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National Museum Directors' Council
@nmdcnews.bsky.social
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The National Museum Directors' Council represents the leaders of the UK's national collections and major regional museums.

Our Newsletter updates you on what's happening in museums and cultural policy in the UK.

https://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/

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Open from today 'Wright of Derby: From the Shadows' at the National Gallery is a collaboration with Derby Museums showing over 20 works that focus on Joseph Wright's candlelight series. On till 10 May 2026. www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/...
November 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
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The NMDC November Newsletter is out now, catch up on member news, the Government's Curriculum Review and sector news. Images this month are from Manchester Museum's new 'Triceratops: Eat, Roam, Repeat' family friendly exhibition. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
Photograph of a Triceratops dinosaur model. Photograph of two young boys sitting in front of a large Triceratops skull, they are both looking at the camera and smiling. Photograph of families playing in a giant sand pit in an exhibition. Photograph of a young girl in a dinosaur exhibition. She is looking up at a dinosaur skeleton and smiling.
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 AM
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The NMDC October Newsletter is out now, catch up on Museum Renewal Fund news, members updates and sector news. Images this month celebrate the reopening of Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery at the Science and Industry Museum. #UKMuseums www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet...
Danny Boyle next to the Beyer-Garratt articulated steam locomotive, on display in the soon-to-reopen Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. A white older man with clear glasses and a bald head smiles at the camera. He wears a blue jacket and his arm rests on a train. Behind him in the distance is a museum exhibition space with trains. Museum team cleaning the first-class carriage in Power Hall © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group. Photo of a woman museum staff member in blue hard had and yellow high vis jacket cleaning a train carriage. View of inside Power Hall 4 Credit Dave Bewick Science and Industry Museum. Photograph of a large museum exhibition space, there is a wooden floor stretching into the distance with a train to the left and a small train carriage to the right. Interactives inside Power Hall Credit Dave Bewick Science and Industry Museum. Photograph of museum interactives in the Power Hall a touch screen display to the left and to the right a large black and green interactive with things to touch and pull.
October 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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The NMDC September Newsletter is out now with a round up of sector news. Images this month come from the BFI, their new Ridley Scott season includes a free exhibition on the Southbank looking at Scott's archive. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet...
A film still from Blade Runner showing the actor Harrison Ford. He is a white man with short brown hair, his head and shoulders are shown, in his right hand he hold a gun with hand arm raised parallel to shoulder height. Film still of two women sitting on top of the seats of a convertible car. One woman wears a white cowboy hat, blue jeans and white sleeveless t-shirt. The other woman wears sunglasses and black sleeveless t-shirt and blue jeans. The film still is from Thelma and Louise. A film still from the Martian. A astronaut sits on red sand. His knees are bent and his arms rest on his knees. The landscape shows red rocky mountains. It is desolate and there are no other people or buildings. Film still from Alien. A man lays on a table surrounded by bowls and food. Four other people surround him with concern. They wear uniformed shirts. There are three men and one woman reaching out to him.
September 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
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The NMDC August Newsletter is out now with member news and a catch up across the museum sector. Images this month come from Museum of Liverpool, their new exhibition 'Treasure: History Unearthed' opens in September. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet...
Photograph of a hand wearing a blue glove in the hand is a silver brooch about the width of the hand in size, it is silver and ornate. Photograph of an empty terracotta pot lying on its side. In front of the pot are an assortment of metal objects including coins, ingots and fragments of jewellery. Photograph of a gold lock ring. Circular in shape it has a hole in the middle of the disc. It is damaged and dented. Photograph of a hoard of coins still embedded in dirt. They are coppery bronze in colour and part of a terracotta pot pokes out from the mound of earth they are stuck in.
August 4, 2025 at 8:32 AM
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The NMDC July Newsletter is out now with a look at the Spending Review and Creative Industries Sector Plan. Images this month come from Stephenson Steam Railway and their new Woodland Walk @northeastmuseums.bsky.social www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
A photograph of a performer dressed as a yellow and black butterfly, they have large wings and their body is covered in black. They are outside the entrance to a museum with a green door. A photograph of a man and a woman cutting a blue ribbon outside. Behind the two people stand members of the public and school children who are smiling. There is blue sky and green bushes behind the crowd. Photograph of a steam train and railway carriage on two adjacent tracks. The steam engine is red and has smoke coming from the engine. The sky is blue and the surrounding area is green and vibrant. On the platform visitors look at the train and carriage.
July 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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Invitation to Tender - online climate resource. @aimuseums.bsky.social and NMDC are seeking consultants to develop an online resource. aim-museums.co.uk/job-vacancie...
