Museum sector charts progress at 2025 Strategy Symposium
Over 300 people joined us in-person and online this week for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy Symposium 2025, the largest annual gathering of Scottish museum sector workers. Organised by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the museum sector, this free event offered the workforce an opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss their progress on the aims of Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy.
Across a series of panels and workshops held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, speakers highlighted how museums and galleries can connect with their communities, develop the skills of the workforce, and build more resilient organisations. Sessions explored a wide range of topics including sustainable co-production, inclusive recruitment practices, climate-conscious digitisation, and anti-racist programming.
We were pleased to welcome keynote speaker Professor David Olusoga OBE, who spoke passionately for the social, cultural, and educational benefits of museums and galleries. He called for museums to acknowledge their relationship to histories of colonisation and exploitation, and to work with diverse communities to create inclusive, inspiring spaces where all are welcome.
Angus Robertson MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, delivered a speech which commended the vital contribution of museums to Scotland’s health, wellbeing, and tourist economy. Reiterating the Scottish Government’s support for the museum sector, he announced a new £4 million culture and heritage capacity fund for 2025-26.
The Symposium also featured a morning social for members of our Delivering Change programme, and opportunities throughout the day for delegates to network with key partner organisations such as the Museums Association, Make Your Mark, the Association of Independent Museums, and Community Enterprise.
Speaking after the event, Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “The Symposium was a huge success, and I am enormously grateful to everybody who played a part in it. It was an important opportunity for the sector to come together with shared goals, mutual support, and an inspiring dedication to our museums and galleries.”
