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| National Association for Museums and Exhibitions | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Association for Museums and Exhibitions |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Region served | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Membership | Museums, galleries, heritage sites, exhibitors |
| Leader title | Chief Executive |
National Association for Museums and Exhibitions The National Association for Museums and Exhibitions is a professional body representing museums, galleries, heritage sites, and exhibition professionals across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It engages with cultural institutions including national galleries, regional museums, and specialist collections, working alongside organisations from the arts and heritage sectors to support best practice, collections care, exhibition design, and public access.
Founded in the 20th century, the association developed amid contemporary debates involving institutions such as the British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum. Early activity intersected with initiatives led by bodies like the Museums Association, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Arts Council England, while responding to legislative changes linked to the Museums and Galleries Commission, the National Heritage Act 1983, and the Charities Act 2006. Its timeline parallels major cultural events including exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, collaborations with the Imperial War Museum, and partnerships with city institutions such as the Manchester Museum, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and National Museum of Scotland. The association’s development was influenced by conservation work at the Science Museum, collection policies debated at the Ashmolean Museum, and international exchanges with the Smithsonian Institution, Louvre, and Rijksmuseum.
The association’s mission aligns with strategic goals pursued by organisations such as Arts Council England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Council of Europe cultural programmes, prioritising access to collections, standards in curation, and exhibition innovation. Objectives echo professional priorities from the International Council of Museums, the Collections Trust, and the ICOM Code of Ethics, focusing on collections care exemplified by work at the Natural History Museum, audience development akin to projects at the British Library, and digital engagement modelled by the V&A Digital Futures initiatives. The organisation promotes sector resilience in contexts addressed by Heritage Lottery Fund interventions, museum accreditation systems like the Museums Accreditation Scheme, and cross-sector networks including the National Trust and Historic England.
Membership comprises institutional and individual subscribers drawn from entities such as the Tate Britain, Scottish National Gallery, National Maritime Museum, and specialist sites like the Royal Armouries and Imperial War Museum Duxford. Members include curators, conservators, exhibition designers, registrars, educators, and directors linked to universities like University College London, University of Oxford, and King’s College London where museum studies programmes collaborate with professional bodies. Governance structures incorporate boards and committees that engage trustees with experience from institutions such as the Wellcome Collection, Hayward Gallery, Horniman Museum and Gardens, and the National Museums Liverpool, and liaise with funders like the Paul Mellon Centre and philanthropic partners such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The association offers guidance, benchmarking, and resources comparable to services from the Collections Trust, Museum Development Network, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. Programs include exhibition touring arrangements resembling those managed by the British Council, loan facilitation similar to processes at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and conservation advice paralleling practice at the National Trust for Scotland. Services support digital initiatives akin to collaborations with the Europeana platform, audience research like studies conducted by the Arts Marketing Association, and disaster planning informed by case studies from the Tate flood responses and the Natural History Museum emergency protocols.
The association engages in advocacy overlapping with campaigns by Historic England, Museums Association, and Save Britain’s Heritage, contributing to policy dialogues with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and participating in consultations related to legislation such as the National Heritage Act 1983 and funding frameworks administered by Arts Council England. It has produced position statements addressing repatriation debates involving collections referenced alongside the British Museum, restitution cases comparable to those discussed by the Horniman Museum and Gardens, and provenance research practices informed by guidelines from ICOM and the Restitution Committee. The association collaborates with international partners including the Smithsonian Institution, UNESCO, and the European Museum Forum on cross-border policy matters.
Training programs mirror accredited courses at institutions such as the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of Leicester, and University of Glasgow museum studies departments, offering workshops for curators, conservators, and registrars similar to CPD pathways provided by the Institute of Conservation, Association of British and Irish Museums, and the Museums Association. Topics include collections care practices used at the British Museum, exhibition interpretation techniques exemplified by the Science Museum, audience engagement strategies like those at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich, and digital curation comparable to projects at the V&A Dundee.
The association administers awards and recognition schemes to highlight excellence, comparable in stature to prizes like the Museum of the Year and accolades from the European Museum Forum, celebrating achievements in exhibition design, community engagement, provenance research, and conservation. Laureates often include staff and projects from institutions such as the Tate Modern, Imperial War Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, and regional museums including Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and Glasgow Museums.
Category:Museums in the United Kingdom Category:Cultural organisations based in the United Kingdom