Social Class in UK Museums: Mark Taylor Interviews Michelle McGrath

Abstract

What is the experience of working-class museum professionals in the UK, and what is the Museum as Muck network doing about it? This is a conversation between Michelle McGrath, founder of Museum as Muck, and Mark Taylor, who researches inequalities across cultural and creative industries in the UK. The interview introduces Museum as Muck, which is a network for working-class museum workers, explaining their activism and work. It also discusses broader themes that explain the relative lack of working-class museum workers, including working for free, nepotism, and how entry-level roles are advertised, and moves on to discuss the mechanisms through which class inequality persists even once working-class people have entered the sector. It concludes with a discussion of how current museum professionals and museum educators can influence practice to make museums a more welcoming and supportive environment for working-class people, both in the UK and internationally.