 |
 Logo for the Association, used since 2020 [1] | |
| Abbreviation | MA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1889 |
| Legal status | Non-profit company |
| Purpose | Museum, Gallery and Heritage |
Region served | UK |
| Website | www |
The Museums Association (MA) is a professional membership organisation based in London for museum, gallery and heritage professionals and organisations of the United Kingdom. [2] [3] It also offers international membership. [4]
The association was started in 1889 by a small group of museums to protect the interests of museums and galleries. Its inaugural meeting was held at the invitation of the Council of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society in York on 20 June 1889. The MA is the oldest museum association in the world. [3]
The MA advocates for museums, sets ethical standards and runs training and professional development for members wishing to further their careers. [5]
The association organises an annual conference. [6] This is Europe's largest event for museum and heritage professionals. [5]
Members receive the monthly Museums Journal . [7] The MA also produces Museum Practice online. [8] The latest case studies and best practice by museum professionals around the UK, with an interactive platform for users to share their ideas.
Through its work with the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the MA has created the Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund, [9] building on its 2005 report, Collections for the Future. [10]
The MA charts the health of UK museums through its annual survey, Museums in the UK. [4]
In 2018, the MA launched Collections 2030, a research project looking at the long-term purpose, use and management of museum collections. [11]
The MA has over 8,000 individual members, 580 institutional members, and 250 corporate members. [5]
It runs a professional development scheme, with mentoring and regular training events. "AMA" denotes an Associate of the Museums Association. [12] "FMA" denotes a Fellow of the Museums Association. [13]
The association is independently funded by its membership, [5] and it is governed by a board of trustees, [14] from all parts of the UK museum community, elected by members. In April 2018, Maggie Appleton replaced David Fleming as president; she is also the CEO of the RAF Museum. [15] Previous presidents include David Anderson, Stuart Davies, David Fleming, William Henry Flower, Jane Glaister, Max Hebditch, Charles Saumarez Smith,Virginia Tandy, and Barbara Woroncow.
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although primarily concerned with visual art, art museums are often used as a venue for other cultural exchanges and artistic activities, such as lectures, jewelry, performance arts, music concerts, or poetry readings. Art museums also frequently host themed temporary exhibitions, which often include items on loan from other collections.
The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant railway vehicles such as Mallard, Stirling Single, Duchess of Hamilton and a Japanese bullet train. In addition, the National Railway Museum holds a diverse collection of other objects, from a household recipe book used in George Stephenson's house to film showing a "never-stop railway" developed for the British Empire Exhibition. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001.
The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civil and military war effort and sacrifice of the United Kingdom and its Empire during the First World War. The museum's remit has since expanded to include all conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces have been involved since 1914. As of 2012, the museum aims "to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'wartime experience'."
The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1518, as the College of Physicians, the RCP is the oldest medical college in England.
The Royal Air Force Museum London is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, in North London's Borough of Barnet. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Force Museum.
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The Pilgrim Trust is an independent charitable grant-making trust in the United Kingdom. The Trust's aims are to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and preserve the best of the past for the public to enjoy. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.
Shreela Ghosh is a former dancer, actress and reporter, became publicly known in the United Kingdom when she was cast as Naima Jeffery in 1985, one of the original characters in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. She has since given up performing to work as an arts executive. She was the first programme director for Arts and Heritage at the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and went on to become the deputy director for the Institute of International Visual Arts (InIVA). She now is the Director of the Free Word Centre.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is a registered charity founded in England in 1961. It is one of the larger independent grant-making foundations based in the UK, funding organisations which aim to improve the quality of life for people and communities in that country.
The Royal Society of Sculptors (RSS) is a British charity established in 1905, which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, London. It is the oldest and largest organisation dedicated to sculpture in the UK. Until 2017, it was known as the Royal British Society of Sculptors.
The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) is a global organisation for conservation and restoration professionals with over two thousand members in over fifty countries. IIC seeks to promote the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works throughout the world.
The Big Draw, formerly the Campaign for Drawing, is a British registered charity that promotes drawing and visual literacy. It was founded in 2000 by the Guild of St George, and is now an independent charity.
The Friends of the British Library is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Library. It provides funding in the form of grants to the British Library in order to allow the Library to acquire new items and collections, procure new equipment and facilities, and produce exhibitions.
Stephen Ian Fairbairn was a British financier and rower who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, and later rose to the position of chairman of the M&G fund management company.
The Touring Exhibitions Group (TEG) is a professional membership association in the United Kingdom. Its members are mainly staff in museums, galleries and other public sector organisations who are involved in the exchange of exhibitions, whether as organisers or venues, or both. It was set up in 1985, following the closure of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Circulation Department. TEG itself does not organise exhibitions or administer tours, but helps its members to do so.
The First World War centenary was the four-year period marking the centenary of the First World War, which began in mid-2014 with the centenary of the outbreak of the war, and ended in late 2018 with the centenary of the 1918 Armistice.
Sir Thomas Michael Sydney Hughes-Hallett is a British barrister, investment banker and philanthropy executive. He serves as the Non-Executive Chair of the Marshall Institute at the London School of Economics and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He promotes philanthropy, and argues for more ethical engagement within the City of London.
Giles Waterfield was a British, McKitterick Prize winning novelist, art historian and curator.
Martha Fleming is a museum professional and academic, working primarily in the intersecting fields of history of science, museology and history of collections. She has held research, teaching and leadership positions in both museums and universities in the United Kingdom, where she has lived since 1996. She has also held posts in university museums and collections in Denmark and in Germany. She lived and worked in Montreal, Québec, from 1981 until 1996, when she moved to London, England.
Margaret Mary Appleton is an English museum director. She has been the Chief Executive Officer of the RAF Museum since 2015.
