Museums Galleries Scotland

19/06/2026

⚽The world's oldest football, held at the The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum starts its journey to the United States today as part of World Cup celebrations.

The museum hosted a public farewell event to celebrate the start of the football's journey to Miami where it will be displayed at the Coral Gables Museum as part of their headline exhibition, Diplomacy and the Beautiful Game: From Scotland to Brazil to Haiti. It will be on display to the public from 20 to 26 June. During the visit, the ball will also attend the World Cup match between Brazil and Scotland on 24 June.

Members of the public, school children, partners, diplomats, and local politicians attended today's event to mark the send off. Congratulations to the museum team who swiftly made this opportunity a reality, bringing the museum and its collection to a global audience 👏

🔗Find out more in our news story: https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/news/worlds-oldest-football-crosses-atlantic-for-world-cup-appearance/

📸 1: Neil Benny, Chair and Caroline Mathers, Director of the Stirling Smith joined by local school pupils. Credit: Jim Mailer of Whyler photos.

📸2: Caroline Mathers and Faroque Hussain, Honorary Consul of Brazil KPM.

📸 3: Attendees of the event gather on the steps outside of The Stirling Smith.
Credit: Jim Mailer of Whyler photos.

17/06/2026

🎖️ We warmly welcome recognition for members of Scotland’s museum sector workforce in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.

John McLeish, Chief Executive of The Gordon Highlanders Museum and former interim CEO and member of the Board of Trustees of Museums Galleries Scotland, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to heritage and to the community in Aberdeenshire.

Mark Mair, volunteer Chair of Morayvia Aerospace Centre, has been made Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), while Jenny Rose-Miller, volunteer and former Manager at Nairn Museum, has received a British Empire Medal. Both have been recognised for their dedication in supporting and celebrating the heritage of their communities.

Lucy Casot, CEO of MGS, said: “Congratulations to John, Mark, and Jenny for your well-earned recognition in the King’s Birthday Honours. These awards highlight the vital role that museum workers and volunteers play in protecting Scotland’s stories for current and future generations.”

For more MGS news, visit: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/news-and-media/

📸: UKinUSA - CC BY-SA 2.0

16/06/2026

🏛️ We welcome the appointment of MSPs to the Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee at , and look forward to working closely with them throughout the current session of Parliament.

This Committee plays an important role in proposing and scrutinising legislation, considering public petitions, and holding The Scottish Government to account. We regularly submit evidence about the importance and impact of museum sector to the Committee, and have been invited to speak and answer questions at their meetings.

The Committee members are:
Patrick Harvie - Scottish Greens (Convener)
Colin Beattie for Midlothian North (SNP)
Senga Beresford (Reform UK)
Keith Brown MSP for Clackmannanshire & Dunblane (SNP)
David Green MSP (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
Pauline Stafford MSP for Bathgate (SNP)
Jenny Young (Scottish Labour)

Welcoming the news, MGS CEO Lucy Casot said: “We look forward to working with the Committee in the years ahead and sharing details of the vital work museums and galleries deliver in communities across Scotland. From preserving and sharing our stories to supporting learning, wellbeing, inclusion and local economies, museums and galleries make an important contribution to Scotland’s cultural and civic life.

“We hope the Committee will take the opportunity to explore both the opportunities and challenges facing Scotland’s museum sector, and work constructively with museums to identify solutions. Initiatives such as Museum Futures demonstrate the value of long-term investment in strengthening the resilience, sustainability and impact of museums and galleries across the country.”

11/06/2026

⚽ Today marks the start of the men’s football World Cup, giving us a great opportunity to reshare the Football Memories programme, coordinated by the Scottish Football Museum & Hampden Stadium Tour. What began as an MGS-funded pilot has grown into a national programme, benefiting thousands across the country by establishing reminiscence groups to tackle social isolation.

