Each year the Museums & Exhibitions group holds a Special Interest Group Meeting at the annual AAH conference. Anyone with an interest in museums, galleries or curating can attend. These meetings are a good opportunity for existing and prospective group members to meet each other and discuss ideas.

At the recent session in Manchester we ran a very well attended session about exhibition-making, and invited academics to speak about their experience of working with curators. Click here for the script of three of the short papers.

A Committee has recently been formed to formulate future activities. In particular we would like to produce a set of guidelines for academics working on exhibitions.
Members of the M&E Group Committee are listed below:

• Heather Birchall (Curator (Historic Fine Art) Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester)
• Layla Bloom (Exhibitions Officer, Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, University of Leeds)
• Dr Emma Chambers (Curator, UCL Art Collections)
• Joanne Davenport (House Manager, Upton House and Gardens (National Trust)
• Michael J Davies (School of History of Art, Film and Visual Media, Birkbeck College)
• Dr Marika Leino (Henry Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow)
• Marie-Therese Mayne (Assistant Keeper of Fine and Decorative Art, Laing Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear Museums)
• Dr Amelia Yeates (Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in Art History and Theory, Department of Fine Art and Design, Liverpool Hope University)

With a member on the AAH Executive Committee, we are able to represent the views and suggestions of members within the Museums & Galleries group. The EC meets four times a year. If you would like to be involved in the members' group and put forward project proposals, funding bids and suggestions please let the Chair know.

Join the Museums & Exhibitions Group

We are currently looking for new members to join the group. If you would like to be involved in future group activities, or put forward suggestions for future events please contact the M&E Chair at ch-galls@aah.org.uk. New members are always welcome!
The Museums & Exhibitions group provides an email communication through Art-line and a news network for members. To join Art-line and receive emails about forthcoming events and exhibitions please e-mail ch-galls@aah.org.uk for further information.

A new exhibitions listings section has recently been introduced to the AAH Bulletin newsletter. Bulletin is published in February, June and October each year.
Views and suggestions from members within the Museums & Exhibitions group will be reported back to the AAH Executive Committee.

The AAH has negotiated with a number of galleries to entitle its members to free or discounted entry. A full list of current participating institutions is online at aah.org.uk/membership/concessions.php.

If you are a Museums and Galleries professional and would like your gallery to become involved in the scheme, please email the AAH at admin@aah.org.uk.

To find out more about forthcoming events and exhibitions please visit the External News and Events page.

For your information, the AAH Initiatives Fund provides financial support for projects and events that promote and develop art history education. Click on the links to download a copy of the AAH Initiatives Fund Guidelines and AAH Initatives Fund Application Form.

Academic Collaborations with Museums & Galleries

The Arts & Humanities Research Council offers maintenance and tuition
fee awards to support PhD studentship projects jointly proposed by a
Higher Education Institution (HEI) and a non-academic insitution.
Supported by both an academic and non-academic supervisor, the research
students gain valuable employment skills as well as completing the
requirements for their doctoral qualification. Museums and galleries
have benefitted greatly from this scheme; though the projects entail a
small financial contribution, the resulting development for the
institution - for its staff, collections, and/or programming - make
these collaborations highly worthwhile. Application forms and guidance
can be downloaded from the AHRC website

Useful links and information for People Seeking Work in a Museum or Gallery

If you're looking for work experience in a museum or gallery? Places are few and much sought after. Get off to a good start by downloading Notes on Volunteering (word doc) for profesional advice from a gallery curator about how best to apply.
Notes on Volunteering in a Museum or Gallery

Museums & Galleries Group

Group Chair
Heather Birchall, Whitworth Gallery

To find out more about this group contact the Chair at
ch-galls@aah.org.uk