From the gallery to the street: universities, museums and public engagement

Partnerships, collaborations and alliances have become the buzzwords of Cameron’s ‘Big Society’. With the implementation of the comprehensive spending review and cuts across the Higher Education and museum sectors, the government is exhorting public institutions to do more with less. A call for new approaches that foster sustainable relationships between public and private spheres and which encourages stakeholder advocacy provides a timely opportunity for universities to consider their relationship to the city and the need to engage with local communities. The focus is on student-led projects that explore cross-sector partnerships, engage with regeneration strategies and propose innovative curatorial practices/interventions. The paper critically analyses the spatial and symbolic boundaries of public and private spheres and considers the possibility for creating common ground - a platform for conversations, interactions and connections between students, community groups and other stakeholders.