Museums must actively engage young people as collaborators to fulfill their duty to inspire future creatives
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/augustuscaselyhayford. "Museums have a duty to inspire the creatives of the future. At V&A East, I’ve made that my mission | Gus Casely-Hayford | The Guardian." April 18, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that museums aren't doing enough to keep young people interested and engaged. Instead of just creating exhibits for young people, museums should work with them to decide what to show and how to show it, because young people naturally love culture but lose interest when museums don't speak to their concerns.
Conclusion
Museums have a duty to inspire the creatives of the future, and this requires fundamentally reimagining how museums operate - creating institutions with and for young people rather than simply for them
Premises
- Young people lose their natural curiosity and engagement with museums during adolescence, often becoming disengaged despite being surrounded by incredible cultural resources
- Traditional patrician Victorian approaches to museum curation no longer meet the needs and expectations of contemporary young audiences
- Young people are naturally curious and passionate about culture during their formative years, but current museum practices fail to maintain this engagement
- Extensive consultation with over 30,000 young people demonstrates that they want museums to reflect their concerns about representation, identity, social justice, and environmental action
- Creative talents like JME needed catalytic support and inspiration at crucial moments in their development, which museums are positioned to provide
- Museums can successfully engage young audiences when they involve them as collaborators in shaping institutional direction and content presentation
Assumptions
- Museums have a moral obligation to serve and inspire young people
- Young people's disengagement with museums represents a failure of institutional approach rather than inherent lack of interest
- Collaborative consultation with young people produces better museum experiences
- Free access to cultural institutions should translate to meaningful engagement
- Museums can and should play a role in nurturing creative talent and career development