John Holt

John Holt

freelance writer

Deep impact

The Museums Change Lives awards honour organisations and individuals who confront contemporary issues to make a real difference in their communities. John Holt talks to the winners

Best in show | Costume from the South Ronaldsay Boys’ Ploughing Match and the Festival of the Horse, Orkney

Oliver McCall chooses his favourite exhibit from Compton Verney's upcoming show on folk costume

Best in show | Reading copy of The Haunted Man, 1848, by Charles Dickens

Emily Dunbar chooses her star object from the latest exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum, London

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

Museums without walls

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

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

Best in show | Vivian Maier: Self-portrait, undated, MK Gallery

A shot that shows how the enigmatic photographer created presence through absence

Best in show | Wow Bush/Turmoil in Full Bloom, 1977, by Sheila Hicks

How the artist embraced a delay caused by the pandemic to evolve her show at the Hepworth Wakefield

Let there be light

As the Lindisfarne Gospels return to north east England, John Holt talks to the organisers of a host of events that celebrate the region’s history and shine a modern light on an ancient treasure

Best in show | The Vision of the Blessed Gabriele, c.1489, by Carlo Crivelli

Ikon, Birmingham

Routemasters

Staying relevant, attracting new audiences, preventing thefts and recruiting volunteers are among the many challenges facing the varied group of bus museums that are dotted about the UK

Best in show | Self-portrait, c.1960, by Hubert Arthur Finney

The Lightbox, Woking