Pandemic, Protests and Building Back: 20 Months at the British Museum

Abstract This article is a personal reflection that examines the impact of the pandemic on the British Museum’s (BM) onsite interpretation and audiences; however, it is informed by robust visitor insight and evaluation as well as by direct experience. Quotes from the public are incorporated throughout. Covid-19 led to the BM’s closure on 18 March 2020, the first of several national lockdowns in the United Kingdom. The museum eventually reopened some of its galleries on 27 August 2020 with a carefully curated one-way route, primarily on the ground-floor initially. George Floyd’s death was another pivotal moment in 2020. In response, the BM’s Director issued a statement in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM). This was welcomed by staff and volunteers, but it also attracted some critical comments on social media, including calls for the return of looted African objects within the BM’s collection. The museum made some modest but significant changes ahead of reopening, introducing a Collecting and Empire trail along the one-way route and redisplaying a bust of the Museum’s founder Sir Hans Sloane to acknowledge his links to slavery and empire. The museum’s income-generating exhibition programme was much impacted by the pandemic, with planned shows Tantra: enlightenment to revolution and Arctic: culture and climate opening much later than intended, with significantly reduced visitor capacity and major adaptations. Another lockdown in December meant that the runs of both exhibitions were curtailed, with that for Arctic being drastically shortened. A significant shift to online events and resources, however, enabled these exhibitions to reach new, global audiences. The BM again re-opened on 17 May 2021, with the government subsequently lifting Covid restrictions in England on 19 July 2021. However, the pandemic has radically changed the BM’s visitor numbers and typical audience profile by massively reducing the number of international visitors. The events of 2020-21 remind us of how interconnected our world is and how quickly what happens elsewhere affects us all. The challenges for museums have rarely been greater, but there are also opportunities for institutions to rethink their relationships with audiences and the wider public.