June 12, 2025 at 2:30 PM
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The NMDC June Newsletter is out now with NMDC, @artfund.bsky.social and @aimuseums.bsky.social research into why museums matter. Images this month celebrate the opening of V&A East Storehouse. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet...
Photograph of the inside of a museum store, the central hall is open and has a square section of see-through floor in the middle around which stand a crowd of people. The shelves of the store are full of museum objects. Photograph of a museum conservation studio taken from above. Five people work on museum objects on large desks, four of them wear purple nitrile gloves. Photograph of the inside of a museum store, it shows an exterior section of a building (Robin Hood Gardens) with grey concrete sections and white framed windows. Photograph of a large cloth hanging which was used on a theatre stage. It shows two women running arms extended, hair flying behind them. They are barefoot in white dresses with their left breast bared. It has a blue sky background.
June 6, 2025 at 4:29 PM
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Open from today! The V&A East Storehouse, an opportunity to enjoy a museum store and see what goes on behind the scenes in museums …https://www.vam.ac.uk/east
May 31, 2025 at 1:32 PM
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This year’s @icomuk.bsky.social Conference ‘Regenerative Museums for Sustainable Futures’ took place in Liverpool on 1- 2 May. A collaboration between ICOM UK, NMDC & RegeneraMuseu – a Brazilian organisation dedicated to regeneration and museums led by Lucimara Letelier. #Thread #SustainableMuseums
Photograph of 9 people standing in in front of a screen which has details of the ICOM UK conference on it. left to right: Xiao Du, Christian Baars, Kristina Broughton, Huaiyuan Ren, Lucimara Letelier, Maria Blyzinsky, Kathryn Simpson, Nerys Rudder, Katie Hardgrave, conference organisers.
May 9, 2025 at 3:26 PM
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The NMDC May Newsletter is out now with the latest member news and coverage of the @icomuk.bsky.social conference. This month's images celebrate the reopening of National Gallery Sainsbury Wing, which opens to the public tomorrow. #UKMuseums www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet...
Photograph of one of the National Gallery rooms, it has blue walls and light wooden floor on the wall are 7 large paintings showing portraits and landscapes. In the centre is a painting of a horse, it is chestnut coloured and rearing up on its hind legs. Room 34, The National Gallery. A Distinct Style: British Painting 1740-1800. Part of C C Land: The Wonder of Art. © The National Gallery, London. Photograph of the installation of a large painting at the National gallery, two mechanical platforms are extended at the side of the painting with gallery staff in each one. In front of the painting 6 gallery staff use equipment to move the painting into place. The National Gallery – Sainsbury Wing, Gallery 56. Looking at Nature: European Painting 1430-1540. Rehanging of NG292:The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (completed 1475). Part of C C Land: The Wonder of Art. © The National Gallery, London Photograph of the Sainsbury Wing gallery. The walls are a light grey with darker grey in the arched door way. A cross hangs from the ceiling above the arched door way. A larger alter piece can be seen in the gallery beyond. On the right and left of the door way are panelled art works. Photograph of the stairs up to the Sainsbury Wing as viewed from the top of the stairs. The stairs are grey the stone to the left is light brown. On the left are floor to ceiling glass panels letting in lots of light.
May 9, 2025 at 3:14 PM
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The NMDC April Newsletter is out now with news on NMDC board changes, member news and government funding for museums. This month's images come from 'Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur' now on at the Wallace Collection. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
Photo credit: Grayson Perry © Richard Ansett, shot exclusively for the Wallace Collection, London Photograph of the artist Grayson Perry, dressed as his alter ego. It shows a woman standing at the Wallace Collection facing the camera their left hand is resting on the fireplace, their right hand is bent at the elbow and holds a small handbag. They have big blond hair in a bouffant style, large red framed glasses and a short 60s style psychedelic dress in a wavy pattern of orange purple and green. Grayson Perry I Know Who I Am, 2024 Cotton fabric and embroidery appliqué 234 x 234 cm 92 1/8 x 92 1/8 in © Grayson Perry Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro A fabric artwork showing embroidery appliqué that shows an illustrated version of the artist Grayson Perry as his alter ego. The artist wears a dark of dark blue with red lines and an image of a red animal on the skirt. The work in bordered in a light blue with symbols including anchors crown and peacocks. On the bottom of the artist's dress is a white border saying 'I know who I am'. There is also a tall building in the background that looks like a castle and a man dressed as a footman or servant with old fashioned dress. Grayson Perry Untitled, from a selection of drawings by Shirley Smith, 2022–24 42 x 30 cm 16 1/2 x 11 3/4 in © Grayson Perry Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro A drawing by the artist Grayson Perry in green, oranges and pinks. It shows a woman at a table, she is outside. There is a tree on the right of the picture. The woman wears a full style dress with large skirt it is highly patterned and she carries a fan and wears a large hat. The sky is full of large orange circles. And there are sunflowers on the bottom of the image and orange flowers fill the image.
