Museums Journal - Museums Association

Latest ideas, advice and analysis for our members

News English Heritage

English Heritage workforce could shrink by 7% in major restructure

Charity also considering seasonal closures as it reshapes for ‘drastically changed’ world

News Accreditation

ACE announces review of Museum Accreditation scheme

Scheme must better reflect sector’s needs amid ‘challenging’ operating environment, says Emmie Kell

News Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland unveils largest ever multi-year funding portfolio

Boost for Glasgow Women's Library and Dundee Contemporary Arts after funding uncertainty

Analysis Pop-ups

How ‘meanwhile’ spaces are helping cultural institutions make a splash

Museums are increasingly using pop-ups to help them expand their reach. By Rachel Mapplebeck

In practice Exhibitions

Spotlight | Designing accessible exhibitions

Five projects that highlight how to put inclusivity and access at the heart of exhibition design

Analysis Participation

Citizens’ juries can help museums fulfil people’s needs

Citizen-led decision-making allows institutions to engage with the public in a more meaningful way. By Simon Stephens

News

view all news

News Capital projects

London Museum to create immersive exhibition in rediscovered vaults

Subterranean gallery will showcase ‘never-before-seen archaeological treasures’

News Reopening

Cornwall Museum unveils new name as it announces plans for reopening

Truro institution will open new art gallery displaying nationally significant collection

News Climate crisis

Natural History Museum to open climate gallery

Fixing Our Broken Planet is part of a wider scheme to redevelop the South Kensington site

News Exhibitions

Science Museum to open three new galleries in next five years

Transformation includes closure of Exploring Space gallery after four decades

News Participation

Citizens’ jury urges Birmingham Museums to ‘take risks and be bold’

Museum trust publishes results of participatory engagement exercise

News Local Authority

Culture Perth & Kinross gets extra £170,000 to help with running costs

Charity facing deficit due to rising overheads at Perth Museum and other venues

News Funding

Royal Museums Greenwich gets £1.25m towards Royal Observatory revamp

Institution among several museums and galleries to benefit from Wolfson Foundation grants

News Moves

Collections Trust recruits chief executive

David Gelsthorpe replaces Kevin Gosling, who leaves in the spring after nearly 10 years with the organisation

News Redevelopment

President Macron outlines plans for Louvre ‘renaissance’

Paris landmark will introduce surcharge for non-EU visitors to fund £675m overhaul

view all news

Analysis

view all analysis

Analysis Ukraine

War crimes | The destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage

Three years since the full-scale Russian invasion began, the conflict has raised questions about the protection of culture in an age of modern warfare

Analysis Pay

Paying the price of low wages

Museums are facing a brain drain in the near future as pay stagnation is exacerbated by rising living costs

Analysis City of Culture

Bradford 2025: Building on the City of Culture legacy

The festival can act as a catalyst for cultural regeneration – as long as stakeholders are in it for the long haul. Caroline Parry reports

Analysis Health and wellbeing

Museums must shout louder about their contribution to health and wellbeing

With reviews of health and social care looming, cultural institutions should be confident about extolling the beneficial impacts they can have

view all analysis

Opinion

view all opinion

Opinion Temporary exhibition

Trump’s trade policies pose a problem for UK museums

Loans and touring exhibitions face new bureaucratic barriers, says Debbie Spence

Opinion Antisemitism

Auschwitz must inform our moral choices

Memorial site has to be an identity-shaping encounter. By Pawel Sawicki

Opinion Funding

Exploring new funding models for the cultural sector

Fran Sanderson on how impact investing can support social outcomes and local regeneration

Opinion Fundraising

Being welcoming and inclusive attracts donors

The National Gallery belongs to everyone, says Anh Nguyen

Opinion Artists

Hobbies are a vehicle for self-expression

My exhibition is a space that works against hierarchies, says Hetain Patel

Opinion Audiences

Blackpool being built on laughs has been our blueprint for Showtown

We aimed to create a unique museum vibe, says Kerry Vasiliou

Opinion

The joy of museums

Let’s celebrate the joy that museums bring, says Sharon Heal

Opinion MA Conference

Vox pop | What are you most looking forward to at the MA Conference?

