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NI Museums Council Volunteer Develops Early Years' Resources
29 April 2021
During the Playful Museums Festival 2021, Emma-Jayne Smethurst, undertook a placement as part of her MA Public History studies at QUB.
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Education & Outreach Forum Online May 2021
27 April 2021
NI Museums Council and the Irish Museums association are partnering to host the annual Education & Outreach Forum Online during 18-21 May 2021. The Forum takes a project focused approach to offer opportunities for reflection, learning and peer discussion.
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Virtually Dementia Friendly Museums
30 March 2021
During the past year NI War Memorial, Mid Antrim Museum, Causeway Coast and Glens Museums Services, Tower Museum and Armagh Robinson Library & No. 5 Vicars' Hill have found creative ways to engage with those living with dementia and their carers. These projects aim to address the isolation of the pandemic and offer a positive wellbeing impact brought through social connection and engaging with resources of local museums and their collections.
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LET'S TALK...Playful Museums Festival 2021
29 March 2021
LET'S TALK is an initiative by the NI Museums Council for its members to share project news and learning, get to know partner organisations and to promote debate and discussion. Join us on 20 April 3-4.30pm to hear how a selection of local museums reimagined the Playful Museums Festival in response to the global pandemic. Can under 5s be meaningfully engaged if museums are closed and face-to-face workshops can't happen?
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New Director at AIM
29 March 2021
AIM has appointed Lisa Ollerhead as its new Director (Chief Executive) following a comprehensive recruitment process. Lisa joins AIM from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). As Head of Museums Policy since 2016, she played a leading role in the response for museums during COVID-19 and was closely involved in the design and delivery of the Culture Recovery Fund, supporting the independent Culture Recovery Board, and developing the £100m Museum Estates and Development Fund. Previously she led implementation of the Mendoza Review of museums and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. Lisa will join the AIM team on 31 May 2021.
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Museum Forum 2021 - Museums Beyond Covid: Reset, Rethink & Respond
08 March 2021
Join us on 23 March 2021, 10:00 am - 12:30
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Digital Doorways - the state of digital in the NI museums sector
08 March 2021
Knowing how to best support the local museum sector in Northern Ireland within the digital sphere requires a full understanding of the current state of digital activities.
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Delivering Access & Inclusion in our local museums
08 March 2021
Increasing access for everyone to our museum sites and their collections.
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Training Needs Survey 2021
08 March 2021
We need to hear from our members about future training priorities!
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Lights, Camera, Museum!
08 March 2021
A series of short films offering a a whistle stop taster tour of differing museums, interviewing the expert curators and showcasing key exhibits and items.
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Collecting for the Future: Acquisitions Programme - Still Open!
08 March 2021
Is there an object that you are interested in acquiring for your museum?
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Handling & Cleaning Museum Objects
08 March 2021
Check out these You Tube videos produced by Leicester Museums & Galleries.
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Museum Forum 2021 - Museums Beyond Covid: Reset, Rethink & Respond
01 March 2021
The NI Museums Council is delighted to announce the programme for its annual Museum Forum which will take place online on Tuesday 23 March 2021, starting at 10:00am.
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Museum Forum 2021 - Museums Beyond Covid: Reset, Rethink & Respond
01 March 2021
Find out more about the speakers at Museum Forum 2021 - Museums Beyond Covid: Reset, Rethink & Respond
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Playful Museums Festival 2021
02 February 2021
Festival turns 5 and fun for under 5s at local museums goes online
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Squiggles & Giggles Comes to Playful Museums Festival 2021
02 February 2021
To help celebrate the Festival's 5th birthday in style Kelsey Barr of Squiggles & Giggles has worked with 5 local museums to develop creative and engaging online content for their youngest audiences.
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NI Museums Council Hosts Student Placement
02 February 2021
NI Museums Council is pleased to be working with the MA Public History course at Queen's University Belfast and is currently hosting a Masters student as part of their studies.
