Laura Pye has been director of National Museums Liverpool (NML) since 2018 and is spearheading the Waterfront Transformation Project, a multi-million, 10-year development to redevelop the city’s iconic dockland.
Liverpool is home to several museums and galleries, seven of which are managed by NML. These include the World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Sudley House, and Lady Lever Art Gallery, located across the city region, and the Museum of Liverpool, International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum in the waterfront area.
The Waterfront Transformation Project will enhance the museums in this space and significantly develop the surrounding dock. Numerous under-utilised smaller buildings from National Museums Liverpool’s vast estate will be developed to create new amenities and better tell the stories of Liverpool’s maritime history and the city’s role in the trade of enslaved African people.
NML’s strategy is driven by a mission to create memorable experiences and challenge expectations. Speaking to blooloop in 2024, Laura Pye said:
“We’re trying to make sure that there is something for everyone across the whole of NML. There is something that everyone would want to engage with, and we provide spaces that create those memorable experiences. Challenging expectations is important, which came from many conversations with staff. They probably best described it by saying, ‘We want to make the uncomfortable feel comfortable in our spaces’. If you’re uncomfortable going into a museum, we want to make you feel comfortable in that space.”
“But equally, if you’re comfortable in a museum, we want to make you feel a bit uncomfortable because we want to challenge those expectations about what you find in a museum.”
Pye has led initiatives to position NML as a force for social change, focusing on tackling inequality and increasing access to cultural resources. This involves rethinking how exhibitions are curated and presented to include multiple perspectives and marginalised voices.