Inspiring People: Addressing the challenges of our Age – the work of National Museums Scotland

Abstract

• Chris Breward is the Director of National Museums Scotland. He was trained at the Courtauld Institute and the Royal College of Art, London and has previously worked as Director of Collection and Research at the National Galleries of Scotland, Head of Research at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and as Principal of Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. His published interests include the relationship between art and fashion, visual and cultural histories of masculinity, and histories of city life. The work of museums has never been so relevant to the needs of society or so threatened by the state of the world in which we live. In this talk Director of National Museums Scotland, Dr Chris Breward, will reflect on the complex institutional and intellectual history which underpins National Museums Scotland as it exists today, describe the various functions the Museum undertakes, and outline the challenges we face and the ways in which a new Vision and new strategic aims will carry the organisation through the 2020s and beyond. Dr Breward will explain how the National Collection sits at the heart of National Museum Scotland’s purpose. Because of its history, scope and significance, the collection offers something unique, where we can all explore questions about place, about identity, and about our environment. These are the key issues of our time. The Museum’s objects provide enthralling stories that give us a sense of being part of something much larger, connecting us to one another and to those who exist or existed far away in terms of time and distance. Being able to make those connections is an incredible gift and National Museums Scotland’s duty is to share it with audiences as widely as it can, inviting new perspectives that can deepen our understanding of each other and welcoming conversations that can change minds.