Guests of honor from National Museums Liverpool (NML) visited TNUA on May 2 to give a series of master lectures on the social roles of museums.
NML Director David Fleming, Executive Director Sharon Granville and Francoise McClafferty received a warm welcome during their visit to the university.
Their respective talks were entitled: "National Museums Liverpool (NML) & Its Context – How We Engage Audiences with Difficult Subject," "The Development of the Museum of Liverpool & Its Success," and "SJAM & the MA in Museum & Heritage Studies in Liverpool based on Shared Values of Social Justice," respectively.
Mr. Fleming noted that NML is a group of free museums and galleries housing varied collections: International Slavery Museum, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool, Sudley House, UK Border Force National Museum, Walker Art Gallery and World Museum.
Their collections cover a wide range of fields, from fine arts, installation arts, archeology, ethnology, natural science, to social, maritime and industrial history.
Sponsored chiefly by the government, the various venues of NML attracted more than 3.3 million visitors in 2012.
Mr. Fleming noted that the International Slavery Museum (ISM) was the first museum in the world dedicated to promoting the understanding of transatlantic slave trade. It opened it doors on August 23, 2007 to mark the bicentennial of Britain abolishing slavery.
Mr. Fleming stressed that it is no longer a common belief that museums must remain "neutral" to be trusted by the general public. Rather, museums must play an active role in promoting cultural diversity, human rights and mutual respect between different cultures, religions and peoples.