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Liz Weir Joins Playful Museums Festival 2021
02 February 2021
Liz Weir helps NI Museums Council and the local museum sector reach out to younger audiences.
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Playful Museums Festival Grants
02 February 2021
NI Museums Council is pleased to support 5 local museums engage with under 5s with the Festival grant programme.
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Collecting for the Future: Acquisitions Programme - Still Open!
18 January 2021
Is there an object that you are interested in acquiring for your museum?
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Recent successful grant applicants
18 January 2021
Grants have been awarded for Recovery Grant and Playful Museums Festival 2021
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Access & Inclusion Audits 2021
18 January 2021
How inclusive is your museum?
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Playful Museums Festival 2021
14 January 2021
Festival turns a big 5 in February 2021!
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Call for Case Studies
14 January 2021
The next GEM Case Studies is being published in Spring 2021 and will be on the theme of Creating Community Partnerships.
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LET'S TALK...Museums and Community Heritage
14 January 2021
LET'S TALK is an initiative by the NI Museums Council for its members to share project news and learning, get to know partner organisations and to promote debate and discussion. Join us on 26 January 3-4.30pm to hear how some of our local museums are engaging communities with their collections and local heritage.
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Recruitment - Director, Northern Ireland Museums Council
16 November 2020
The Board of the NI Museums Council is currently recruiting for the role of Director.
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Short Survey about the use of museum/heritage sector toolkits
16 November 2020
Newcastle University is working on a project which considers the relationship between public space and belonging.
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Recovery Grant Round 1 - Successful Applicants!
10 November 2020
The Recovery Grant programme is funded by the Art Fund and the NI Museums Council. Round 1 was launched on 26 August with a deadline of 11 September. The Board of the NI Museums Council approved awards totalling £4,260.
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Access & Inclusion Programme 2020 - Successful Applicants!
10 November 2020
Three museums and the NI Museums Council have received funding to the value of £44,000.
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Collecting For the Future: Acquisitions Programme still open!
10 November 2020
This fund is supported by the Esme Mitchell Trust and enables accredited museums to apply for up to £1,000 towards the purchase of cultural and artistic objects in partnership with museum users and communities. This is Year 2 of a three-year funding programme.
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LET'S TALK...Digitising History
09 November 2020
LET'S TALK is a new initiative by the NI Museums Council for its members to share project news and learning, get to know partner organisations and to promote debate and discussion. Join us on 24 November 3-4.30pm to hear about digital engagement at the Linen Hall Library.
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Reimagine Remake Replay named 'Best Museums Change Lives Project'
09 November 2020
Youth engagement project changing the lives of young people across Northern Ireland has won the prestigious Museums Association's 'Best Museums Change Lives Project' award.
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Playful Museums Festival 2021
09 November 2020
The Playful Museums Festival which aims to engage under 5s with their local museums turns 5 in February 2021.
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Recovery Grant- New Call for Applications!
06 October 2020
Round 2 is now open for applications.
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Reimagine Remake Replay launches Head and Heart
05 October 2020
For World Mental Health Day Sat 10th Oct 2020, RRR have put together an amazing line up over three days of Advocates, Artists and Art Psychotherapists to deliver a fantastic series of workshops and talks for 16-25 year olds across Northern Ireland.
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Memories, Movement & Museums
05 October 2020
The next phase of the online Dementia Friendly Museums programme gets under way.
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New GEM rep in NI
05 October 2020
NI Museums Council Development Officer, Rachel McCance, takes on the role of local rep for the Group for Education in Museums (GEM).
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Spilling the Beans 2020 Online - Future Museums: Recovery & Renewal
16 September 2020
So, what does the future hold for museums? The NI Museums Council is delighted to welcome three speakers who will present different perspectives.
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Youth Ambassador Niamh makes an impact on Reimagine Remake Replay project
07 September 2020
Youth Ambassador Niamh Kelly advocates youth led approach on Reimagine Remake Replay project.
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Annual General Meeting and Spilling the Beans 2020 Online
07 September 2020
Save the date - Tuesday 29 September 2020 at 2:00pm
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Funding Available Now!
