Irish Museums Association

The Irish Museums Association (IMA) is an all-Ireland professional membership body dedicated to the promotion and development of museums. ^[1]

Purpose and activities

The IMA aims to support the Irish museum sector through activities that highlight the value of collections and the contribution of museums to society as places of learning, conservation, research, and interpretation. ^[2] Their programme, funded by the Heritage Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, includes professional development, advocacy, research and dissemination strands: ^[3] annual conferences, publications such as the sectoral journal Museum Ireland ( ISSN   0961-9690), relevant training, ^[4] and original research. ^[5]

History

The Irish Museums Association grew out of the Ireland branch of the International Council of Museums in 1977, ^[6] established by a voluntary executive committee led by James White, director of the National Gallery of Ireland (1964–80), to protect the interests of Irish museums. ^[7] In 2004, it registered as a operating as a non-profit company limited by guarantee and hired its first member of staff. ^[8]

Leadership

Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland and previously Deputy Director and Head of Collections and Learning at the National Museum of Ireland, is the current chair of the governing board of directors, ^[9] succeeding William Blair, Director of Collections at National Museums NI in 2020. Former chairs also include Brian Crowley, museum curator at Kilmainham Gaol (2013-2017), Paul Doyle, registrar at the National Museum of Ireland (2011-2013) and Dr Marie Bourke, keeper and head of education at the National Gallery of Ireland (2006-2011). ^[10]

Conferences

The main annual conference takes place each year in a different venue with an overarching theme for the proceedings:

• 2021Decolonising the Catalogues. Online, 19 to 30 November. Contributors included: Dr Dan Hicks (archaeologist), Ananda Rutherford, research associate, provisional semantics, Tate, Oein DeBhairduin, and Miranda Lowe.
• 2020Transforming Museums. Athlone, 21 to 22 February. Contributors included: Dr Patrick J. Greene (director of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum), David Anderson (director general, Amgueddfa Cymru), and Simon O'Connor (director of Museum of Literature Ireland).
• 2019We are all Engagers. Cork, 01 to 02 March. Contributors included: Dr Graham Black (professor, School of Arts & Humanities at Nottingham Trent University), Lynn Scarff (director of the National Museum of Ireland), and Dr Gillian O'Brien, (reader in Modern Irish history at Liverpool John Moores University).
• 2018Collecting the ‘now’. Dublin, 10 to 11 May. Contributors included: Finbarr Whooley (director of content at Museum of London), Kassandra O'Connell (head of the Irish Film Archive at the Irish Film Institute), Corinna Gardner (senior curator of design and digital at the Victoria and Albert Museum).
• 2017Cultural Tourism and the Contemporary Museum. Galway, 3 to 4 March. Contributors included: John Concannon (director of Creative Ireland), Michael Day (chief executive of Historic Royal Palaces), Lee Jolliffe (professor of hospitality and tourism at University of New Brunswick, Canada).
• 2016Museums for Society: Towards a Cultural Democracy. Dublin, 26 to 28 February. Contributors included: Nazia Ali (curator of Collecting Birmingham, Birmingham Museums Trust), Ciarán Benson (professor emeritus of psychology, University College Dublin), Dr. Marie Bourke (museum professional and former keeper and head of education, National Gallery of Ireland).
• 2015Museums in Society: Navigating Public Policy. Belfast, 27 February to 1 March. Contributors included: David Anderson (director general, Amgueddfa Cymru), Rebecca Blake (regeneration and community partnerships coordinator, Tate Britain), Siebe Weide (director general, Museumvereniging).
• 2014Museums & Memory: Challenging Histories. Waterford, 21 to 23 February. Contributors included: Dr Guido Gryseels (director, Royal Museum of Central Africa), Catriona Crowe (senior archivist and head of special projects, National Archives of Ireland), Dr Roisin Higgins (senior lecturer in history, Teesside University).
• 2013The Porous Museum: Building Partnerships - Making Connections. Kilkenny, 22 to 23 February. Contributors included: Dr Brian Kennedy (director, Toledo Museum of Art), Dr Vicki Porter (head of discovery and engagement, The Wellcome Trust), Mark Taylor (director, Museums Association UK).
• 2012Rising to the Challenge. Limerick, 24 to 26 February. Contributors included: Julien Anfruns (director general, International Council of Museums), Michael Starrett (chief executive officer, Heritage Council), Chris Bailey (director, Northern Ireland Museums Council).

See also

• Museums Association, United Kingdom
• International Council of Museums
• Heritage Council (Ireland)

References

1. "Our Work with Others". Heritage Council of Ireland. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
2. "Museum Associations". www.corkcity.ie. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
3. "About Us". www.irishmuseums.org. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
4. "Museum Education". www.gradireland.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
5. "Irish Museums Survey 2016 quietly encouraging". The Irish Times. Dublin. 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
6. Cooke, Pat (2021). The Politics and Polemics of Culture in Ireland, 1800–2010. London: Routledge. ISBN   9781003099352.
7. Ireland, Aileen M. (2002). "The Irish Museums Association - The first 25 years". Museum Ireland . 12. ISSN   0961-9690.
8. Bourke, Marie (2008). "The Irish Museums Association - 32 Years On". Museum Ireland . 18. ISSN   0961-9690.
9. "Management Committee". National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
10. "History". www.irishmuseums.org. Retrieved 2021-09-28.

External links

• Irish Museums Association website