Museums Galleries Scotland

MGS on Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums Steering Group Recommendations

Pink and yellow text on a dark navy background. Text "Empire, Slavery & Scotland's Museums Steering Group Recommendations"

MGS statement on Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums Steering Group Recommendations.

Over £1 Million Awarded Through The Museums Capital Resilience Fund

A building with a long glass and timber middle between two gable ends. Behind it is a bright blue sky.

Museums Galleries Scotland announces the 39 museums and galleries across Scotland that have been awarded over £1 million, thanks to funding from the Scottish Government.

Museums Galleries Scotland Launches Sector Jobs And Opportunities Support

An illustration of a group of people of different ethnicities are in a line standing and using a wheelchair.

Museums Galleries Scotland announces new jobs and opportunities support to help the sector in Scotland to embrace and action the Scottish Government Fair Work First guidelines and create a more sustainable and diverse workforce.

Museums Galleries Scotland Statement

Museums Galleries Scotland stands with those in the museums, galleries and wider heritage sector who are showing solidarity for their colleagues in Ukraine.

Up To Date Records

Statement about up to date records in Scotland's museums.

Help Shape The Second National Strategy For Scotland’s Museums And Galleries

Museums Galleries Scotland is inviting people working in all roles in Scotland’s museums and galleries to help shape the second national strategy for Scotland’s museums and galleries.

New digital skills development programmes announced

Today Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is pleased to announce new plans to address sector digital skills development needs. Two programmes, Digital Literacy for Leadership and Talking Digital: Coaching Conversations for Digital Confidence will be delivered through MGS Skills Academy.

Launch Of Culture At COP Website

A child is sitting on tarmac painting a green shape onto it. In the background are children and adults painting blue and orange shapes onto it.

In collaboration with partners from around the globe, Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS) is pleased to launch the Culture at COP website with the Climate Heritage Network and Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

£300,000 funding available to help communities celebrate Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022

Community groups and organisations from across the country are being invited to apply for funding to host events and activities that will celebrate Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.

#COP26Conversations Fund for Museums, Libraries, and Historic Environment Organisations in Scotland launched

A boy is standing inside the Summerlee Museum, surrounded by objects.

Museums Galleries Scotland are delighted to announce the #COP26Conversations Fund in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Libraries Information Council.

Climate Beacons to link creativity and climate change across Scotland for COP26

A scene of a Scottish coastal community at night with a full moon. A searing band of white light cuts across the buildings and land highlighting the future height of the tide. CREDIT Pekka Niittyvirta Timo Aho

More than 30 environmental, cultural and heritage organisations are coming together in regions across Scotland to inspire public engagement and positive action in the run up to and beyond the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, taking place in Glasgow this November.

Support For The Scottish Crannog Centre

Exterior view of the Scottish Crannog Centre on Loch Tay

Today Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is working with the Scottish Crannog Centre to support them after the devastating fire that took place on Friday evening.

Reopening Survey Results

A photograph of an interior hall with a large green steam train in it. Next to the steam train is the blurred outline of a child running.

Many of Scotland’s museums will be open and ready to welcome visitors this summer, Museums Galleries Scotland has said after a survey of the sector found only a tiny number of respondents did not expect to reopen this year.

Civic And University Museums Get £800k Funding Boost

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has confirmed funding awards worth £800,000 in the latest COVID-19 support for museums and galleries.

Business Training And Support Awarded To 40 Heritage Organisations Across Scotland

Museums Galleries Scotland, Built Environment Forum Scotland, and greenspace scotland welcome the 40 organisations who will participate in the 18-month NLHF funded Business Support Programme, ‘Surviving to Thriving’.

MGS Appoints Project Manager: Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums

A head and shoulders photograph of Sheila Asante standing in front of a wall of exhibition text and a painting

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) welcomes Sheila Asante as Project Manager for Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums: Addressing Our Colonial Legacy, a project to explore how the history of Scotland’s involvement in the British Empire, colonialism, and transatlantic slavery, can be told by Scotland’s museums.

High Demand for Museum Fund Underlines Scale of Sector Need

Pier Art Centre displaying a white gallery room with two white women wearing mask viewing a contemporary statute in a glass box.

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has received applications totalling £10.7 million to the £4 million Recovery and Resilience Fund, established to support museums through the pandemic. The huge demand underlines the scale of the need to enable museums and galleries to continue their work at the heart of communities across the country.

Sir Geoff Palmer, OBE, To Chair Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums Steering Group

Museums Galleries Scotland welcomes Sir Geoff Palmer, OBE, as chair of a new independent steering group that will recommend how Scotland’s existing and future museum collections can better recognise and represent a more accurate portrayal of Scotland’s colonial and slavery history.

Fund Opens To Support Civic And University Museums As Deadline Approaches For Recovery And Resilience Fund

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) announces the opening of a new COVID-19 Museum Development Fund. It will be open to organisations that manage Accredited museums that have not been eligible for the Recovery and Resilience Fund

Museums Galleries Scotland To Coordinate Consultation On Scotland’s Colonial And Slavery History In Museum Collections

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) welcomes the announcement in the Programme for Government that the Scottish Government will sponsor an independent expert group to recommend how Scotland’s existing and future museum collections can better recognise and represent a more accurate portrayal of Scotland’s colonial and slavery history.

