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This article was originally published by Arts Professional and is shared here for our members information.  One major work by a leading British artist will be purchased each year for a UK museum or gallery through a new scheme launched by the Contemporary Art Society (CAS). The ‘Great Works’ initiative aims to address the lack of works by contemporary British artists in ...

  For their latest exhibition offering, the Manx National Heritage continues its partnership with the York Archaeological Trust in their exciting Viking exhibition Heroes, which tells the stories of eight ‘celebrities’ of the Viking world. Delving into the world of Viking myth to uncover the superpowers of the gods such as Thor and Odin through story and play in an interactive area, the exhibition tells ...

  Museum artefacts are usually displayed behind glass often too fragile, small, heavy or valuable to allow the public to handle physically making most museum artefacts for display only. With the increasing rarity that museum objects or a replica object can be touched or held within the museum setting, Manchester Museum and technology partner TAD Systems Ltd embarked on an investigation into the use of Haptic technology ...

This article was originally published on National Museum Directors Councils' Newsletter:  Lancashire Council has passed radical plans to close five of the 11 museums in its control and retain five others only on condition that they are self-sustaining through admissions takings. The Council had previously intended to earmark £1.2m for culture in 2015-16, increasing by 100k the following year.  The ...

In an article originally published in Apollo magazine's September issue, Jake Wakefield examined the numerous issues facing our regional galleries and museums.  As an organisation supporting and championing the interests of museums and galleries across the North West region, we at the NWFed were interested to read what Jack had to say on the key issues he felt regional museums ...

With the on-going threats to funding within the museum, heritage and cultural sector the need to diversify funding sources has become a key concern for many fundraisers working within the sector, but if organisations want to secure long-term, sustainable funding from corporations their fundraisers need to be empowered to negotiate and build partnerships. In response to this issue, Culturehive recently published a conversation between Sarah ...

On 9 October 2015, NWFED member, the Whitworth Art Gallery was named the best emerging cultural destination in Europe at the 2015 edition of the prestigious Leading Cultural Destinations Awards at a ceremony in London. This year, the Leading Culture Destinations awards were divided into five categories with winners selected for:  Exhibitions and Programming, Architecture and Spatial Design, Digital Experience, Eat & Drink ...

Funding can often feel like a mine field to anyone looking to apply to big grant giving organisations for the first time, but in a move to demystify their process, the Heritage Lottery Fund have launched a supportive online community forum. Following a successful pilot project earlier this year, HLF's forum has become a space where anyone looking to connect with other organisations currently working ...

Pies, piers, rugby league and Uncle Joes Mint Balls, where else could you be but Wigan. A town proud of its industrial and social heritage, many people may not know the key role Wigan played in England’s industrial revolution or the influence of the town’s clubs on the UK’s Northern Soul music scene. Following a £1.9 million Heritage Lottery Fund ...

You may have noticed little lime green and blue I ♥ Museums logos appearing on Twitter. The National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC) – with the support of the other museum representative bodies - has embarked on a public campaign ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, budget consultations for local authorities and greater devolution of power to regions and cities, including ...

For anyone who has ever struggled to effectively communicate the strength and value held within their organisation’s network to potential funders or supporters, ArtAPI could be just what you need.  A free web application developed by the Manchester based award-winning innovation lab, FutureEverything, it is a newly developed web application specifically designed to help arts and culture organisations to show the value and impact generated by their networks. A year-long project ...

The Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival first appeared on our culture calendars in 2010, as a small local festival of performance, music, theatre, exhibitions and events, including the popular Art and Photography Opens for local artists.  This year, the festival will launch its fifth edition on Friday 2 October 2015, filling Culture Warrington's venues (Warrington Museum and Gallery and Pyramid & Parr Hall) with an ...