This question has haunted me for years. The benefits of collaboration for communities are so clear—yet, too often, we see competitiveness, turf wars, or even sabotage. I’ve witnessed the desire to be the ‘top dog’ overshadow the real purpose of museum work.
Private museums are dismissed as not ‘real’ museums. Community-led museums are branded ‘unprofessional.’ Meanwhile, larger institutions sometimes posture as rescuers—armed with HVAC systems, neat labels, and cavernous storage facilities that consume vast budgets. But how much of those collections will communities ever actually see? Too often, less than 10%.
By contrast, many volunteer-led museums proudly display the majority of their collections—an approach some call ‘amateur.’ But what if this visibility is, in fact, a strength? What if museums stopped competing and started collaborating—recognising that communities thrive when their heritage is represented through many voices, many perspectives, and many approaches?
We must also question what ‘professionalism’ really means. Large storage facilities are not, on their own, a sign of success. Preservation matters, yes—but preservation should not mean hiding every artifact in perpetuity. True preservation is about keeping our stories alive. Objects and archives are catalysts for connection, not trophies to be locked away.
When the sector equates professionalism with hoarding unseen treasures, we risk losing sight of our purpose. Museums are not just guardians of things; they are platforms for people. They are funded by communities to project our voices, to bring us together, to help us see ourselves in new ways, and to challenge and excite us.
Imagine if, instead of competing for status, museums of every scale worked collectively to serve their communities. Imagine if resources were shared, expertise exchanged, and stories co-created. The result would be richer, more diverse, and more relevant than any single institution could achieve alone.
The question, then, is not why aren’t museums working together—but isn’t it time we reimagined museums as collaborators, not competitors?