Lucy Casot (CEO) gives evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee on the impact of the pandemic

Today our CEO Lucy Casot gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee on the impact of the pandemic

£4 Million Recovery and Resilience Fund for Independent Museums to Open 17th Aug

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) announce details of the £4 Million Recovery and Resilience fund, made available by the Scottish Government. The fund will open to applications on 17 August 2020.

£4 Million Announced to Support Independent Museums and Galleries

Exterior view of the Scottish Crannog Centre, a thatched wooden building on stilts on the Loch Tay

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) welcomes the announcement today from Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop of major investment to support Scotland’s museums and galleries.

Phased reopening planned as museums and galleries look forward to welcoming back visitors

Group of women walking on grass in front of the Modern One National Galleries Scotland building (Ian Georgeson Photography)

Collective statement from Scotland’s museums and galleries as phase three of Scotland's Route Map is announced.

Museums Galleries Scotland Partnership Receive £497k For Major Investment In Sector Resilience Training

Museums Galleries Scotland in partnership with Built Environment Forum Scotland and greenspace scotland have been awarded major investment from National Lottery Heritage Fund, to support building the resilience of the heritage sector.

Museums Galleries Scotland Launch £332K Fund to Support Sector Reopening

Portrait image of colourful plastic bottles, hanging against a white background illuminated from the inside. Artist David Batchelor Credit Jenny Youngson

MGS announces £332K for new COVID-19 Adaption Fund to enable museums to reopen safely and in accordance with restrictions due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Museums Galleries Scotland response to Black Lives Matter

African collection items from the David Livingstone Centre

Museums Galleries Scotland publishes key findings on impact of COVID-19 on Scottish Museum Sector

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has published a report that highlights the impact of COVID-19 across all parts of the sector from independent to university museums.

MGS Awards Emergency Grants To Support Sector Resilience

MGS awards museums and galleries emergency funding in response to the impact of Covid-19.

MGS response to statement by Industrial Museums Scotland, Scottish Community Heritage Alliance (SCHA) and Museums Heritage Highland

Read our response from Museums Galleries Scotland Chief Executive, Lucy Casot.

MGS announces new funds to support Scotland's most vulnerable museums and galleries and to support digital and home working

MGS announces £700,000 of Scottish Government funding to establish an Urgent Response Fund to support the sector during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Museums Galleries Scotland Responds to the Climate Emergency

Museums Galleries Scotland response to the Climate Emergency as an organisation and to support the sector through the recently launched Delivery Plan for the National Strategy.

Museums Galleries Scotland Response on Coronavirus (Covid-19)

This page contains information on how Museums Galleries Scotland is responding to the ongoing situation concerning the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Coronavirus (Covid-19)

This page contains information for museums and is signposting to wellbeing, medical and business continuity advice on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. This page will be reviewed and updated regularly. It was last reviewed on 25/03/2020.

New plan to celebrate and shape work of Scotland’s museums and galleries launched

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has launched the third and final delivery plan for the National Strategy for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries.

Scottish Government Publishes A Culture Strategy for Scotland

The Scottish Government has launched A Culture Strategy for Scotland. MGS welcomes the Strategy’s recognition of the integral role of museums and galleries within Scotland’s rich cultural mix.

Significant Investment Announced For Geographic Museum Forums In Scotland

National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) has awarded £250,000 to Forum Connections, a major new project by Museums Galleries Scotland to assist and champion geographic museum forums across Scotland.

Funding Announced for Innovative Projects in Scotland’s Museums and Galleries

Photo credit Colin Hattersley | Two curators stand amongst collection items from David Livingston Trust

2020 sees nine projects from around the country awarded a share of 300k of funding from Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), the national development body for Scotland’s museums.

Museums Galleries Scotland Announces Funding Changes

Museums Galleries Scotland Announces Kilmartin Museum As The 50th Nationally Significant Collection In Scotland

Kilmartin Museum’s Prehistoric Collection unveiled as the 50th Nationally Significant Collection in Scotland.

First Dedicated Bursary In Scotland For Subject Specialist Networks

Objects from the Baird Institute East Ayrshire

A travel bursary for use by museum workforce in Scotland to travel to Subject Specialist Network (SSNs) meetings in the UK or to bring a speaker to a SSNs event in Scotland.

Excellence And Resilience In Scotland’s Museums Highlighted In New Report

Shift performance by the National Theatre of Scotland at Summerlee Museum

A report highlighting the achievements of Scotland’s museums and galleries against Realising The Vision, the National Strategy Delivery Plan

Celebration for award winning Skills for Success learning programme

The Skills for Success vocational training programme helped to open access to museum jobs and increase diversity in the sector

Funding boost for projects challenging traditional interpretations of collections

Three Scottish museums will be re-examining their collections through a 21st century lens following investment from Museums Galleries Scotland, as MGS announce details of twelve projects which are set to benefit from a share of just under £500k of funding from their Museum Development Fund.

