 |
 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 | museumsassociation.org |
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's mission is inspiring museums to change lives. It 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 2012 the MA began its "Museums 2020" project to create a vision for the future of the museum sector. [11] It hopes to focus on the impacts that museums will have in the future on individuals, communities, society, and the environment.
In 2013 the MA produced "Museums Change Lives", its campaigning vision for the future of museums. "Museums Change Lives" explores the impact of museums under three main headings: wellbeing, better places, ideas and people. [12]
The MA's Transformers scheme was piloted in 2014, then rolled out nationally. Transformers is for people in mid-career, supported by any accredited museum (or museum working towards accreditation), looking to change the way they work. Participants are challenged to develop new ways of thinking and supported throughout to engage with experimental ideas, fresh thinking and learning from the experience of experts and innovators. [13]
In 2018, the MA launched Collections 2030, a research project looking at the long-term purpose, use and management of museum collections. [14]
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. [15] "FMA" denotes a Fellow of the Museums Association. [16]
The association is independently funded by its membership, [5] and it is governed by a board of trustees, [17] 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. [18] Previous presidents include David Anderson, Stuart Davies, David Fleming, William Henry Flower, Jane Glaister, Max Hebditch, Charles Saumarez Smith,Virginia Tandy, and Barbara Woroncow.
The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019.
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a national museum headquartered in the London Borough of Southwark with five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum 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, and now also Physicians Assistants without 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.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. The majority of members are registered nurses; however student nurses and healthcare assistants are also members. There is also a category of membership, at a reduced cost, for retired people.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is the body responsible for the leadership and support of the pharmacy profession (pharmacists) within England, Scotland, and Wales. It was created along with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in September 2010 when the previous Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was split so that representative and regulatory functions of the pharmacy profession could be separated. Membership in the society is not a prerequisite for engaging in practice as a pharmacist within the United Kingdom. Its predecessor the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was founded on 15 April 1841.
The Pilgrim Trust is a 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 our past for the public to enjoy. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.
Margaret Caroline Tait was a Scottish medical doctor, filmmaker and poet.
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 Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) is a global professional membership body for those in the fire sector that seek to increase their knowledge, professional recognition and understanding of fire through a global discourse. With over 100 years of history, the IFE is instrumental in shaping a future world that is safer from fire.
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with 30,000 members in 114 countries. It was founded in 1922 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957.
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.
Art museums in the United States and the United Kingdom have been hit especially hard by the 2008–2012 global recession. Dwindling endowments from wealthy patrons forced some museums to make difficult and controversial decisions to deaccession artwork from their collections to gain funds, or in the case of the Rose Art Museum, to close the institution and sell the entire collection.
The British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM) is an independent organisation for Friends, supporters, and volunteers in museums, galleries, and heritage sites within the United Kingdom. It was established in 1973. It is a registered charity no 1159670. BAFM represents around 200,000 Friends and volunteers in the UK. It provides a network of support from people with practical experience of running Friends organisations and is a central source of information. It has links with UK Area Museum Councils and other national UK organisations such as:
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.
Sweetbriar Road Meadows is a 9.7-hectare (24-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Norwich in Norfolk.
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.
David Murray was a Scottish lawyer, antiquarian and bibliophile. A successful solicitor in Glasgow for over 60 years, he wrote widely on the law, and also on archaeology. For the last 30 years of his life he held various offices in the governance of the University of Glasgow.
Margaret Mary Appleton is an English museum director. She has been the Chief Executive Officer of the RAF Museum since 2015.
