In a public letter written to The Times, Alistair Hudson, Director of Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth urged the government to reconsider its lockdown of the culture sector, which allows gyms and non-essential retail, including the museum shops to open, but not the museums themselves.
In the letter, he said: “This is not about the visitor economy, it is about the lifeline that art and culture provides to so many people, especially now – and all provided within an environment of care, consideration, and wonder.
“…As we move towards some kind of life beyond Covid, we do not need a baseline economy, rather a generative and inclusive one that capitalises on our creativity – and in this mix, museums and galleries are truly a gymnasia for the soul.”
The letter is not calling for an end to all lockdown restrictions, just a reassessment of the decision to keep the culture sector closed, and for those in the health sector to realise the importance that galleries and museums can have on mental and physical health.
In an interview, Alistair Hudson said: “The government needs to change its understanding of how the culture sector works, it’s not about tourism and a sort of rarefied elitist culture, it’s actually people use museums and galleries all the time for very simple humane reasons, about connecting with other people.”
This letter comes as Manchester Art Gallery’s latest exhibition of art works made by the public and selected by artist Garyson Perry, has had to be postponed due to Tier three restrictions.
“Grayson’s Art Club: The Exhibition”, a Channel 4 show highlighting the exhibition, and meeting some of the artists, can be found on All 4.
Manchester Art Gallery will also be launching #MAGartclub, and December’s theme is ‘Manchester’. It asks the people of Manchester to make any kind of art they like, from models of the city to photographs taken on your daily walk.
Upload your creation to Instagram alongside the tag #MAGartclub for a chance to be included on a live screen in the exhibition and on the website.
If you do not have Instagram and you still want your work to be shared, you will be able to bring your creation to the gallery to be photographed, tier restrictions allow it to reopen fully. Further updates can be found at the website:
Alistair Hudson described the exhibition as: “About the way people have rediscovered art in all its forms, whether gardening or cooking or painting or making videos or social media, as something quite fundamental that all humans do.”
Those in the culture sector are keen to show how important free public spaces are, as there are so little remaining in Manchester, not least because they can help people begin to adjust back to social living after months of isolation.
Hudson said: “From our surveys from when we were open, we found that a lot of respondents said coming to an art gallery was a way or sort of weaning themselves back into social living again.
“The thought of going to a shopping centre was too daunting, but the idea of using a gallery space where they knew they could be safe and that the environment would be calmer, it gave them a step towards going back out into the world.”
As the future of Manchester’s restrictions remains in the balance this week, it is clear that the culture sector is willing to fight for its right to stay open, and to bring joy back into peoples lives again.
