Interview with Dame Liz Forgan by Scott Anthony
Name
2025-05-0_InterviewLizForgan_Transcript_FINAL.pdf
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200.3 KB
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Adobe PDF
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Resource type
GenericWork Other
Creator (person)
Forgan, Liz
Anthony, Scott
Date published
May 5, 2025
Abstract
This interview with Dame Liz Forgan took place as part of an event hosted by the Museums and Industry: Long Histories of Collaboration (MaILHoC) research project in conjunction with the Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA at the University of Westminster. The event was attended by students completing the ‘Management in Cultural and Heritage Institutions’ postgraduate module convened by Dr Alison Hess.
This is an edited transcript, the majority of which is drawn from a conversation between Dame Liz Forgan and Dr Scott Anthony. However, some of the questions are drawn from interventions made by Dr Alison Hess and the postgraduate students attending. For clarity, the contributions of Anthony, Hess, and the students have been amalgamated into the voice of a single Interviewer (Int).
The interview provides an overview of Dame Liz Forgan’s career, what she learned from her training as a journalist, and the models of management she bought into the cultural sector. Dame Liz reflects in detail on the impacts of Lottery funding on the UK’s cultural landscape, the challenges of cutting budgets at the Arts Council in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis, and the future of arts funding in the UK. Lastly, she reflects on the ethics of sponsorship and the impacts of museum charging, the place of arts and culture in British politics and society, and the importance of confidence, resilience, and self-development for a successful career in the arts sector.
Before the event students were asked to read a portfolio of press articles about Dame Liz’s career as well as a valedictory speech, ‘A Farewell to Arts and a plea to Michael Gove’, given after her departure from the Arts Council in 2012. Some of the questions in the interview are based on this speech. You can read it here: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/farewell-to-arts-and-plea-to-michael-gove/
Project(s)
Museums and Industry: Long Histories of Collaboration
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage | |
Publisher
Science Museum Group
Official URL
Rights statement
In Copyright