April 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
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The NMDC March Newsletter is out now with news on culture sector funding, resources and government policy. Images this month come from Royal Museums Greenwich - 'Pirates' exhibition opening 29 March. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
Dummy book ink and watercolour on paper with metal binding, by John Ryan, 1953–55 © Isabel Ryan / Estate of John Ryan. Ring bound children's books with bright colorful illustration of Captain Pugwash the pirate. The illustration shows Captain Pugwash standing on deck he wears a black hat with a skull and cross bones on, blue jacket, red and black waistcoat with a white frilly cravat. He has a sword in his right hand and dark black hair and moustache. The lettering above says Captain Pugwash and below it says 'a pirate story' by John Ryan. You can see the sea in the background and the image is edged in a dark orange. A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson, published by J. Watts, 1725 © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. A photograph of a book open at the title page. The right hand side says 'A General History of Pirates' with text underneath. On the left is a print of a pirate, he wears a frock coat with wide sleeves, a bandolier across his chest (a cross body belt) and holds a sword in his right hand. He wears a hat and has a big black beard. Underneath the illustration are the words 'Blackbeard the pirate'. Original costume for Will Turner from The Curse of the Black Pearl cotton, leather, wool and other materials, designed by Penny Rose, about 2002 © Penny Rose / CosProp. A photograph of a film costume belonging to the character Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom in the film - Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a brown jacket, waistcoat and breaches with black shoes and an orange necktie.
March 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
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House of Commons - Culture, Media and Sport Committee - Copyright and AI consultation response committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 27, 2025 at 2:29 PM
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The NMDC February Newsletter is out now with the latest member news, sector reports and funding. Images this month come from the Ulster Folk Museum, part of National Museums Northern Ireland and show their makers keeping traditional skills alive. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
A woman is weaving, she wears a blue cardigan and green shirt, she has short hair. She is weaving thread using a wooden loom. She stand in a rustic room with coloured yarn hanging on the walls. The Weaver - Ulster Folk Museum A man stands in front of willow branches, he holds a branch in his left hand and in his right he has a small curved knife. The man is wearing a woollen jumper and works in a cottage. The Willow Weaver - Ulster Folk Museum. Photo - Johnny Frazer A man stands over a bench, he is using his hands and working with light coloured wood on the bench. There are wood shavings around his work. He wears a waistcoat, a shirt with his sleeves rolled up and a flat cap. He is smiling. Behind him are tools and it looks like a wood working workshop. The Carpenter - Ulster Folk Museum. Photo Johnny Frazer.
February 11, 2025 at 2:23 PM
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The NMDC January Newsletter is out now with the latest member news, sector reports and funding. Images this month come from @ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social and their new exhibition 'Anselm Kiefer: Early Works' opening 14 Feb. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/newslet... #UKMuseums
Painting with thick dark impasto oils, the painting also uses different materials including string lead and shellac. The colours are dark browns, greys, hints of orange and tan brown. On first look it appears abstract but closer looking shows shadowy figures. Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945) Wer jetzt kein Haus hat (Whoever has no House now) , 2023 Emulsion, acrylic, oil, shellac, lead, string and chalk on canvas, 190 x 330 cm Collection of the artist. Courtesy of White Cube. © Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Georges Poncet. Artwork in watercolour showing The Adige River in Italy. It is abstract in style with light blues at the top of the work and dark greys at the bottom. There are bright spots of orange dotted across the work. It gives a watery effect with the colours running into each other. Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945) Die Etsch (The Adige) , early-1970s Watercolour, gouache and ink on paper, 56 x 41 cm Hall Collection. Courtesy of the Hall Art Foundation. © Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Mark-Woods.com A black and white photograph of the artist Anselm Kiefer. It show a white male standing in the centre of the photograph in an artists studio. There are artworks on the floor and around the walls. He is standing with one foot on an artwork on the floor. He is wearing black trousers shoes and a black t-shirt. His hands are on his hips. The artist - Anselm Kiefer at work in his studio Photo courtesy Barbara Klemm A black and white a black and white art work using graphite and watercolour. It shows a large grand room with tiled floor and a light ceiling window or light criss-crossed with lines. In the centre of the room is a tall sculpture that has a square plinth with a black rod running up to the centre on the top is an oblong shape. Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945) Innenraum (Interior) , 1982 Watercolour and graphite on paper, 77.5 x 68.5 cm Hall Collection. Courtesy of the Hall Art Foundation. © Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Steven Brookes Studio
January 13, 2025 at 1:14 PM