Amy de Joia talks to Laura Spence about her inspirations, present projects and future developments.  De Joia is executive director of development and communications for National Museums Liverpool and featured in How-Do's Public Sector 100.

What projects are you working on at the moment and what’s the thinking behind them?
 

De Joia: bacon butty fan

So what’s the favourite aspect of your role at NML?

Every day brings something different, which I love.  I am responsible for all NML’s marketing and communications, fundraising, exhibitions, museum partnerships, and our catering and retail and so I get to be involved in a lot of projects working with great people. One minute I could be discussing with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport our fundraising plans for the next few years, planning what stories to cover in our e-newsletters, or discussing with our director, David Fleming how to develop our advocacy and partnership programmes.

How did you begin your career and what inspires you from day to day? 

The beginnings were way back in 1989. It wasn't really planned. I was lucky.  I was working on the Ancient Egyptian collection at World Museum, part of NML - and I needed to start earning. A job came up at the museum - it was a new junior post to manage exhibitions and loans - and amazingly I got it! I loved that job - and from there I have built my career at NML. 

Liverpool inspires me. It’s a magnificent place. I’ve loved it from the first day I came to the city in 1981. I stayed and have never left.

It’s a difficult time for graduates to find jobs.  What advice would you give to those wanting to pursue a career in this area?

World Museum Liverpool: De Joia's base

My children’s sports-mania keeps me and my husband pretty fully occupied when we’re not at work. My younger son plays for Liverpool Football Academy U13s, so he’s got training in Kirkby four nights a week, and matches every Sunday. My older son plays rugby, football and tennis and there is always a match to get to somewhere at the weekends. So, although I am probably the unsportiest person on the planet, I have become interested out of necessity. Other than that, I’d say – cryptic crosswords (love them), Scrabble (how sad is that) and eating bacon sandwiches every Saturday morning with friends.

I’m more of a bacon sandwich fan I have to admit, but I’m sure there are plenty of How-doers who are closet scrabble fans. Are you a keen twitterer?
 
Websites like Twitter are a marvellous opportunity for museums because audiences are flagging up their interest and volunteering their creative resources.
 
Do you think social media sites are important in attracting a younger audience to the museums?

Social networks are becoming increasingly important in museum communications and this reflects changes in the way that people are spending their time online. While corporate websites are still valid they have to compete with social networks offering chat, games and entertainment all in one place. It’s now pretty essential for museums to get in on the conversations to maintain a presence.

Credit crunch art: inspired

One of my favourites at the moment is our Credit Crunch Art feature on Flickr – where people are doing bizarre modern takes on our paintings at the Walker and the Lady Lever art galleries.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job at NML?

We’re the largest arts organisation in the North West, and the only national museums group in England outside of London and this can sometimes be a difficult role to communicate. We need to make sure our visitors appreciate what a major player NML is on the cultural, business and education scene. We’re currently rebranding our organisation and all our venues, which will make this challenge easier.

Otherwise, my major challenge is coping with my tendency to disorganisation – I am always slightly late and slightly windswept wherever I go. I don’t mean to be. The spirit is willing but the body always seems to be that little bit behind.

I’d like to say I was a slightly windswept artistic spirit, but I’m probably just flustered.  Which museum have you enjoyed working on the most?

The International Slavery Museum

World Museum is special to me too. In my opinion, it’s the best family-friendly museum there is – treasures from around the world, dinosaurs, an aquarium and a planetarium – and all free. It’s where I started my career and it’s where my office is now. I get to see Ancient Egyptian mummies and ‘Nemo’ fish every day.

Why is the development of museums so important?

Museums are increasingly becoming dynamic spaces where debate and discussion take place, using the collections to inspire. Museums should actively engage people to come in, find out about the past and learn and think about how that impacts on the present and the future. Museums also play an important part in their local and regional economies – attracting tourists and helping to create a sense of place. To do all this to best advantage museums need to be constantly moving forward and finding fresh, lively and relevant ways to engage with their audiences.

Being a keen museum-goer myself.  I have to ask aside from the capital of culture 2008, which city is your favourite museum hotspot?

As a New Yorker by birth, it’s got to be New York City. It’s got fab museums large and small. My favourite among them is the American Museum of Natural History. I also love the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was a volunteer in my gap year, while I was working as a dog-sitter and being dressed as a tomato handing out leaflets in Time Square but that’s another story…

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Comments (1)

1  By Martin , on 24-09-2009 10:55 Great to hear you getting involved in the social media thing - and to make it work properly alongside an exhibition, and getting people completely involved is brilliant! Report