News | David Bowie’s teenage home to open as immersive experience Project will restore terraced house in south London to original 1960s appearance.

News | Museum sector gets funding boost in Scottish budget Further investment for Museum Futures programme and new national collections hub.

News | National Gallery scoops award for Van Gogh show – Critics’ Circle presented four awards at its annual event

Five top tips for advocating for your museum in the run up to the Scottish Parliament election 🗳️ We'll be advocating for museums in the run up to the election on 7 May, but advocacy is something that everyone in the sector can and should be doing. Read and share our top tips to get started 👇

News | Melanie Keen steps down as director of Wellcome Collection Sam Owen to act as interim director when Keen leaves this spring

News | Cultural objects worth £59m gifted to museums and galleries A total of 32 cases went through Acceptance in Lieu and the Cultural Gifts Scheme last year

🎙️ In the final episode of this season of Radical Museums, Simon Stephens speaks to Nelson Cummins, curator (legacies of slavery and empire) at Glasgow Museums, about the impact of empire on society today and why it's important to address its legacies: https://ow.ly/K1tw50XWNQX

Welcome to our online members' meeting, where we're launching and exploring the new Code of Ethics ⚖️ Head to our website now to read through, download or print the guidance in English or Welsh 👇

One week left to apply for funding from this round of the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund 📆 If you're using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners, get in touch with us to discuss your project 👇 Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Make your next career move with confidence 📈 Whether you’re looking for a promotion or want to move into freelancing this year, Moving on Up 2026: Making an Impact With Your Career is our essential event to help you get there. Browse the full programme and get ready to get moving 👇

News | Art Fund launches Museum Directors Survey 2026 Charity urges leaders to help shape its new five-year strategy

News | Plymouth and Bristol announce plans to bid for UK City of Culture 2029 Portsmouth, Ipswich and Wrexham are also contenders ahead of February's deadline

News | New chief executive appointed at Manchester Jewish Museum Interim CEO also recruited to cover Gemma Meek's maternity leave

MA Conference 2026: Museums Connecting Communities 🔗 This year’s conference in Birmingham and online celebrates how the sector is finding inventive ways to work with communities through challenging times to create a positive future for all. #Museums2026

Applications for round two of the Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund are now open 🧘‍♀️ If your museum is looking for support to develop or continue a groundbreaking health and wellbeing programme, we want to hear from you. Complete our eligibility quiz to find out more about next steps 👇

Kick off the new year and start as you mean to go on ✅ Invest in yourself, your career and your sector today with 15% off all new MA memberships (including individual, commercial, freelance and institutional) and 30% off the first year of your AMA, our flexible professional development award.

News | The biggest international museum openings in 2026 From George Lucas's new museum in LA to the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a host of institutions are preparing to open their doors this year

News | ‘Fear is widespread’: Report finds growing hostility and intimidation in charity sector Some organisations are scaling back visibility amid rise of extremism and social division NCVO

News | Museums lead on conservation of ‘incredibly rare’ Norfolk Carnyx Hoard Near-complete Celtic battle trumpet among items discovered during routine archaeological excavation

Our first one-day conference of 2026: Breaking Barriers 💥 At our event on radical curatorial practice, expect to hear about the skills needed to create dynamic, engaging and exciting exhibitions, and ideas for tackling urgent contemporary concerns. Book from £36 👉 https://ow.ly/uWOq50XTuGR

Deadline approaching | We're looking for a global majority evaluator for our Anti-racist Museums Programme and a facilitator for two round-table workshops on wellbeing and ableism in the museum sector 👤 Programme evaluator: https://ow.ly/Ba4E50XTnil Workshop facilitator: https://ow.ly/QsMo50XTnim

Happy Mentoring Month 🎉 If you're a museum professional who's thinking of trying something new this year, why not give mentoring a go? We're now recruiting new AMA mentors to support other professionals on their development journeys. Find out more and apply by 2 February 👇

Gwirfoddolwch gyda’r MA yng Nghymru 📍 Mae gennym dri gwahanol gyfle i ymgysylltu â ni a'n haelodau yng Nghymru – bod yn aelod o’n bwrdd, dod yn gynrychiolydd aelodau ac ymuno â phwyllgor rhanddeiliaid Cymru. Dysgwch fwy am bob rôl ac ymgeisio erbyn 27 Ionawr 👇

News | Art historians question ‘unsuitable’ £800m Bayeux Tapestry insurance Artefact to be covered under UK Government Indemnity Scheme during time on loan

