Manhattan or Screwdriver? Museums mix a new cocktail

Is the rise of the private museum just a boon for culture or does it make it harder for public institutions to do their job?
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Image via ​Wikipedia

Public museums used to be made like fine wine, with collections fermented in a long slow process, steeped in oak and erudition.

But in recent years they have found themselves making cocktails – literally in the case of many an evening public program but also figuratively in the need to mix their models, engage with the private museum sector and experiment with sexy new combinations of programming.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina