Museums Association

@museumsassociation.org

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Membership organisation and network for everyone working in museums and heritage 🤝 based in the UK 📍 museumsassociation.org

A person uses a laptop
People stand looking upwards as they hold a large Pride flag at Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. Text reads: Museums changing lives in Scotland. Read the new case studies
A woman sits and smiles in a conference audience. Text reads: Conference programme available now
A person stands with a raised fist in front of a mural about postal workers in the Caribbean, part of a Postal Museum project. Text reads: Empowering Collections. Read the updated report
People socialise at an event. Text reads: Freelancers' Week 2026. 15% off your new MA membership with code FW2615
Travel bursaries available for museum professionals to attend Permanence/Impermanence: Collecting and archiving contemporary clay practices conference, 24-26 June in London. For more details email: ceramics@westminster.ac.uk
People wearing headphones take notes while looking at glass display cases in a museum space. Text reads: Future of Museums: Empowering Collections. 17 June 2026. National Museum of Scotland
WW2 Spitfire suspended from the ceiling. Text reads: Opening reception. Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum
Pink neon sign 'Made in Birmingham' under a skylight. Text reads: The social network. Evening eventes at Conference 2026
International Museum Day poster by ICOM, the International Council of Museums. The poster shows a constellation of stars in the sky, symbolising making connections across divides. The caption reads: Museums Uniting a Divided World
People take notes on clipboards while looking at glass display cases. Text reads: Future of Museums: Empowering Collections. 17 June 2026, National Museum of Scotland
The outside space at the Barbican Centre as seen from a high floor, showing gardens, pools, seating area and the opposite building
Exterior of Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth, with large windows and pointed turrets
A parent and child look at an animal skeleton in a display case at Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery. Logo reads: Museums Change Lives Awards 2026. Text reads: Museums Change Lives Awards 2026. Nominations now open
Three people gather to look at pictures and collection items on a table. Text reads: Salary Research and Recommendations: 2025-26
“Reading some of the survey comments is heart-breaking when you see the impact of the cuts and the funding squeeze on institutions and individuals. We know from the survey that museums continue to deliver transformative experiences with their communities and are making a positive impact on health and wellbeing, and learning and engagement.
People discuss in a gallery space. Text reads: Show Time: Designing Great Exhibitions. 18 March 2026, Barbican Centre, London
Audience sits in an auditorium at MA conference
A walkway at the Rep, Birmingham. Text reads: Submit your proposal. MA Conference 2026: Museums Connecting Communities
Show Time: Designing Great Exhibitions. 18 March 2026. Barbican Centre, London. Image shows people gathering to discuss in a gallery space
A woman smiles while talking to someone at an MA Conference. Text reads: 200 free inclusive memberships available now
15% off all new memberships and 30% off the first year of your AMA. Happy new year
December 2025 awardees of the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund. Image shows people looking at a wall of photographs at Vestry House Museum
We very much welcome this additional funding which comes at a critical time for the sector when many museums will be negotiating budgets to ensure their survival over the next few years.
15% off all new memberships and 30% off the first year of your AMA. Happy new year
15% off all new memberships and 30% off the first year of your AMA. Happy new year.
Image shows people and abstract sculptures in a gallery space. Text reads: “Breaking Barriers: Radical Curatorial Practice. 28 January 2026, online”
Standing outdoors, a person draws on an easel
A lit-up Christmas tree with branches in the foreground
A lit-up Christmas tree and text reading: Season's greetings from the MA
An image of a crowd gathered around a wooden sculpture in a gallery. Text reads: Breaking Barriers: Radical Curatorial Practice. 28 January 2026, online
We welcome the publication of the independent review of Arts Council England. We have long argued for a meaningful strategy for museums in England, so we particularly support the recommendation to develop a strategic framework and create a specific long-term plan for museums. We would like to see this recommendation taken forward in full engagement with the museum sector and community partners to ensure these plans are relevant and more importantly fully funded.
Nnena Kalu stands at a podium to accept the Turner Prize 2025
People sit and chat at a table at an MA event. Text reads: Moving on Up 2026: Making an Impact with Your Career. 4 February 2026, online
Museum Shop Sunday. 20% off your new individual MA membership
Museum Shop Sunday. 20% off your new individual MA membership
Quote from Sharon Heal, director, Museums Association: While the Chancellor did not announce any measures in the Autumn Budget directly related to museums, there were a number of announcements that will impact museums and those who work in and with them, including increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage and lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure.
Mural of two men paddling a wooden canoe on a river with huts in the background, displayed in a museum setting with woven fishing traps and a carved canoe model.
Person with long brown hair wearing a black sleeveless top standing outdoors surrounded by green foliage.
A young woman sits on the floor of an art gallery, closely observing abstract paintings on the white walls around her.
A statue stands in a museum space with visitors looking. Text reads: Open Minds: Understanding Copyright in Museums. 10 December 2025, online
Elderly person with white hair wearing a floral patterned dress standing in a lush garden with greenery and trees in the background.
Three children in white lab coats examine a white powdery substance on a petri dish using a magnifying glass and a small container indoors.