News | Bradford shares UK City of Culture achievements – museums and galleries played a key part in the programme

Could you see yourself becoming a trustee in 2026? 💭 If you're interested in shaping the strategic direction of the MA and our role within the sector, we're looking for two new board members: one based in Northern Ireland and one based in Wales. Find out more and make a nomination by 27 January 👇

News | Museum openings not to miss in 2026 🏦 From secret listeners to contemporary design, we look at some of the exciting projects due to open in the UK this year. Featuring London Museum, Trent Park House of Secrets and more 👇

News | Knighthood for Tristram Hunt in New Year Honours V&A director among those on 2026 list recognised for services to museums, heritage and culture

🎙️ “My biggest passion, that started while I was working for the National Trust, is: how do we tell the stories that aren't being told?” For Radical Museums, Sharon Heal speaks to Marian Gwyn on her work to diversify heritage practices throughout her 30-year career: https://ow.ly/P9cV50XSpOm

That’s a wrap on 2025! 🎁 We’re logging off now for our festive break and we’ll be back at our desks on Monday 5 January 2026. Wishing all our friends and colleagues in the museum sector a merry Christmas and a happy new year 🎉

News | Culture ‘key to sustainable economic growth and healthy communities’ Paper calls on government to formally measure role of culture in UK economy

News | Welsh Government announces £9m in major funding boost for culture Fifteen projects have received grants to help build capacity

Don't forget this date: the next round of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Communities and Collections Fund closes on 21 January 2026 📆 If your project is using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners, we want to hear from you in the new year 👇

Merry Christmas and 2025 in review 🎄 We’re here for your enquiries until 24 December, but we’d like to take this opportunity to wish a merry Christmas to all our friends in the museum sector. Find out more about what we got up to this year: https://ow.ly/z7ha50XM9rr

Opportunity | Become an AMA mentor 🤝 We're now recruiting mentors for our Associateship of the Museums Association programme. You'll have the opportunity to support fellow sector professionals in realising their potential as they progress through the award. Find out more and apply by 2 February 👇

News in brief | Latest news from across the sector 📰 🎨 Accreditation scheme redesign 🏭 Barbican revamp approved 📽️ New home for animation collection And much more 👇

News | Four in 10 heritage sites report intentional damage to their property Survey finds acts like vandalism, graffiti and arson are the most common type of heritage crime

News | Export bar placed on rare union jack that survived Battle of Trafalgar UK buyer sought for £450,000 war-torn flag

News | Next Tate director must address gallery’s ‘existential crisis’ Workers who went on strike earlier this month highlight internal divisions

Opinions | Championing photography through local networks 📸 Partnerships are vital for Photoworks and its work with communities, writes Juliette Buss.

Programme now online for Breaking Barriers: Radical Curatorial Practice 🧪 Join us on 28 January for case studies and panel discussions from the experts behind groundbreaking exhibitions and programmes across the UK 💥 Browse the speakers and sessions – then book from £36 👉 https://ow.ly/IoXJ50XLmPm

Opinion | Ancestors’ dignity cannot wait for repatriation 💬 The Horniman's Heba Abd el Gawad on the ethics of storing human remains.

News | Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen 👒 Museums around the UK commemorate the birth of one of England's favourite writers

News | Overseas entry fees, a new NPO model and a long-term plan for museums: Our breakdown of the Arts Council England review We round up the key implications for museums and reactions from across the sector. #ArtsCouncilReview #ArtsCouncilEngland

“I don't see why wanting to make the history in our museums more comprehensive and inclusive is a radical pursuit.” In this episode of Radical Museums, Simon Stephens interviews E-J Scott, who founded the Museum of Transology in 2014: https://ow.ly/RYYW50XKYNe

News | Art Fund awards £1.3m to museums and galleries for collections work Twenty-nine institutions receive grants in final round of Reimagine fund

Our director Sharon Heal has responded to today's publication of the independent review of Arts Council England. Look out for a full analysis on the review and museum sector reaction in Museums Journal Online tomorrow.

Opportunity | Become an MA rep for Wales 👋 Representatives are a vital link between the MA and our members, helping to keep us in touch with what's happening on the ground. You'll get some great benefits, including a free place at our annual conference 🎟️ Find out more and apply by 27 January 👇

News | Louvre closed to visitors after workers vote to strike Industrial action partly in protest against ticket price rise for non-European visitors

News | Parliamentary group urges museums to take action on human remains MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy says sector must find an ‘ethical and accountable way forward’ in House of Commons briefing