Listening to Geoff

I think what Geoff articulating is his theory of change. I think he is thinking about how structural change comes about through lots of people having conversations and networks until it can somehow tip over and then structural change can happen. 

Helen Graham, Project Researcher

I recently celebrated twenty years at the museum. As a former “young advocate”, yes it does gets exhausting. At that time, I would argue (like all older men), it used to be tougher. There was a sense of ‘if our language doesn’t suit you, this isn’t for you’. I remember, we had to argue to increase the font size on labels in our exhibitions and galleries to make it big enough to read. The information was more important than the legibility. I think we’ve come a long way. But any organisation is also a collective of individuals. Now we have a different set of personalities in higher-up positions, who can actually turn the wheels. I believe we are all committed to change. But leadership through change is difficult if you are the person who has the expertise to turn the wheel, and instead of just getting on with it as usual, you are saying that we need to collaborate with those who have different expertise locally to actually do it with us.

Dean Loughran, Head of Operations

I would like to add the importance of not falling into pre-conceived ideas of what change is and what ‘communities’ want. I am also thinking about the restrictions of being an institution and how it’s a long-term commitment to establish relationships that allow people to open and say things that don’t fit into our pre-conceived ideas.

Nadine Loach, Registrar

Geoff Belknap's moment

In 2018, when I first started as Head Curator at the National Science and Media Museum, I started to experience...