Latest news with #EsmeWard
The Guardian
7 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Manchester Museum named European Museum of the Year
It contains Egyptian mummies and is the only place outside Panama where tiny variable harlequin toads can be found. And now, the 138-year-old Manchester Museum has been named European Museum of the Year. The institution won one of the most prestigious museum prizes in the world with judges praising its approach to addressing its complex past and its extensive work with communities. It is the first university museum to win the award, created in 1977, and the first British museum since the Design Museum in London won in 2018. The museum's director, Esme Ward, said it was a thrill to win, particularly after what had been a 'truly grim' 30-hour trip to just get to the awards, this year held in the north-east Polish city of Białystok. Ward was there with two colleagues and said they were hopeful of perhaps winning the 'belonging and inclusion' award. When they did not get that they were feeling flat. 'I'll be really frank, we genuinely didn't think the main award was ours.' Manchester was named winner from a shortlist of 42 museums. Ward added: 'It's not often I'm lost for words, but we were gobsmacked and it was amazing. I probably gave the worst speech of my life, but who cares?' The prize is given to a museum which represents the best in innovation and excellence. Manchester Museum has been at the frontline of debates about repatriation, curation, the stories modern museums should tell and what use museums can be to society more widely. After a £15m revamp, it reopened in 2023 with a new south Asia gallery designed and co-curated with 30 people from Manchester's south Asian diaspora communities. The museum, Ward said, is the headquarters for Pinc College, a specialist creative college for neurodivergent young people, and the building's top floor is an environmental action and social justice hub. Ward said the museum did not shy away from its past. 'Manchester Museum was born of incredible civic spirit, but it was also born of empire and of racism and we have to grapple with the legacy of that. We want to do that in a way that recognises the harm, but also encourages healing.' In September 2023 the museum returned 174 objects to an Indigenous Australian community, the Anindilyakwa people, in a landmark example of cultural repatriation. Ward said museums had the power to 'to bring generations and communities together' and to help people 'hopefully feel less lonely but certainly feel more connected and have a kind of bigger view of the world'. In the current climate, there will be people who label Manchester Museum's new approach as 'woke'. 'Does that bother me? No,' said Ward. 'Because frankly, I don't tell anybody what to think. I can't bear it when people tell me what to think. That's not what we do. We want to provide multiple perspectives to equip people to navigate this crazy world we're in, to understand it, to build empathy for other people and the natural world. 'We think one of the most powerful ways of doing that is to expand the stories we tell. You know, the stories of the collectors, the institutions, we've been telling those 100 years. It's time for some new ones.' The prize is a small Henry Moore mother and child sculpture and comes with no money, but lots of prestige that could help unlock future funding. 'Tomorrow we're going to have as many people here as humanly possible to unveil the award and then we'll plan a party,' said Ward. 'Obviously.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Manchester Museum named European Museum Of The Year
Manchester Museum has won the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA), hailed by judges for "balancing globally-significant academic research with community engagement and social responsibility". The museum, part of the University of Manchester, is the first university museum to receive the accolade, which is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the world. It topped a shortlist of 41 museums, including the world-renowned Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Judges praised how the museum, on Oxford Road, "reimagined its mission, acknowledging and addressing its complex history by redefining the role of its collections and public programmes". The museum - which is free to visit - was also praised for "thoughtful, informed, and impactful community engagement, creating a truly inclusive space where all individuals, regardless of identity or background, can see themselves reflected and represented". Esme Ward, director of the Manchester Museum, accepted the award at a ceremony at the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białistok, Poland - winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize last year. "Museums have the power to be empathy machines - bringing generations and communities together to build understanding, while confronting the past with honesty and transparency," said Ms Ward. "More than ever before, we need museums that are values-led, imaginative and confident about what they stand for." Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises either new museums or established museums which have undertaken a programme of modernisation. An average of around 45 museums apply each year, from across the 46 member countries. Two main awards, the EMYA and the Council of Europe Museum Prize, have been awarded continuously since 1977. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Museum's £15m revamp puts spotlight on South Asia Manchester Museum
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Impactful' Manchester Museum named European Museum Of The Year
Manchester Museum has won the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA), hailed by judges for "balancing globally-significant academic research with community engagement and social responsibility".The museum, part of the University of Manchester, is the first university museum to receive the accolade, which is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the topped a shortlist of 41 museums, including the world-renowned Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Guggenheim in praised how the museum, on Oxford Road, "reimagined its mission, acknowledging and addressing its complex history by redefining the role of its collections and public programmes". The museum - which is free to visit - was also praised for "thoughtful, informed, and impactful community engagement, creating a truly inclusive space where all individuals, regardless of identity or background, can see themselves reflected and represented".Esme Ward, director of the Manchester Museum, accepted the award at a ceremony at the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białistok, Poland - winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize last year."Museums have the power to be empathy machines - bringing generations and communities together to build understanding, while confronting the past with honesty and transparency," said Ms Ward."More than ever before, we need museums that are values-led, imaginative and confident about what they stand for."Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises either new museums or established museums which have undertaken a programme of modernisation. An average of around 45 museums apply each year, from across the 46 member main awards, the EMYA and the Council of Europe Museum Prize, have been awarded continuously since 1977. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
