In early 2006, Lower Hutt’s Dowse Art Museum went through a rebranding process as part of refocusing the vision and values of their organisation. From this process emerged TheNewDowse as an institution with an increasingly national role based on a strong sense of community involvement and ownership. Tim Walker has been director there since 1998 and spearheaded the rebranding process.
NSTP: What urged you to rebrand The Dowse?
TW: We see the process of understanding the brand as a key to success. And it’s not just about a logo – that’s a small element of it. It’s about thinking hard about what we are, who we are for, and what we could be and who we could be for. So we took the opportunity, as we developed the brief for the new building and while we were closed, to think hard about what the organisation could become as we moved ahead into the 21st century. While maintaining a focus on decorative arts, our programmes had already moved to encompass a wider understanding of the value of creativity – including hip-hop, creative entrepreneurship, and mental health projects.
NSTP: What were the key learnings for you during this process?
TW: It’s a great way of building a team and a collective understanding of, and buy-in to, the organisation’s business. Working with a very experienced team at designworks enterprise IG helped us to develop a consensus understanding of what had made The Dowse such a great organisation in the past, and to clearly express where we are headed. It helped us further develop the values that underpin everything we do.
NSTP: What do you think is your museum’s point of difference?
TW: The by-line to our new brand, ‘creativity in progress’, is about innovations in creativity that drive human progress and understanding – culturally, socially, spiritually, and economically. This opens us up to thinking about projects in a distinctly different way from other museums and galleries and allows us freedom to engage a wide range of audiences that a more traditional ‘media’ (i.e., craft, photography, etc) or ‘type’ (i.e., contemporary art gallery, design museum, etc) wouldn’t. Obviously, to be of value, any organisation’s point of difference needs to be clear and advantageous in business terms.
NSTP: What do you think is the most important factor for a museum’s success?
TW: To add value – to individuals, the community, and society. I think museums are fundamentally about value and the underlying values of contributors, audiences, stakeholders, and partners. If you can work in a way that facilitates the expression of this to reinforce existing value and build new value then you’ll be successful. Museums need to be constantly thinking about the values of those they seek to work with and for, which are constantly changing. Because we are often about ‘conserving’ things, we can sometimes become unduly orthodox and formulaic about how we see our role, and this can lead to our potential value being undermined.
NSTP: Finally, what sort of advice would you give to someone planning a new museum?
TW: Be really clear about what you want to achieve, who for, and the underlying value of that mission. Ask yourself ‘who cares?’ and ‘what would make them care more?’ Be realistic about ongoing funding and business issues and do everything you can to build a relevant and sustainable organisation.