07 September 2020
Two funding programmes currently open
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LET'S TALK Reimaging Youth Engagement
07 September 2020
Join us on 20th October to find out more about the Reimagine, Remake, Replay project and 16-25 year olds finding creative and meaningful ways to engage with museum collections using new technologies.
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University Placements- call for local museum hosts
07 September 2020
As the academic year 2020/21 starts UU MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies and MA Museum Practice and Management students are on look out for local museums to host them for placements. The placements are mutually beneficial offering the opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge and skills to practical projects which are relevant and useful to their local museum hosts. The placements are for a minimum of 15 days taking place in the November-April period. It is suggested you discuss with Prof. Elizabeth Crooke, em.crooke@ulster.ac.uk prior to submitting a proposal. Given the current public health circumstances it is necessary to given detail of how placements could be hosted virtually or through a blended approach.
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Museums re-opening across Northern Ireland
07 September 2020
Want to see what museums are open in your area?
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University Placements- call for local museum hosts
26 August 2020
As the academic year 2020/21 starts QUB MA History and Public History students are on look out for local museums to host them for their assessed placements. The placements are mutually beneficial offering the opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge and skills to practical projects which are relevant and useful to their local museum hosts. The placements can either be 14 day or 30 days taking place in the January-March period and more information can be found in the attached. The travel expenses are covered by QUB and there are no costs to the host museums. It is suggested you discuss with Dr Leonie Hannan, Placement Coordinator, L.Hannan@qub.ac.uk prior to submitting a proposal. Given the current public health circumstances it is necessary to given detail of how placements could be hosted virtually or through a blended approach. Should you wish to propose a placement(s) please complete the attached form and me to rachel.mccance@nimc.co.uk by 5pm 25th September 2020.
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Recovery Grant - supporting accredited independent museums
25 August 2020
The Recovery Grant programme is funded by the Art Fund and the NI Museums Council.
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Interpreting Museums - would you like to join in?
19 August 2020
Would you like to link up with a museum professional from across the border and enhance your online engagement skills?
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COVID-19 Update, 7 August 2020
07 August 2020
Reopening Guidance and Updates for NI museum sector
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New Funding Programme Announced!
04 August 2020
NI Museums Council is delighted to announce a new funding programme focused on Access and Inclusion.
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Ensuring Inclusive Museums
04 August 2020
Widening access to museums, arts, culture and heritage for all!
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Collecting for the Future: Acquisition Programme
04 August 2020
Applications are welcomed to secure funding for new acquisitions for museum collections.
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Annual General Meeting & Spilling the Beans 2020 Online
04 August 2020
NI Museum Council Members - Please Save the Date!
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Good Relations Week, 14-21 September 2020
04 August 2020
Are you planning an online event for Good Relations Week? Please Let Us Know!
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Job Opportunities
04 August 2020
Are you looking to move job? Some current exciting opportunities.
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RRR launches exciting new illustration programme in aid of Women's AidNI.
03 August 2020
Youth Engagement Project Reimagine Remake Replay launches it's new programme, She Sells Sanctuary: Illustration with Elly Makes, in collaboration with local museums across Northern Ireland.
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LET'S TALK University Placements in Museums
03 August 2020
What makes a meaningful partnership and placement? How can university placements work successfully in the local museum sector? NI Museums Council's August LET'S TALK will explore these questions on 25th of the month.
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Re-opening of NI Local Museums
07 July 2020
On 2nd July, the NI Executive announced relaxations to the Coronavirus restrictions which included agreement that museums and galleries could re-open from the 3rd July 2020.
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Archaeology Unlocked! 11-19 July 2020- join us
07 July 2020
Please join us in this year's digital Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology for lots of new and exciting ways to discover our past. Online events, activities and projects celebrate the value of archaeology, our local landscapes, places, artefacts, folklore and culture.
