Leeds will welcome the Museums
Association’s annual conference to the Royal Armouries in November 2024.
Established in 1889, the Museums Association exists to 'inspire museums to change the lives of the communities they serve'.
The 2024 conference will mark the first time the association has visited Leeds
in nearly 90 years.
Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the
Museums Association, said: “We’re so pleased to be returning to Leeds as an
organisation for the first time since 1936. The conference and the city has
developed so much in almost 90 years, and we’re so excited to hear from
wonderful people in the sector as well as experience the excellent museums and
galleries in the city.”
Under the theme ‘The Joy of Museums’, conference delegates
will have the opportunity to see a musical experience from the Museum of
Homelessness and social justice poet, Surfing Sofas, about the invisible
stories of the UK homeless community. Plus, delegates will also hear from
community activist, Michelle Charters, who is the first Black woman to lead the
International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.
The conference will include tours and social events at a
number of Leeds Museums and Galleries sites, including Leeds City Museum, Leeds
at Gallery and Temple Newsam. There will also be tours of the recently
redeveloped Henry Moore Institute.
Leeds is also home to the Royal Armouries, which is the host
of this year’s Museums Association Conference, and is home to one of the oldest
and extensive collections of arms and armoury in the world.
Claire Heap, head of conference Leeds,
commented: “Leeds has an incredibly extensive variety of museums for residents
and visitors of the city to enjoy. Everything from heritage and medicine to
industrial and armoury can be seen in Leeds and it’s one of the huge tourism
draws for our wonderful city.
“Everything the city has to offer with education in museums
alone makes us so proud to be hosting the 2024 Museums Association Conference
in November, and we look forward to welcoming their delegates to our city.”
