Analysis

Hanging by a thread | How restitution is bringing lost Indigenous practices back to life

Many traditional skills struggled to survive colonial disruption, but communities are showing how the return of ancestral objects can spark cultural renewal

A long time coming | Black British heritage moves centre stage

The UK has few standalone spaces dedicated to Black history, but this could all change in the coming decade, with several important museum developments gathering pace

Financial resilience doesn’t happen by accident

Institutions can stabilise their income by integrating commercial thinking into their core decision-making and programming

All that glitters: Is the Treasure scheme losing some of its shine? 

There is some disquiet about the system’s current direction of travel, despite record numbers of finds in recent years

Emergency fundraising campaigns offer museums a lifeline

The sector is increasingly turning to short-term campaigns when in urgent need of money – but this approach must be used sparingly

Digital detox: Is social media still worth it for museums?

The online landscape suddenly looks very different amid a backlash against tech giants. Geraldine Kendall Adams asks how museums are adapting to the post-X era

Can Subject Specialist Networks find a way to sustain themselves?

SSNs are a vital way for museum collections experts to share knowledge, but a lack of funding and no strategy to support them has seen some fall by the wayside

‘How many times can we transform?’: Change alone won’t solve the museum funding crisis

Support for the sector to ‘transition towards more sustainable business models’ is good news, but it must be underpinned by a systematic approach, says Bethany Rex

‘Let it wither at our peril’

Members Survey: Six in 10 respondents say their museum is planning service cuts as a result of funding pressure, with public-facing work most at risk. By Geraldine Kendall Adams

Is industrial heritage heading down the wrong track?

If museums can’t find a way to arrest falling visitor numbers, some important sites could be lost for ever. By Rob Sharp

Them and us | The growing divide between nationals and regionals

Inequalities in the sector are fuelling debate about philanthropy and free entry. Geraldine Kendall Adams reports

What causes a museum to close?

Research has revealed that the risk of closure is far higher in the first decade of a museum’s life, with many venues that opened in the late 20th century not surviving to 2025