Museum Detox

Museum Detox
Name	Museum Detox
Formation	2014
Type	Advocacy group
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	United Kingdom, International

Museum Detox

Museum Detox is a UK-based advocacy and networking collective of museum, gallery, archive, and heritage professionals formed to address racial inequality and lack of diversity within cultural institutions. It emerged amid debates over representation sparked by controversies involving institutions such as the British Museum, National Trust, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Modern, and Museum of London Docklands. Members have included staff from the Imperial War Museums, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Opera House, and many regional museums across the United Kingdom and beyond.

History and Origins

Museum Detox was founded in 2014 following discussions among staff at the British Museum, Museum of London, National Portrait Gallery, Barbican Centre, and Southbank Centre about workplace racism and exclusion. Early influences and contexts included public debates around the Windrush scandal, the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd, and heritage issues raised by campaigns regarding the Rhodes Must Fall movement and debates over the legacy of Cecil Rhodes at University of Oxford. Founding members drew inspiration from networks such as Sisters Uncut, Black Lives Matter UK, Decolonize This Place, and activist histories connected to the Notting Hill Carnival and campaigns against the Troubles-era inequalities in institutions like the Ulster Museum.

Mission and Activities

Museum Detox aims to increase racial equity, improve hiring and retention of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic staff, and reform collections and interpretation practices in institutions including the British Library, National Museums Liverpool, Tate Britain, Imperial War Museum North, and regional galleries like the Walker Art Gallery. Activities include organizing conferences connecting professionals from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Academy of Arts, and Courtauld Institute of Art; running mentoring programs linked to the Prince’s Trust and initiatives analogous to schemes at the National Gallery; producing guidance influenced by reports from bodies such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission and drawing on research connected to universities like University College London, the University of Manchester, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the University of Birmingham.

Impact on Museums and Communities

Museum Detox has contributed to policy shifts at institutions such as the Museum of London Docklands, National Maritime Museum, Imperial War Museums, and the Science Museum Group, encouraging changes in recruitment similar to programs at the Wellcome Collection and the Royal Society. Its influence has intersected with public heritage debates involving the National Trust, restitution discussions connected to the Benin Bronzes, repatriation cases involving the Ashanti and Benin Kingdoms, and programming at sites like the Geffrye Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery. Community impacts are visible in partnerships with organizations such as the Black Cultural Archives, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and activism tied to diaspora communities from Jamaica, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and the Caribbean.

Campaigns and Notable Actions

Museum Detox has organized and supported actions in conversation with groups active at the British Museum, Tate Modern, National Maritime Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and regional venues including Battersea Arts Centre and The Lowry. Campaigns have intersected with high-profile controversies like protests related to exhibitions contextualized by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign at University of Cape Town and interventionist actions influenced by the energy of demonstrations at events such as Notting Hill Carnival and occupations reminiscent of tactics used by Occupy London. Notable initiatives include public statements, briefing sessions with trustees from institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, and collaborative workshops with the Council of British Archaeology and heritage professionals from the Museum Association.

Criticism and Controversies

Museum Detox has faced criticism from some trustees and commentators associated with institutions such as the National Trust, British Museum, and Royal Museums Greenwich who argue that activist pressure risks politicizing collections. Debates have mirrored controversies involving restitution and provenance at institutions like the British Library and contested displays similar to those at the Museum of Civilisations and echo tensions seen in coverage of the Benin Bronzes and items from the Elgin Marbles discourse involving the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum. Internal museum staff debates have referenced professional bodies like the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and unions such as Unite the Union and Prospect.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Museum Detox operates as a loose collective without a central corporate hierarchy, with organizers drawn from institutions like the Natural History Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, and British Museum. Funding and support have come via partnerships, event fees, donations, and collaborations with organizations such as the Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Nesta, and local authorities including Greater London Authority and various city councils like Bristol City Council and Manchester City Council. It also liaises with academic partners at institutions like the University of Leeds, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, and King’s College London.

Media Coverage and Public Reception

Media coverage of Museum Detox has appeared in outlets reporting on cultural institutions and activism linked to the BBC, The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, New Statesman, Financial Times, and heritage-focused publications referencing debates at the British Museum, National Trust, Tate Modern, and Victoria and Albert Museum. Public reception has been mixed: praised by advocacy groups such as the Black Cultural Archives and commentators aligned with Decolonize This Place while attracting critique from some columnists and trustees associated with the National Trust and Royal Museums Greenwich.

Category:Museum organizations