Celebrating Museums 2026
Your invitation to present a case study on an aspect of your work
Celebrating Museums is a full day in-person event and will be held at the Cloth Hall Court, Leeds on Thursday 12 March 2026. We are now looking for a range of short presentations to your peers to showcase the exciting projects and developments which have been happening across the North. The lightning presentations should be no longer than 5 minutes and the day will be structured around Arts Council England’s Investment Principles. We would prefer just one speaker for each proposal unless there is an extremely good reason for 2 presenters.
Last year, we piloted making presentations available online and we would like to do this again. The easiest way to do this is by recording yourself delivering the presentation on Zoom and we can support you to do this.
To submit your proposal please complete this short form by 7 November 2025.
A travel bursary will be available for those organisations who would otherwise find it difficult to attend.
Celebrating Museums is organised by Museum Development North in partnership with Arts Council England.
Cloth Hall Court Access Information
Building Entry: There are stairs to the front of the building. There is a platform lift at the back of the building for delegates who are unable to use the stairs. The railway station is a 2 minute walk away.
Drop-off and Parking: There is no designated parking for the Cloth Hall Court. At the front of the building, you have a 10 minute drop-off point (not managed by the venue). There is a small area under the building used by suppliers to drop off with a height limit of 2.4m.
Parking is available at a variety of multi story car parks, including:
- Q Park Albion Street, LS1 5JS
- Q Park Sovereign Square, LS1 4AG
- Q Park Wellington Street, LS1 4LT
Conference and Break-out Spaces: The conference will be held on the 2nd floor in the Tweed Room. There are lifts throughout the building. Reception, refreshment breaks and lunch will be on the ground floor. The door to the conference room is not automatic and a member of staff will be on hand to hold it open when required. There is a hearing loop in the Tweed Room, but not in the catering area. There is a break-out space on the 2nd floor which can be used as a quiet area during the conference, but is a thoroughfare during breaks, etc.
Toilets: There are accessible toilets on every floor.
Lunch: There is a hot buffet for lunch which is on the ground floor served to delegates from all conferences in the building on that day, so you will need to queue.
Assistance Animals: Assistance dogs are allowed in the building as long as their role is properly visible to the public for instance through a lead or collar.
You can still watch presentations from the 2025 event:
James Etherington, Kiplin Hall & Gardens – How much ambition can you fit into one year?
Esther Hallberg, Ferens Art Gallery – Are we there yet?
Louisa Attaheri & Eleanor Whitehead, Wigan Museum – What’s In Store?
Matthew Johnston & Lewis Scullion, Tullie – De-Tabooing Disposals in Regional Museums
Cat Lumb & Mae Kitchen Liston, Kirklees Museums and Galleries – How Cultural Apprentices Contribute to Success
Melissa Mitchell, Wordsworth Grasmere – Premier Experiences
Monty Martin, The Ted Lewis Centre – Acorn to a Tender Oak Tree
Sophie Westlake & Franki Gillis, Vindolanda – Climate Change vs Archaeology: Protecting the Future to Preserve the Past
Frances McIntosh, English Heritage – Sustainable Temporary Exhibitions
Victoria Howarth, Salford Museum and Art Gallery and Ordsall Hall – Unlocking the Collections: Accessible Interpretation
Sassy Holmes, National Football Museum – Make Your Mark: Building Authentic Connections Through Community Projects
Katie McGivney, Cumbria Museum Consortium – Cumbria Museum Consortium Schools Mapping Exercise
Abby Boon & Cat Lane, Leeds University Library Galleries – Access All Areas: Our Audience-Led Approach to Accessible Art