Museum Practice

2 weeks ago | museumsassociation.org | Rebecca Atkinson

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced details of a new £20m fund aimed at English civic museums looking to safeguard community access to their collections and invest in upgrading their services. The Museum Renewal Fund follows the announcement from the culture secretary last month of the £270m Arts Everywhere Fund, which aims to deliver on the government’s Plan for Change to boost economic growth and increase opportunities for people across the country.

2 weeks ago | museumsassociation.org | Geraldine Kendall Adams

York Museums Trust (YMT) is at a “critical juncture in its existence” due to funding challenges and deteriorating buildings, councillors at City of York Council (CYC) have been told. The charity manages five sites in York on behalf of the council: York Art Gallery, Yorkshire Museum, York Castle Museum, Museum Gardens and York St Mary’s Church. Ahead of a meeting with councillors last week, the trust submitted a report outlining the challenges facing the three museums in its portfolio.

3 weeks ago | museumsassociation.org | Geraldine Kendall Adams

The deadline has been extended for applications to the European Museum of the Year Award (Emya) 2026. Museums now have until 5 May to put themselves forward for the awards, which recognise excellence in the European museum scene. The awards are open to all not-for-profit museums in Europe that have opened or been substantially renewed since January 2021. Temporary or semi-permanent exhibitions may also apply.

3 weeks ago | museumsassociation.org | Rebecca Atkinson

A Henry Gibbs painting that has been in the Tate’s collection for 31 years is to be returned to the descendants of the Jewish art dealer Samuel Hartveld, whose Antwerp gallery was looted by the Nazis in 1942. Aeneas and his Family Fleeing Burning Troy (1654) was one of 66 artworks stolen from a gallery owned by Hartveld on 26 March 83 years ago.

3 weeks ago | museumsassociation.org | Geraldine Kendall Adams

Three Northumberland museums have joined the North East Museums Partnership, bringing the number of museums and galleries managed by the organisation to 12. Formerly known as Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, the partnership announced last year that it was rebranding and expanding its museum portfolio into Northumberland.