🔗 You can find out more about the programme here: https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/sector-story/football-memories/ -outcomes

📸 Scottish Football Museum – Football Memories

10/06/2026

📅 Explore a range of museum sector workshops, conferences, and talks on our events page. Upcoming events include:
11 June | Welcoming autistic families (organiser: Kids in Museums)
11 June | Knowledge Exchange: Creating Sustainable Exhibitions (organiser: MGS, The Exhibitions Group)
17 June | Lunch & Learn: Running a museum café (organiser: MGS)
24 June | Making your museum accessible to low income families (organiser: Kids in Museums)
24 June | Knowledge Exchange: Lessons from Global Majority-led heritage professionals (organiser: MGS)
15 July | Ticketing Conference 2026 (organiser: Association for Cultural Enterprises)

🔗 For more information, check out our events page: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/events/

📸: The Tall Ship Glenlee. Credit: Martin Shields

10/06/2026

🌍 What is the role of museums in anti-racist activism in Scotland, and how can heritage organisations embed anti-racist practice into all areas of their work?

The newly-published ‘White Thinking’ report highlights the lessons learned from anti-racism projects at heritage organisations across Scotland. It’s an invaluable resource for museums and galleries that are seeking to put inclusive practice at the heart of their work and policies: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/project/white-thinking/

The ‘White Thinking’ project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by staff at the University of Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier University, working in partnership with CRER Scotland, David Livingstone Birthplace, Fondation Lilian Thuram, Glasgow Life presents, HMS Unicorn, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

🗺️: L’Afrique au centre - credit Fondation Lilian Thuram

09/06/2026

Our fantastic Museum Development Manager – Climate and Nature, Lucy Neville, is going to be talking about the risk that the climate crisis poses to heritage and archaeology as part of European Archaeology Days 2026. She will also discuss why heritage is perfectly placed for finding solutions. There is still time to reserve a spot!

Celebrate European Archaeology Days with Archaeology Scotland on Friday 12 June! 📣

Join us online for three fascinating talks exploring different aspects of heritage at risk through Scottish archaeology. Whether you're a lifelong archaeology enthusiast or simply curious about the stories of our past, these free online events offer a great opportunity to learn from expert speakers.

🗓 Friday 12 June
💻 Online
🎟 Book your free place via Eventbrite here: https://igit.me/xxOT5

The programme features three engaging talks covering archaeological discoveries, research, and heritage from across Scotland, with opportunities to hear directly from specialists and ask questions.

Don't miss this chance to celebrate European Archaeology Days and discover more about Scotland's past from the comfort of your own home.

Book your place today!

05/06/2026

🧘 Healing Arts Scotland, a biennial celebration of the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing, is part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global outreach campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

The one-week activation – co-produced by a national coalition of organisations bridging culture, healthcare, education and policy – will run from 15-19 June 2026.

🔗 There are plenty of free events to enjoy, as well as ticketed events, conferences, networking opportunities and workshops. For more details, go to www.healingartsscotland.org

📸 Healing Arts Scotland 2024

04/06/2026

📢 Following the UK Government’s announcement of a temporary reduction in VAT for a range of family attractions this summer, many museums will be considering what this means for their organisation and visitors.

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) has published a helpful overview of the opportunities and challenges presented by the scheme, including findings from a recent sector survey. The research suggests that while some attractions may benefit, many museums and visitor attractions face complex considerations around eligibility, Gift Aid, ticketing systems and financial sustainability.

🔗 Access the full article on the ASVA website:
https://www.asva.co.uk/scottish-attractions-vat-cut-survey-asva/

If you have questions about how the announcement may affect your museum, HM Treasury are hosting two seminars on Friday 5th June (tomorrow) and Monday 8th June to provide further information.

🔗Use this link to register for these webinars and submit any specific questions: https://register.gotowebinar.com/ /868213319669693014

📸: Linlithgow Museum. Credit: Ryan McGoverne

03/06/2026

⛪ We had our staff away day in Glasgow last week, at the fantastic St Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art. MGS staff participated in the Climate and Nature Planning course, which we’re currently offering to museums for free as part of the Museum Futures programme. We were also treated to a guided tour of Glasgow Cathedral from Thomas, one of our Museums and Galleries Technician apprentices.

A huge thank you to Glasgow Life presents for hosting us!