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Organisations Emergency Programme- update
07 July 2020
On the 1st June, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland announced an Organisations Emergency Programme for small to medium scale organisations in the cultural sector including accredited museums.
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LET'S TALK Collecting the Contemporary
06 July 2020
Shortly after Lockdown in March 2020, a number of museums embarked on contemporary collecting programmes to capture the stories, images and memorabilia of what has been and remains a momentous event in our lifetime.
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Love to Move Online Pilot
09 June 2020
Local dementia friendly museums are finding creative ways to engage with local care home residents during Lockdown.
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RRR in conversation with.....
09 June 2020
Youth engagement project Reimagine Remake Replay, an engaging Museum initiative for 16-25 year olds across Northern Ireland have, in collaboration with cross border culture project Making the Future, recently wrapped up a successful series of online public interviews with Northern Ireland based Artists.
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Museums in Recovery
08 June 2020
Museums will recover - but it will be a slow process
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Public attitudes towards re-opening museums
08 June 2020
How safe does the public feel visiting museums and cultural institutions after Lockdown?
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LET'S TALK
08 June 2020
LET'S TALK is a new initiative by the NI Museums Council for its members to share project news and ideas, get to know partner organisations and to promote debate and discussion.
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Collecting for the Future - Funding programme still open!
06 May 2020
Have you got ambitious plans to develop your collections?
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#MuseumWeek 2020, 11-17 May 2020
06 May 2020
#MuseumWeek 2020 takes place between 11-17 May 2020. 7 days, 7 themes, 7 hashtags
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International Museums Day, Monday 18 May 2020, #IMD2020
06 May 2020
The Theme for 2020 is Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion.
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Reimagine Remake Replay launches Remote RRR programme
05 May 2020
Youth engagement project Reimagine Remake Replay, an exciting initiative which seeks to engage 16-25 year olds in museums and their collections has recently moved its activities online in light of the current Covid 19 crisis.
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COVID-19 Key Updates 16 April 2020
16 April 2020
Updates for the NI Museum Sector
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Accreditation News
07 April 2020
All Accredited museums in the UK have their current award status extended for an additional 12 months.
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Free Online Advice Surgeries for Independent Museums
07 April 2020
Applications for a free Online Advice Surgeries now open
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National Lottery Heritage Fund announces Emergency Funding
07 April 2020
Heritage Emergency Fund announced!
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NI Museum Council Training Programme
07 April 2020
All training planned for April to June has been cancelled
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Save the Date! #MuseumWeek 2020
07 April 2020
MuseumWeek 2020 will take place between 11-17 May
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Collections Trust News
07 April 2020
Collections in lockdown? Coffee chats about collections?
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Updates from Irish Museums Association
07 April 2020
Check out what the Irish Museums Association is up to!
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Baby Daddy Success
24 March 2020
Baby Daddy Came to Playful Museums Festival 2020
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Museum closures across Northern Ireland
20 March 2020
The majority of accredited local museums across Northern Ireland are now closed to the public.
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NI Museums Council Awards Announced
18 March 2020
We are delighted to announce that the following museums have been successful in obtaining funding during 2019-2020.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
18 March 2020
The situation regarding Coronavirus (Covid-19) is fluid and continually evolving. This page will be regularly reviewed. This page was last reviewed on 18/03/2020.
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Women in our Culture
08 March 2020
Women make an immeasurable contribution to our society. From innovative artists and writers, service personnel, farmers, actresses, to the women who campaigned for social reform, this booklet highlights a small but diverse range of women and provides some insight into their lives and achievements. The booklet features images of items from local museum collections related to the women and their lives such as photographs, newspaper clippings, uniforms, sculptures, medals, and paintings. To find out more about the women identified in this booklet take a visit to the local museums who hold further information. Download the publication for free here: www.nimc.co.uk/research-and-publications/
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Museums Change Lives
02 March 2020
We're excited to launch a new series of Museums Change Lives (MCL) case studies to highlight the dynamic and impactful work taking place in museums across Northern Ireland. Museums Association Publication in collaboration with NI Museums Council. Download the publication here: www.museumsassociation.org/download?id=1266325
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The Northern Ireland Museums Council has developed a draft Disability Action Plan
17 February 2020
We are seeking your comments!
