galleries of Scotland: Modern, Edinburgh
If you missed it at Tate Britain, this major survey of feminist art makes its way to Scotland. Showcasing painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, film and photography this timely show is one not to be missed.
opens Saturday — until 26 Jan 2025 | find out more
The 250 Take
This week in my 250-word opinion column from guest writers, London Zoo archivist Natasha Wakely explains why it’s their archive — rather than their animals — that will be the foundation of bicentenary celebrations.
💬 We’re a zoo, but it’s objects we’re using to celebrate our 200th birthday
“Last month, we at the Zoological Society of London launched History Hive: a call out for zoological memorabilia and memories to mark our 200th anniversary in 2026.
In those two centuries, our zoos — London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo — have become part of the very fabric of British culture. The words ‘zoo’ and ‘aquarium’ were coined by us, and even Winnie the Pooh found his origins at London Zoo, based upon a bear named Winnie, befriended by A.A. Milne’s son.
Our archive performs a critical function in documenting this history. Archived objects are important because they provide tangible evidence of the connection our zoos have made with visitors and inform how we continue to ignite enthusiasm and foster collaboration.
A 1950s bear-shaped soap, made to nationally commemorate the birth of a polar bear at London Zoo, is just one small object from our archive which illustrates the impact of London Zoo and the way we joined the ephemera of people’s homes. Objects like these — the zoo postcards and once-cherished animal toys — or the memories that motivated a conservation career are the threads that can weave the tapestry of a life.
History Hive is looking for contributions like these because we want the public to enrich our understanding of the role they’ve played in our history. They are as much a part of our story as we are part of theirs and our bicentenary year is an opportunity for the public to help us to bring this history to life.”
Objects collected through History Hive will be displayed in an exhibition in 2026. Discover more about History Hive here.
The Big Interview
What does a PR do? According to public relations guru Edina Monsoon, they PR things: people, places, concepts, Lulu.
In the world of museums, that means galleries, exhibitions, acquisitions and Directors, and plenty more besides.
In the world of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in the past year that’s also meant new coffee shops, cocktail bars, and one of the most expensive paintings ever bought for the British public. Plus a huge visit by HRH The Princess of Wales to cut a ribbon.
Next month marks one year since the NPG in London reopened after its £41 million redevelopment. Securing and managing the media coverage of all the incredible activity involved in this huge project was Poppy Andrews.
12 months on, Poppy’s also looked after the PR campaigns for their opening-year’s exhibitions, from David Hockney: Drawing from Life, to the upcoming exploration of the lives and afterlives of the six women who married Henry VIII.
And if you needed any more evidence that she really knows her stuff, she has this week been promoted to Head of Communications at the Gallery. (Congrats!)
So to get the lowdown on the media operation at the NPG, I speak to Poppy about reopening press plans, her ‘average day’, and that ultimate question: what exactly is PR?
***
How have the past 12 months been?
Nothing short of incredible — a wild ride, but totally worth the work! After three years of closure, our reopening saw visitors return in record-breaking numbers last summer, as we unveiled our transformed building and rehung Collection.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that we’d maxed out our efforts after hosting numerous press days, a royal visit, a reopening party and a First Look Festival to showcase our new programme, but the ambition of my brilliant colleagues never ceases to amaze me.
We’ve since been back on the red carpet for our Portrait Gala, opened blockbuster exhibitions and we’re an Art Fund Museum of the Year finalist — a very proud first year back!
PR is a job that few people understand. How would you describe it?
One of my first managers shared a quip about communications that’s always stuck with me: “marketing you pay for, and press you pray for”.
Definitely one of the catchier ways of distinguishing between two areas of comms that are quite often used interchangeably.
In all seriousness, communications is about storytelling. My team is responsible for making sure that everyone knows that a visit to the NPG is a guaranteed amazing day out. We promote the world’s largest collection of portraits and our accompanying activities to their fullest potential, with the aim of attracting the broadest range of audiences to spend a day with us — from firm fans to first timers.
“marketing you pay for, and press you pray for”
What was the media/PR plan for the NPG reopening?
The communications campaign was all about catapulting the NPG back to centre-stage after three years of closure, with the aim of making our reopening the cultural event of the year!
The plan focused on building anticipation, teasing content over a sustained six-month period, and creating a major national event that engaged both new and existing visitors through extensive press coverage, sector-leading digital activations and innovative marketing interventions.
The hard work of my team was rewarded last week, as our reopening campaign was highly commended at this year’s Museum + Heritage Awards.