From the joyful theme to the local cuisine, three commentators share what they're excited about ahead of this year's event

Opinion Museums Change Lives

In febrile times, social cohesion should be at the core of what we do

The real joy of museums is in bringing communities together around shared stories, says Nat Edwards

view all opinion

In practice

view all in practice

In practice Lighting

Case study | Lighting the Foundling Museum

Andrew Molyneux and Harry Triggs explain their approach to illuminating historic interiors

In practice Interpretation

Case study | Creating accessible interpretation

Angharad Brading shares the approach at Wroxeter Roman City

In practice Social media

Guide | How museums can thrive with a little Bluesky thinking

The Museum of English Rural Life shares how to flourish on this new social media platform

In practice Play

Focus | Designing playful museums

Holly Black shares some different approaches to play-based interventions and exhibitions

In practice Play

Trendswatch | Outdoor play areas

Museums and heritage sites are improving their outdoor offerings in the hope of reaching new audiences

In practice Play

Guide | Facilitating slow play

Educator Nicola Wallis explains what slow play is and how it can be used in museums

view all in practice

People

view all people

People Obituary

Obituary | Kirsty Archer-Thompson, 1987-2024

As curator at Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, Kirsty's creative approach transformed how visitors experience the site

People Young people

Q&A | ‘It’s important that museums get to learn about young people’

The BM is currently seeking partners for the final year of its Where We Are... scheme. Hanouf Al-Alawi tells us about the impact of the youth-led initiative

People Charity

Q&A | ‘Glasgow has always been at the forefront of contemporary innovation’

Susan Deighan reflects on her time at Glasgow Life as she prepares to retire from the charity she helped to create

People Decolonising Museums

Profile | ‘I had to watch that I didn’t get seduced by the British Museum’s charms’

Hew Locke’s exhibition, What Have We Here?, reflects the artist’s constant questioning of history, nationhood and the legacy of empire

view all people

Features

view all features

Features International

Spiritual discovery | Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO, Paris

Rebecca Atkinson explores the world’s first museum dedicated to Islamic religious practice of Sufism

Features Turner Prize

Where next for the Turner Prize?

As it enters middle-aged respectability, Gareth Harris takes a look at the art award that often turns heads, stirs controversy and generates debate. But can it keep it up forever?

Features The joy of museums

Museum of… Craven Museum, Skipton, North Yorkshire

How this local museum, recently lauded by the Art Fund, is sparking joy for its visitors

Features Museum of the Home

Home comforts | Why museum interpretation of domestic life is evolving

Museums about the home are shifting their focus from design to a more personal narrative

Features Music

How Beyond the Bassline captured the hard-earned joy of Black British music

Miles Greenwood discovers a deeper narrative at this British Library exhibition

Features Music

Music is helping museums stay in tune with their audiences

Museums are finding imaginative ways to engage with people’s emotional connections to music, challenging them to explore the artform’s varied dimensions

view all features

Reviews

view all reviews

Reviews Digital

Digital reviews | London Museum, the Miners’ Strike and American Jewish heritage

We take a scroll through the latest digital content

Reviews Books

Books | Artists Remake the World, A Contemporary Art Manifesto, by Vid Simoniti

An ambitious appraisal of art’s political role

Reviews Museum of the Home

Rooms Through Time: Winter Past, Museum of the Home, London

A festive makeover of this much-loved permanent exhibition has enabled the museum to tease out evocative stories of the winter season

Reviews Redevelopment

Peace of mind | Peace Museum, Saltaire, Bradford

This relocated museum tackles an emotive subject in an inspired way

Reviews Climate crisis

Call of the wild | Wild, Manchester Museum

This exhibition looks at the climate emergency in a new light

Reviews Social history

Life in plastic | Barbie: The Exhibition, Design Museum, London

This exhibition provides a colourful time learning about the brand’s scale and influence

view all reviews

Watch and listen

view all watch and listen

Watch and listen Ethics

Radical Museums | S2E4: Agrippa Njanina

Sharon Heal travels to Belfast to meet Agrippa Njanina, a community engagement officer at National Museums Northern Ireland

Watch and listen Climate crisis

Radical Museums | S2E3: Ken Paranada

Simon Stephens meets Ken Paranada, the curator of art and climate change at the Sainsbury Centre

Watch and listen Conservation

Radical Museums | S2E2: Jane Henderson

Sharon Heal meets Jane Henderson, a professor of conservation at Cardiff University

Watch and listen Communities

Radical Museums | S2E1: Leonie Bell

Simon Stephens meets Leonie Bell, the director of V&A Dundee

Watch and listen Digital

Towards a National Collection: Funders Forum

MA director Sharon Heal joins a panel discussion about future infrastructure for digital heritage collections

Watch and listen Podcasts

Radical Museums | S1E4: Reimagine, Remake, Replay

Simon Stephens meets the team at Reimagine, Remake, Replay, a youth engagement project in Northern Ireland

view all watch and listen

Nothing About Us Without Us: The Anti-Ableism Issue

News Anti-ableism

We are committed to publishing accurate, engaging, challenging and constructive content on the issues, ideas, debates and practices that help museums serve the public better.

How to write for Museums Journal