The Guardian reported yesterday (see the full article here) that museum shops are recording increased takings this year, although it only mentions National Trust properties, the Natural History Museum and the V&A. The article mentions the weakness of the pound and internal tourism as factors, alongside the perception that the products are imbued with a nebulous 'cultural value' (see illustration for the strongest argument I can think of against this idea). Culture Label is also referred to, its founder is quoted as having said that the site 'is a response to the "post-consumer" need to connect with the products we buy'. I think they have read Baudrillard!
Hi, I'm Simon, one of the founders of CultureLabel. Been reading your posts and reaction with interest - hope you don't mind me commenting but just wanted to explain our thinking.
ReplyDelete(1.) Income generation is no longer an optional add-on for museums. With existing funding pressures, and a lot worse to come from both public and private sources, there is an inescapable demand for self-generating more income in order to maintain and grow investment in collections and other core cultural activities.
(2.) Taking this as the baseline, income generation can be done poorly by selling naff tat, which ultimately damages the cultural integrity of a museum and generally ignores the high expectations of today's visitor/consumer.
Alternatively, it can be done well, and regarded as an artistic activity in its own right; drawing inspiration from collections, engaging artist-makers and generally being something that adds to the visitor experience. The best museum stores beat anything on the high street, hands down. That's a powerful source of new income and new audiences.
(3.) Connecting with consumers generates new sources of revenue to invest in collections. But just as importantly, it helps create new audiences for the museum from across a wide cross-section of society (beyond the usual suspects often targeted by traditional audience development techniques).
When we talk about people starting in the shop and ending in the musuem, it's because the shop is so accessible - it's non-threatening for a visitor new to a musuem. Rather than always focussing on ways to bring people into the four walls of a museum, our focus is on using products and retail as a way of bringing the museum into our everyday lifestyles.
For example, Ted Baker worked with the London Transport Museum. Now, LTM products are featured in Ted Baker stores around the world. Similarly, Ironbridge Gorge tiles are sold through Fired Earth stores. In both cases, the museums spread their message and reach audiences in a way that even the most evangelical outreach programme can only dream of.
As you're probably very aware, people are consuming culture in radically different ways to even just 5 years ago. This provides both a threat and an opporunity for musuems - but, for sure, it involves engaging in innovative new approaches to what's gone before.
I could go on (and on) but I'll stop there - if you want more, download our free book on income generation for museums from the blog at http://blog.culturelabel.com
Look forward to hearing your thoughts
Cheers
Simon
Hi Simon,
ReplyDeletethank you for taking time to post a comment, it's really interesting to hear your response to this thread....and please don't take to heart any critique that appears on our blog...our students are taught to 'be critical' but we do view the blog as a space for informed critique. You're absolutely right of course that the spaces, places and methods of cultural consumption are changing (that's one of the exciting things about contemporary 'cultural studies'...it never stays still)....and the Museum is now firmly part of the cultural economy....maybe we could invite you over to Leeds University to give a talk to the students? I think we would be very interested to hear about these new developments....would that be possible?
do send me a mail....
m.w.westgarth@leeds.ac.uk
alternatively keep following Blog.....and keep Posting of course...
Very kindest regards
Mark