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NI Museums Council becomes JAM Card Friendly
12 February 2020
Recent training undertaking by NI Museums Council and local museum staff
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Grants and awards for Museums
10 February 2020
There are a number of awards and grants open for museums
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Playful Museums Festival
10 February 2020
The Playful Museums Festival is bringing storytelling, arts, music and other multi-sensory activities to the under 5s this February. Think young uns and yoga at the Tower Museum, castle building at Carrickfergus Museum, or a total toddler takeover at the North Down Museum.
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Access and inclusion at local museums
10 February 2020
NIMC are delighted to announce that we will be working with Access Matters to deliver access & inclusion Audits at 7 local museums.
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Reimagine Remake Replay Year One Round Up!
07 February 2020
What a year! The National Heritage Lottery Funded project Reimagine, Remake, Replay: an ambitious, creative programme that embeds young people at the heart of activity in museums across Northern Ireland has concluded its first jam packed year of activities.
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NIMC New Year's Greeting
03 January 2020
2019 was an exciting year for NI Museums Council (Museums Council). We are proud to have worked with a variety of partners and museums to deliver a range of audience development programmes such as - The Late Shift, a series of afterdark happenings in museums for over 18s - Reimagine, Remake, Replay, a project allowing young people (16-25 year olds) to connect with and enhance museum collections using a mix of creative media and the latest digital technologies - Playful Museums, engaging under 5s and their carers with museums - Dementia Friendly Programme, supporting museums to become dementia friendly - A Brush With Nature, a programme celebrating cultural diversity in NI In September celebrated during an awards ceremony Full Accreditation for four of our local museums and being registered to Working to become dementia friendly for six museums. During #MuseumWeek we raised the profile of museums through coordinating a social media campaign. Since January our annual Training programme has delivered eight training sessions and two Museum Forums to 200 museum staff and volunteers through which we are building capacity and enhancing the resilience of the sector. The Museums Council has recently been successful in securing £15,000 from Esme Mitchell Trust to enable local museums to develop their collections over the next three years. We also awarded 11 Collections Care and Access grants, 7 Playful Museums grants, and 6 Dementia Friendly grants. We look forward to advocating for and supporting the development of local museums in Northern Ireland in 2020. Happy New Year.
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T:buc funding
15 November 2019
Funding Good Relations Work. We all know that museums and the exhibits contained are contributing towards breaking down barriers and bringing our community together but did you know that funding is available if you are running projects or events with a clear Good Relations Focus? The Executive Office has a number of streams of funding including Project Funding and Small Grants.
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Celebrating Achievement in the Museum Sector
03 October 2019
During an NIMC awards and recognition ceremony on 24th September at Carrickfergus Museum and Civic Centre 4 museums were presented with Full Accreditation certificates and 6 museums were recognised by the Alzheimer's Society as working to become dementia friendly.
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Memory Walk 2019
09 September 2019
On Saturday 7th September NI Museum's Council Development Officer (Learning) took part in the Alzheimer's Society Memory walk at Stormont.
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NIMC and Good Relations
05 September 2019
NI Museums Council are committed to creating a united community, supporting museums to develop respect for, and understanding of, the needs and concerns of diverse communities. We will be involved in a number of activities this month to participate in Good Relations activities for Good Relations Week 16th - 23rd September.
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Capital Grant Programme
30 August 2019
Capital Grant Programme by local Councils aimed at improving access to, and participation in, arts and cultural activities by people with disabilities across NI launches. The Programme will be jointly funded by the Department for Communities, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Public Health Agency and Councils themselves with Councils ultimately responsible for managing the delivery of projects before 31 March 2020. The Programme successfully supported a wide range of improvement works at arts and culture venues in 2018/19 including: - Lifts in buildings; - Hearing Loop systems; - Automatic doors; - Portable ramps; - Appropriate signage; - Floor adjustments; and - Changing Places facilities.
