Museums Journal - Museums Association

News Strikes

National Coal Mining Museum agrees 10.5% pay rise for striking workers

Further industrial action called off after charity put forward revised pay offer

News Retail

Retailers prepare for biggest ever #MuseumShopSunday

Around 2,000 venues worldwide to take part in event to celebrate museum retail

News Museum of the Year

Art Fund increases Museum of the Year prize money

Applications open for next year’s prize

People Obituary

Obituary | Kate Smith, 1971-2022

The 'shy activist' who laid many of the foundations for queer interpretation that we see today

Opinion Audiences

How audience research helped shape the Brunel Museum Reinvented Project

Katherine McAlpine shares how it is reaching new and existing visitors

Analysis Arts Council England

Will the new ACE portfolio really achieve cultural redistribution?

A dramatic shift in geography belies deeper challenges, says Geraldine Kendall Adams

News

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News Workforce

Paid curatorial training scheme launched

New Curators will support people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to enter the sector

News News in Brief

News in brief | Funding, projects, moves and more

Major appointments announced in London and Yorkshire, while two capital developments get funding boost

News Cuts

Bury Art Museum under review as council cuts costs

Local authority says culture provision is ‘the service least prioritised by residents’

News Closure

Council pledges to reopen Nottingham Castle following liquidation of trust

Venue is currently closed as trust winds up its affairs

News Accessibility

How to support World Toilet Day this year

Resources to help public attractions maximise the accessibility of their toilets

News Climate crisis

Icom says it shares climate activists’ concerns but condemns art attacks

International body says museums should be seen as allies against a common threat

News Climate crisis

Cop27 declaration seeks to address ‘culture-sized hole’ in climate policy

Climate Heritage Network launches Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration on Culture-based Climate Action

News Capital projects

Gainsborough’s House to reopen after £10m revamp

Gallery becomes largest in Suffolk and now offers a temporary exhibition space

News Decolonising Museums

Museums Galleries Scotland to develop programme based on empire and slavery report

Delivering Change project aims to support Scottish museums to represent previously unheard voices

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Analysis

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Analysis Pay

When it comes to pay, museums are still living in the past

New research from the MA shows museum salaries are falling ever further behind the market median

Analysis Museums for Climate Justice

To tackle the climate emergency, museums must learn to let go

The sector needs to challenge its thinking and develop radical new ways to manage collections and buildings

Analysis Museums for Climate Justice

Climate justice: Why museums need to join the fight for change

The Museums Association's new campaign will help the sector to tackle this crucial issue

Analysis Covid-19

A new museum policy for Northern Ireland is sorely overdue

The sector has faced numerous challenges but strategic thinking could bring a renewed sense of purpose

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Opinion

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Opinion Funding

Editorial | The need for radical ideas

Many museums are facing an existential crisis

Opinion Anti-racism

Stop being accomplices to society’s racism

Museums have maintained status quo, says Carlos Tortolero

Opinion Cost of living crisis

Cost of living crisis is hitting sector hard

Museums need help to become energy efficient, says Sharon Heal

Opinion Wellbeing

Supporting people with dementia

House of Memories initiative celebrating 10th anniversary

Opinion Cost of living crisis

Vox pop | How is your museum tackling the cost of living crisis?

Three museum professionals respond to our question

Opinion Leadership

Women’s stories must be the focus for leadership

Discrimination is still prevalent, say Siobhán McGuirk and Nirmal Puwar

Opinion Arts Council England

How our biggest portfolio to date will support museums to transform lives

The latest NPO round ensures museums can be a constant for their communities at this time of uncertainty, says Emmie Kell

Opinion Decolonising Museums

Finding connection and purpose at Icom Prague

Antonia Canal reflects on the debates at this year's gathering of the global museum community

Opinion Decolonising Museums

Transformation through co-production

As this year’s MA Conference explores inequalities and racism, Ranmalie Jayawardana explains how National Museums Liverpool is working with communities to decolonise in a collaborative way

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In practice

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In practice Anti-racism

Guide | How to support the wellbeing of anti-racism advocates

People involved in anti-racism practice on what they need to accomplish this work effectively

In practice Anti-racism

Focus | Developing strategies to tackle racism

Museums need to embed anti-racist practices in all that they do, finds Rebecca Atkinson

In practice Decolonising Museums

Case study | Inclusive Global Histories, Ulster Museum

Decolonisation is an essential part of anti-racism work, says National Museums NI’s Tríona White Hamilton

In practice Museums for Climate Justice

Focus | Low-cost sustainability solutions

Lorraine Finch shares accessible steps that museums can take towards a more environmentally sustainable way of working

In practice Museums for Climate Justice

Trendswatch | Virtual couriering

During lockdown, many museums turned to video technology for loans and returns – and there are good reasons for virtual couriering to continue

In practice Museums for Climate Justice

Guide | Climate justice glossary

Essential phrases and words used in discussing the climate and ecological emergency

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People

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People

Working life | ‘It is vital for diasporic material to be visible’

Museums Journal speaks to Emefa Cole, the new curator of jewellery (diaspora) at the V&A

People Black history

Q&A | ‘We are keen for Windrush 75 to be celebrated by everyone in the UK’

A new network aims to make 2023 a year of Windrush celebrations marking its 75th anniversary

People Obituary

Obituary | Geoff Pickup, 1951-2022

A quintessential museum designer, known for his infinite patience and attention to detail

People Museums for Climate Justice

Working life | ‘Devoting a full-time role to sustainability enables conversations to happen’

Feimatta Conteh on her position as environmental sustainability manager for Manchester International Festival

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Features

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Features Museums Change Lives

How the restoration of Skylark XI helped to heal a community

The raising of the pleasure cruiser from the bottom of Loch Lomond inspired a project dedicated to helping local people in addiction recovery

Features

Far from home: Working with Indigenous communities

Momentum is gathering behind this work, but the UK’s efforts lag behind those of some other countries

Features Museums for Climate Justice

Climate and colonialism

Sria Chatterjee says we need to confront our past to create a more just world

Features Museums for Climate Justice

Museums without walls

Ecomuseums use landscapes to reconnect communities with their heritage and encourage responsible tourism

Features Museums for Climate Justice

Voices from outside the sector

Museums Journal asked activists, environmentalists, writers and academics about their work and how they see museums addressing the climate crisis. Here are their responses

Features Best In Show

Best in show | Recycled artwork, by Michelle Reader, 2022

A new commission at the National Space Centre inspired by Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831

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Reviews

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Reviews fashion

Style and substance | Africa Fashion, V&A, London

This vibrant show explores the history, glamour and craftsmanship of African design

Reviews Decolonising Museums

A radical approach | Curating Discomfort, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

A courageous and groundbreaking initiative to acknowledge a problematic past

Reviews Architecture

Book review | The Museum: From its Origins to the 21st Century

Owen Hopkins' generously illustrated and thoughtful global history of museums has gaps but is a joy to read

Reviews Transport

On my bookshelf | Steam at Thursford

This 1982 book traces the author's passion for steam and the result is a national treasure

Reviews Digital

Digital reviews | Ancient Sudan, Bath and colonialism, and your drawings on show at Tate

We take a scroll through the latest digital content

Reviews Redevelopment

By the people, for the people | Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Six small exhibitions make up more than the sum of their parts in telling the diverse, lively and creatively interesting story of Birmingham

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Opinion Museum X

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