Museums and heritage

A UNESCO world heritage meeting due to take place in Russia has been postponed indefinitely.

The decision follows pressure from global cultural organisations to pull the meeting in Kazan following the invasion of Ukraine.

The 21 member states of UNESCO’s heritage committee take turns to host the annual meeting, chairing the edition they host. There are currently no plans to relocate the 45th edition.

UNESCO estimated 53 cultural buildings in Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian attacks by the end of March. The number is now thought to be closer to 100.

London’s Florence Nightingale Museum is set to reopen after two years of pandemic related closures.

The museum will welcome the public from May 12 - International Nurses’ Day and the 202nd anniversary of Nightingale’s birth.

Featured exhibitions include a celebration of Nightingale’s bicentenary, an updated Crimean War display, and a new family activity trail.

Director David Green says after an “immensely costly” closure, the museum is back on surer footing.

“After the experiences of the past two years, the value of nurses has never been clearer [and] we are so pleased to be returning to tell the story of Florence Nightingale and the people following in her footsteps today.”

The British Museum's board of trustees have received a formal call to reject a new sponsorship deal with BP.

Sent following revelations that Museum Director Hartwig Fischer plans to renew the partnership, Culture Unstained's submission argues trustees must exercise “informed and ethical judgement” of its continued association with the energy company.

The demand is co-signed by eight leading professionals including former Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chair Robert Watson, and Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of PCS Union, which represents many British Museum workers.

More than 300 people are planning to take part in a protest arranged by BP or not BP? on Saturday, the fourth held at the museum this month.

Culture Unstained Co-Director Chris Garrard says it is vital trustees "fulfil their legal duties".

"If the board does approve a new deal with BP, it would signal that they chose to sidestep their own sustainability policy and dismiss the reputational risks of partnering with a leading fossil fuel producer as the climate crisis worsens."

Prince Charles and Queen Letizia of Spain officially opened a new gallery of Spanish art in Bishop Auckland last week.

The first UK museum dedicated exclusively to Spanish art is part of the Auckland Project, which seeks to regenerate the township around Auckland Castle. It first opened to the public in October.

It features works by Francisco de Zurbarán, which were housed in the castle for more than 250 years before going up for sale in 2011.

They were purchased by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer, who is the gallery's benefactor.

Seven Stories, the national centre for children's books, is making entry free for good.

The museum removed admission fees on a trial basis in February and received record visitor numbers - 7,500 in a single week.

Since free entry aligns with its overall engagement strategy, it has decided to keep the model permanently.

CEO Wendy Elliott said attendance at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne site now far exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

"It was fantastic to see so many new visitors enjoying our galleries and events, from our region and further afield.

"Our goal is to put stories at the heart of every childhood, no matter what background or place you grow up in, and in order to do that we need be as accessible as possible to as many children as possible."

The Natural History Museum shared visitor data with Meta during the pandemic.

A Freedom of Information Act request by the Telegraph found data entered into online booking forms - including names, addresses and phone numbers - was shared with the parent company of Facebook and Instagram,

The museum logged 702,900 visits through its Covid-19 booking system, 140% more data entries during the pandemic than prior.

Information made available to Meta was “pseudonymised”, the museum said, and used to target advertising communications and identify new users likely to be interested in its content.

The process is legal but has been criticised by online privacy activists. Open Rights Group campaigner Jim Killock said the online booking system “hoovered up data”.

“The pandemic is not an excuse to collect anything and everything. There are continued risks of drifting into a surveillance society, and cultural institutions should ensure they play no part in that.”

A museum pass created by Lancashire County Council will offer visitors a year of unlimited access to local attractions.

The Xplorer pass, available for £20, entitles two adults and two concessions entry to five council-owned museums.

The initiative begins as four participating museums, Judges’ Lodgings, Queens Street Mill, Gawthorpe Hall and Helmshore Mills, prepare to open for the first time after pandemic enforced closures.

Councillor Peter Buckley said the council wants to do everything it can to support local heritage.

“We think the Xplorer pass represents great value. It will allow families to enjoy more for less, and when the cost of living is going up, that can only be a good thing.”

Black Country Living Museum has received £30m to create new attractions that "whisk people back in time".

The project, titled Forging Ahead, is the museum's largest ever, expanding its footprint by about a third. 

It stalled due to a funding gap caused by the costs of cleaning up an industrial site needed for the expansion. Funding has now been committed by the West Midlands Combined Authority, whose Mayor Andy Street called the project "incredibly exciting".

It will offer visitors the chance to experience what life was like between the 1940s and 1960s with a historic old town and industrial quarter, among other spaces.

Wolverhampton’s iconic Elephant and Castle pub will be recreated and Dudley’s Woodside Library will be  rebuilt brick-by-brick on the museum site.

Chief Executive Andrew Lovett said the development "provides added momentum to thrive once again" following the challenges of Covid-19.

Museums and galleries in England are encouraged to apply to the DCMS/Wolfson Fund, opening May 9.

The partners have each contributed £2m to the fund on its 20th anniversary.

Grants are available to up to 370 eligible institutions who want to enhance display and interpretation or otherwise improve access to collections.

Arts Minister Stephen Parkinson called the scheme "a brilliant example of what can be achieved when public funding and private philanthropy come together".