MGS announces changes to open access to Small Project Fund

Festival fun for Scotland’s museums and galleries thanks to MGS investment

Political and Public Spotlight on Scotland’s Museums for International Museums Day

This month, to coincide with International Museums Day, Museums Galleries Scotland is highlighting the positive impact of Scotland’s museums on their communities, with campaigns targeting political and public audiences.

Museums Galleries Scotland Launches Sector Consultation

A key milestone in work to develop the third and final delivery plan for the ten-year national strategy for Scotland’s museums and galleries has been reached with the launch of a sector-wide consultation by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS).

MGS’ work to develop sector skills wins award

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) are delighted to have won the Creative Choices Award at this year’s Creative & Cultural Skills Awards last night in Cardiff for their Skills for Success programme.

Building on regeneration and heritage

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is delighted to announce a new partnership agreement with Scotland's Regeneration Forum (SURF). Both organisations are keen to make more of their shared interests in linking heritage with community regeneration.

Museums Galleries Scotland announce the boards who will take part in their Board Development Programme

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is delighted to announce the successful applicants to their new Board Development Programme. Working in partnership with the Social Enterprise Academy, MGS created the programme to support independent museums in Scotland to improve their resilience, sustainability, and governance practices.

Museums Galleries Scotland statement on Caithness Horizons

As the National Development Body for museums in Scotland, Museums Galleries Scotland noted with concern the recent sudden closure of Caithness Horizons.

New Fund Supports Museums To Take Part In Local Festivals

Colorful lights at the Irvine Harbour Festival of Light Image by Drew Kyle

Museums Galleries Scotland has started to receive applications to their Festivals Fund, a new fund that helps museums to develop local and regional relationships and increase their audience development potential. The fund supports museums with the costs of staging an event that is part of a wider local or regional event programme or festival.

New Year, New Opportunities from Museums Galleries Scotland

MGS, in partnership with Sixth Sense Training, have developed an exciting Digital Marketing Modern Apprenticeship Programme, which will allow six Scottish museums or galleries to offer an existing or new employee the chance to learn new skills while undertaking an SCQF Level 6 in Digital Marketing.

Charity Law consultation: Call for museums sector response

The Scottish Government is consulting on the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. MGS plans to submit a response to the consultation and is keen to hear from the museums sector on how they feel the proposed changes may affect them.

Two new members announced for MGS Board

Museums Galleries Scotland has announced the appointment of two new trustees, Steph Scholten and Mary Jane Brouwers, to the board of the national development body for Scotland’s’ museums and galleries.

Latest Museum Development Fund awards announced

A wide shot of a white room in Mackintosh House featuring Charles Rennie MackIntosh furniture

Virtual tour of Mackintosh House, digitised shinty memorabilia and community designed fabrics among awards

Places available for ten Independent museum boards to take part in new development programme

Museums Galleries Scotland is offering ten Independent museum boards the opportunity to take part in a new Board Development Programme. MGS has partnered with the Social Enterprise Academy to fund and create this 18-month programme which will benefit boards at any stage of their development.

MGS announces Recognition Committee appointments

Museums Galleries Scotland is pleased to announce five new appointments to the Recognition Committee.

Museums Galleries Scotland seeks new Board Members

Can you help put museums and galleries at the heart of Scottish society? Museums Galleries Scotland is seeking to appoint a number of new Directors to the Board and would particularly like to encourage applications from within the museums and culture sector.

Joint Statement on museums and collections at risk

A lighthouse spiral staircase with a wooden handrail and red carpet. Photographed from the top looking down. Museum of Scottish Lighthouses

Museums Galleries Scotland has contributed towards a joint statement on museums and collections at risk. As part of a group of key funding, development and membership bodies for the museums and heritage sector, MGS agreed to a coordinated approach in response to situations when museums or collections are at risk.

MGS response to Scottish Government's draft culture strategy for Scotland

MGS submitted a detailed response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the draft Culture Strategy for Scotland ahead of the 19 September deadline. The response was developed in partnership with representatives from the MGS Stakeholder Group.

Lucy Casot named new Chief Executive Officer of MGS

A grey gallery with a black floor with dots. Several white contemporary art statues are spaced around the room. McManus Museum and Art Gallery

MGS pleased to announce the appointment of Lucy Casot as Chief Executive Officer. With a strong background in Scotland’s cultural sector, Lucy brings extensive knowledge and experience to the role.

Skills for Success trainees

Trainees from a wide range of backgrounds celebrated the start of their one-year paid learning placements in museums and galleries throughout Scotland.

MGS concerned by suggestions that sale of paintings could fund Council shortfall

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), the national development body for museums and galleries in Scotland, is concerned by suggestions that Angus Council should consider selling items from its art collection to meet a funding gap.

MGS statement on the potential sale of collections by Moray Council

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) was concerned to hear of Moray Council’s plans to “approve the development of options to create a sustainable future for the service, including the engagement of auction houses to explore possible sales of items from the collection” to be raised at a council meeting on 27 September.