Listening to Jo

Reading Jo’s piece, I hear the feeling so many of us in the museum experience, of how difficult it is to hold the tensions of a local agenda, while being a national institution. So many of us working in the museum encounter that tension in our day-to-day practice.  

Jo recognises that there is an organisational context that does restrain our ability to do a number of things as a national museum. But I like the idea of focusing on the positive that enables, on our strengths, on what we can bring to Bradford. Because we are national, we bring to the table things like connections to certain national structures, important international collections, funding and other things.   

Jo’s words for me are part of us trying to talk more openly and be more transparent about the tensions people working in the museum have to negotiate, about the reality of the tensions that exist, and how we are trying to see them all as strengths. 

Gin Jacobucci, Volunteers Coordinator

Jo Quinton-Tulloch's moment

National museums outside of London are different. I didn’t fully appreciate this until I came to Bradford. In London a...