Mark Oneill

Background

About Mark Oneill

I worked for over 30 years in museums, mostly in Glasgow, where I moved in 1984, serving as Head of Glasgow Museums from 1998-2009. I led a number of large scale, award-winning projects, including: in 1990, the Open Museum, Glasgow’s award winning outreach service; in 1993 the only museum of world religions in the UK (“In terms of interpreting and inspiring society afresh, the St Mungo Museum is probably the most important museum to have been opened in Britain since the V&A”, The Spectator); in 2006, the £35 million refurbishment of Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (one of the “few memorable paradigm-shifting museums that come along in any lifetime” Elaine Gurian); and the £74 million Riverside Museum (European Museum of the Year 2013). From 2009 to 2016 I was Director of Policy & Research for Glasgow Life, the charity which delivers arts, museums, libraries, and sports services for the City of Glasgow, the largest organisation of its kind in Europe. These experiences gave me a new perspective on the possible roles and impacts of museums in delivering access and social inclusion. After taking early retirement in 2016, from 2017 to 2023 I was a judge for the European Museum of the Year Award, including three years as chair of the EMYA Jury. I have lectured worldwide and published on museum philosophy and practice, as well as on strategic planning for heritage, tourism and urban regeneration, and on the health benefits of cultural participation.