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Call for Placements
23 August 2019
Students from QUB MA History and MA Public History courses are looking for structured project placement opportunities in local museums.
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NI local museums walking together
23 August 2019
NIMC and local museum staff are participating in the Memory Walk on 7th September 2019
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Funds and Awards for Museums
09 July 2019
UK wide applications are now open for a range of funding opportunities and awards for museums and their collections.
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Call for Papers: NIMC Museum Forum 2019
08 July 2019
This year's NIMC Museum Forum will be held at Public Record Office of Northern Ireland on 11 December 2019. The Forum will examine all things Digital. Do you want to share learning from a digital preservation, access, or engagement project at your museum? If so please contact us with the name of the project, a short description, and the main impacts of the project by end of August 2019. Please email: Triona White Hamilton our Development Officer (Collections and Museums) at devofficer@nimc.co.uk
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New appointment to NI Museums Council's Board
04 July 2019
Julie Andrews, Director of the Linen Hall Library, has been appointed to the Board of the NI Museums Council.
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Using Visuals and Makaton to Communicate in Museums
24 June 2019
A successful session took place with Autism NI and Robinson Makaton Training
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NIMC Grants 2019-20: Update
07 June 2019
Funding pressures mean that NIMC grant programmes will remain closed.
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NIMC Working to Become Dementia Friendly
07 June 2019
Over 200 local museum staff and volunteers have participated in dementia awareness sessions delivered by NIMC.
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Have you got what it takes to be a NIMC Board Member?
07 June 2019
The Northern Ireland Museums Council currently has one vacancy on its Board for a representative of the Independent Museum sector.
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We need your help to report on visitor numbers to local museums
07 June 2019
Visitors to local museums have been increasing in numbers.
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New NIMC Training day announced - All About Audiences!
07 June 2019
The Museum Accreditation Scheme encourages all museums and galleries to meet an agreed standard in how they engage with their audiences.
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Touring exhibitions available from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
07 June 2019
The Public Record Office of Northern (PRONI) has several travelling exhibitions that local museums can borrow.
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NIMC New Year's Greeting
30 November -1
NI Museums Council New Year's Greeting 2019 was an exciting year for NI Museums Council (Museums Council). We are proud to have worked with a variety of partners and museums to deliver a range of audience development programmes such as - The Late Shift, a series of afterdark happenings in museums for over 18’s - Reimagine, Remake, Replay, a project allowing young people (16-25 year olds) to connect with and enhance museum collections using a mix of creative media and the latest digital technologies - Playful Museums, engaging under 5’s and their carers with museums - Dementia Friendly Programme, supporting museums to ‘become dementia friendly’ - A Brush With Nature, a programme celebrating cultural diversity in NI In September celebrated during an awards ceremony Full Accreditation for four of our local museums and being registered to ‘Working to become dementia friendly’ for six museums. During #MuseumWeek we raised the profile of museums through coordinating a social media campaign. Since January our annual Training programme has delivered eight training sessions and two Museum Forums to 200 museum staff and volunteers through which we are building capacity and enhancing the resilience of the sector. The Museums Council has recently been successful in securing £15,000 from Esme Mitchell Trust to enable local museums to develop their collections over the next three years. We also awarded 11 Collections Care and Access grants, 7 Playful Museums grants, and 6 Dementia Friendly grants. We look forward to advocating for and supporting the development of local museums in Northern Ireland in 2020. Happy New Year.
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New Director at AIM
30 November -1
AIM has appointed Lisa joins AIM from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). As Head of Museums Policy since 2016, she played a leading role in the response for museums during COVID-19 and was closely involved in the design and delivery of the Culture Recovery Fund, supporting the independent Culture Recovery Board, and developing the £100m Museum Estates and Development Fund. Previously she led implementation of the Mendoza Review of museums and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. Lisa will join the AIM team on 31 May 2021.
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