Which pieces of coverage where you most proud of for the opening?
Nine and a half years ago, a very excited Communications Assistant showed The Telegraph’s Alastair Sooke around a self-portraiture exhibition at Turner Contemporary, on her second day of a brand new job. The star of the show was a self-portrait by Anthony van Dyck, recently saved for the nation by the National Portrait Gallery and on the first leg of its UK tour.
In 2023, that same self-portrait graced the cover of the Telegraph Magazine, accompanying a fantastic piece written by Alastair telling the story of the Gallery’s transformation. Seeing that piece published was a bit of a ‘full circle’ moment for me.
If you haven’t already listened, I’d also really recommend our Close Encounters series with BBC Sounds and Radio 4, which saw the lovely Martha Kearney tour the Gallery (*cough, building site!) while speaking to leading figures about their favourite portraits from the star-studded Collection.
What were the biggest challenges for the opening PR campaign — was it the sheer number of stories you needed to put out?
You’re right in thinking that the campaign was pretty all-encompassing! It’s not often that you’re tasked with planning for a major building transformation and rehang of the Collection, alongside the launch of a new brand and the creation of new hospitality spaces and programmes.
From our new doors by Tracey Emin to our secret underground bar, ensuring that every element of the campaign got its moment was key. On top of all this, we also fundraised to make the UK’s most significant acquisition to date, Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai.
What has been your career journey into arts PR?
My first paid job in the culture sector was at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, as their Marketing Intern. They still offer paid internships across various departments each year, so if you’re new to the sector and reading this, do check them out!
I then went onto work at the beautiful Turner Contemporary in Margate, before moving to London to join UBS, a Swiss bank with a fabulous contemporary art collection.
I then spent nearly five years at Imperial War Museums, leading on communications for exhibitions and programmes. On some days, I’d be working underground at Churchill War Rooms, while on others I’d be with crews at IWM North or IWM Duxford, where you’d occasionally be lucky enough to spot a Spitfire flying overhead. Some of my most memorable moments at IWM included working with war veterans and Holocaust survivors to help share their stories; leading communications for HMS Belfast’s 80th anniversary (I even got to fire one of the Belfast’s guns while filming with Blue Peter!); and taking a group of journalists to Ai Weiwei’s studio in Berlin, just a few weeks before the first national lockdown.
What does an average day look like for you?
What’s great about working at the NPG is that there really is no average day — with six temporary exhibitions a year and a Collection that spans more than 500 years of history, to say that ‘projects are varied’ just doesn’t quite cut it!
Within one working day, I spent a morning facilitating interviews in our Tudor galleries; the afternoon on a media tour with footballer Raheem Sterling, who visited the Gallery as part of his Making of Me project; and an evening with David Hockney, photographing him ahead of opening David Hockney: Drawing from Life.
That’s what I love about the Gallery’s programme – there really is something for everyone!
With the boom in social media, is media coverage still important?
I’d be in the wrong job if my answer was no!
Media coverage is integral to the success of campaigns, as working with trusted journalists does so much to influence perception and to reach those beyond our existing fan base. The right story placed in the right publication can do incredible things for a gallery like the NPG. Comments from David Hockney and Harry Styles placed exclusively in British Vogue, alongside a photo of the artist painting the singer, resulted in hundreds of ticket sales for our Hockney show, and a big spike in new membership purchases. Strategising works!
The next big press campaign is for the Six Wives exhibition. How is that going — and what have you got lined up?
Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens is our first historical exhibition since reopening, as well as the first major show to place its focus on the women who married the infamous Tudor king. Expect to see many of the iconic sixteenth-century portraits that made the queens stars in their lifetimes alongside contemporary depictions that speak to the impact they’ve continued to have on popular culture.
We’re also partnering with SIX the Musical to bring our visitors closer to the queens, so look out for special lates and workshops in the Gallery. We’re going hard on podcasts for this show, so I hope you’ll hear us on lots of your favourite history channels.
Finally, how much of a loss is Director Nicholas Cullinan now he has had his last day and moves to the British Museum?
It’s definitely sad to say goodbye to Nicholas, who’s done so much for the NPG in his nine years as Director, but I’m also hugely excited for him. Our sector is incredibly collegiate, so I know that he’ll continue to root for us from down the road in Bloomsbury, as the NPG continues into its very exciting new chapter.
Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens opens at the National Portrait Gallery on 20 June. The winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024 will be announced on 10 July.
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Thanks so much for delving into this aspect of the museum sector - so inspirational!