BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD Tuesday, 14 May 2019 F.O.I. status: OPEN for release - no redactions Paper No: BLB 19/26 EXHIBITIONS AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY: REVIEW OF 2016-19 CYCLE AND FUTURE STRATEGIC DIRECTION PRESENTER: Conrad Bodman, Head of Culture Programmes PURPOSE: a) to review exhibition performance for the 2016/17-2018/19 cycle; and b) to invite comment on the new mission, creative principles, programming methodology, and strategic objectives for temporary and touring exhibitions during the period 2019/20 – 2024/25. ACTION REQUIRED: For Review (and comment) INTRODUCTION Since the publication of Living Knowledge in 2015, the significance of British Library exhibitions to the overall organisational mission has grown considerably. For the first time, Living Knowledge explicitly referenced exhibitions as part of the Library’s core public Purposes, and it set corporate objectives for the programme to increase its range and impact. The launch of Living Knowledge also saw the introduction of the first three-year exhibition cycle that set challenging stretch targets for audience numbers and income (box office, commercial and philanthropic), not on an exhibition-by- exhibition basis as was previously the case but across a three-year cycle that ended in March 2019. This three-year period saw an exceptional pace of change in expectations and perceptions of museum exhibitions across the cultural sector. Blockbuster temporary exhibitions became prevalent—most notably music and fashion shows at the V&A—and the impact of these increasingly tied to organisations’ overall financial performance. However, more recently attention has shifted to the political-cultural narratives of organisations’ display of their objects, especially their permanent collections. The growing importance of the ‘decolonizing museums’ agenda in Europe, the United States, and Australasia has brought increasing focus on the provenance of historic collections, and the interpretation and curatorial strategies employed to display them. There has also been increasing awareness of the economic structures of large exhibitions, and many of the national museums have been criticised for exhibition sponsorship arrangements, most notably partnerships with oil, pharmaceutical, and arms companies. BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD 14 May 2019 During this first three-year cycle, the British Library staged a number of major exhibitions, including two ‘blockbuster’ shows: ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’, the Library’s most successful exhibition ever; and ‘Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms’, an exhibition that attracted 108K visitors and received across- the-board positive reviews. The attraction of our overall exhibitions offer has also grown as a proportion of overall visits to the St Pancras building during this period, with the Culture programme attracting 41% of all visits (and 55% of all unique visitors) in 2017/18. In addition, during this period a new display space was opened (the Second Floor Gallery); new cases were formalised for temporary displays in the in the Treasures gallery; and a project was completed to transform the gallery experience in the existing building. The Library also created a new UK touring exhibition programme in 2016, and in 2018 opened its first ever international touring exhibition in New York. Following the signing of the Development Agreement with SMBL Developments Ltd to develop the site to the north of the existing building, planning for the additional gallery spaces in the new building will be enhanced, and will be informed by ambition for change during the years leading up to the opening. Therefore, as we complete our first exhibition cycle, and develop ambitions for the programme over the next three years, in this paper we will: a) review exhibition performance for the 2016/17- 2018/19 cycle; and b) to invite comment on the new mission, creative principles, programming methodology, and strategic objectives for temporary and touring exhibitions during the period 2019/20 – 2024/25. The paper considers both on-site temporary and touring exhibitions, and will influence the development of programming in our new building post-2026. The paper will also inform the evolution of the permanent Treasures Gallery, and an enhanced British Library presence in Leeds; however, specific strategies will emerge from the STP Transformed and BL North Portfolios to develop these projects in greater detail. STRATEGIC CONTEXT Culture is one of the six purposes of the British Library as defined in the Living Knowledge strategy published in 2015. The Culture Purpose affirms that ‘we engage everyone with memorable cultural experiences’: a cross-Library responsibility led by the Culture teams. Our published priorities for 2015 – 2023 to support our Cultural purpose are to: Grow