Objects of Desire: the Art of Collecting proved a popular theme for this year's Museums and Galleries Month (MGM) in May, with more than 1,000 events, exhibitions and activities taking place.
It was a timely subject, linking in with initiatives such as the Museums Association's Collections for the Future report and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's consultation paper, Understanding the Future: Museums and 21st Century Life.
The MGM's working group commended ten projects. The Mansfield Museum developed an interactive exhibition where local collectors brought in objects that people have found desirable during the past 50 years.
Visitors were encouraged to think about the objects they were attracted to and why. Liz Weston, the curator of the Mansfield Museum and Art Gallery, said the exhibition encouraged visitors to the museum and generated a lot of coverage from the media, including television.
'We would normally do an open day as part of Museums and Galleries Month, but because of the subject matter this time, it was possible to do an exhibition,' said Weston.
London's Hunterian Museum, part of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, used its 18th-century medical collection to highlight the links between art and anatomy. This centred on a one-day drawing workshop with the artist Mark Gilbert that aimed to encourage surgeons to connect with the museum.
The Jersey Heritage Trust interpreted the Objects of Desire theme by asking ten staff to select an artefact from the stores for display at the Jersey Museum in St Helier.
The pieces chosen for the Star Objects case were rotated weekly. The trust said the quick turnaround of artefacts created lots of good feedback and reminded staff of the benefits of changing museum displays.
The Pitt Rivers Museum and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History chose to attract visitors to their collections with a night-time opening on 14 May. The aim was to bring in more young adults and members of the Asian community.
'We got a very nice mix of people and it was a successful event that we are definitely going to repeat,' said Chris Jarvis, the education officer at the Museum of Natural History.
Another MGM event that took place across two museums was the Past Present Future exhibition at the Waterfront Museum in Poole and the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth.
This project involved young people selecting objects that they thought might be in a museum in 100 years' time. The aim was to work with local youth services to reach 16 to 25-year-olds.
The five other organisations commended by the MGM were Nottingham Castle; Brunel Engine House in south-east London; Herefordshire Museum Resource and Learning Centre; Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; and the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath.
The seventh annual MGM will take place in May next year with a redeveloped format.
It was a timely subject, linking in with initiatives such as the Museums Association's Collections for the Future report and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's consultation paper, Understanding the Future: Museums and 21st Century Life.
The MGM's working group commended ten projects. The Mansfield Museum developed an interactive exhibition where local collectors brought in objects that people have found desirable during the past 50 years.
Visitors were encouraged to think about the objects they were attracted to and why. Liz Weston, the curator of the Mansfield Museum and Art Gallery, said the exhibition encouraged visitors to the museum and generated a lot of coverage from the media, including television.
'We would normally do an open day as part of Museums and Galleries Month, but because of the subject matter this time, it was possible to do an exhibition,' said Weston.
London's Hunterian Museum, part of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, used its 18th-century medical collection to highlight the links between art and anatomy. This centred on a one-day drawing workshop with the artist Mark Gilbert that aimed to encourage surgeons to connect with the museum.
The Jersey Heritage Trust interpreted the Objects of Desire theme by asking ten staff to select an artefact from the stores for display at the Jersey Museum in St Helier.
The pieces chosen for the Star Objects case were rotated weekly. The trust said the quick turnaround of artefacts created lots of good feedback and reminded staff of the benefits of changing museum displays.
The Pitt Rivers Museum and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History chose to attract visitors to their collections with a night-time opening on 14 May. The aim was to bring in more young adults and members of the Asian community.
'We got a very nice mix of people and it was a successful event that we are definitely going to repeat,' said Chris Jarvis, the education officer at the Museum of Natural History.
Another MGM event that took place across two museums was the Past Present Future exhibition at the Waterfront Museum in Poole and the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth.
This project involved young people selecting objects that they thought might be in a museum in 100 years' time. The aim was to work with local youth services to reach 16 to 25-year-olds.
The five other organisations commended by the MGM were Nottingham Castle; Brunel Engine House in south-east London; Herefordshire Museum Resource and Learning Centre; Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; and the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath.
The seventh annual MGM will take place in May next year with a redeveloped format.