the profile, diversity and creative impact of the Library’s cultural activities, both on- site and online. Develop an increased programme of loans, touring exhibitions and digital collaborations, with public libraries and others, that open our collections to new audiences across the UK and internationally. The exhibition programme also supports other Purposes: Custodianship: Exhibitions showcase the UK’s national collection of published, written, and digital content, and provide opportunities for new acquisitions and donations to grow these collections. Research and Engagement: Exhibitions enable curatorial staff to undertake ‘deep research’ into the collection and to engage with key stakeholders allowing us to present new BLB 19/26 Page 2 of 17 BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD 14 May 2019 information in accessible ways to exhibition audiences, and leverage additional funding for staff support via PHD studentships and other research grants. Learning: Exhibitions allow us to provide inspiration to learners of all ages, from students to life-long learners and community groups, and provide a pathway to deeper understanding of our collections. International: Exhibitions allow visitors to engage with our international collections and the connections between them; and our international touring programme offers the opportunity to build new international partnerships and audiences. GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES Our exhibition programme has contributed to the delivery of a number of government priorities and forms part of the British Library’s DCMS KPIs. Our audience engagement in London and across the UK contributes to the DCMS’ participation priority and our international touring programme delivers the global priority. Additionally, we have delivered on the priorities of the DCMS-commissioned Mendoza Review of Museums in England, especially around growing and diversifying audiences, place making and working internationally. SECTION 1: EXHIBITION PROGRAMME THEMATIC REVIEW: 2016/7-2018/19 OUR PROGRAMME The British Library has delivered a vibrant programme of exhibitions in London, across the UK, and internationally over the last 3 years. In London we have developed a varied range of exhibitions across the building, including ticketed temporary exhibitions in the Paccar gallery, free temporary exhibitions in the Entrance Hall Gallery, and a free permanent offer in the ‘Sir John Ritblat: Treasures of the British Library’ Gallery (that also includes two areas of rotating small displays). During this period we also opened an additional free, temporary space to showcase works on paper: the Second Floor Gallery. Many of these exhibitions have been curated by British Library staff, often working with external expert advisers; and we have also showcased work by artists responding to Library collections (e.g. Chloe Dewe-Matthews, ‘In Search of Frankenstein’) or learning groups (e.g. ‘Tūhuratanga: Voyage of Discovery’ with Pacific island community groups). See Appendix 1. Our exhibitions have covered an extensive range of subject matter drawn from our own collections, and enhanced by loans from third party institutions and individuals, as well as newly created work and commissioned films. Paccar programming has included exhibitions exploring British history (e.g. ‘Anglo Saxon Kingdoms’), thematic exhibitions (e.g. ‘Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line’), international country-specific exhibitions (e.g. ‘Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths’), and career focus exhibitions (e.g. ‘Shakespeare in Ten Acts’). ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ was our most successful exhibition ever, and successfully used a major literary phenomenon as a means of exploring the riches of the library’s historical collections. Our free Entrance Hall exhibitions have allowed us to explore a broader range of subject matter, to take more risks, and to respond to BLB 19/26 Page 3 of 17 BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD 14 May 2019 contemporary events (e.g. ‘Windrush: Songs in a Strange Land’ or ‘Gay UK’). These exhibitions have also showcased lesser-known areas of our collecting (e.g. ‘Listen: 140 Years of Sound’ and ‘Punk: 1976-78’ showcased our sound archive and printed ephemera). These exhibitions have also been the right scale to tour to regional libraries and museums. During this period we also created a new touring exhibition programme from scratch, which has grown audience engagement out of London and internationally, as well as delivering new income streams (see Appendix 2). UK touring exhibitions have ranged from ‘The Roald Dahl Centenary Portraits’ (Hull, Norwich, Wakefield) to ‘Punk: 1976-78’ (Sunderland, Liverpool), and we also created a new form of wrap-around displays when we simultaneously opened ‘Harry Potter…’ panel exhibitions in 20+ UK libraries to accompany