LONDON, ENGLAND.- Museums and Galleries Month will take place from 1 to 31 May 2005. Over a thousand museums and galleries around the UK will take part in this countrywide promotion. Building on the success of 2004, MGM2005 has an inspiring, multi-faceted theme and a programme of national and regional events are now in the planning stage. Museums and galleries are also developing events and activities around the theme.

Virginia Tandy, Director of Manchester City Galleries, joins Loyd Grossman, as Co-Chairman of MGM 2005. She said: “Museums and Galleries Month is a good opportunity for museums and galleries to work together on a common theme to raise the profile of our organisations. Objects of Desire: the Art of Collecting, the theme for 2005, provides an excellent opportunity for us to highlight the stars of the remarkable collections in our care and bring them to life for the public.”

Collecting and collections are major issues for museums and galleries and the theme also aims to stimulate debate and interest in individual objects, private and public collections and collecting for the future.

Museums and Galleries Month 2004 was a great success with new regional events in bringing thousands of visitors to museums and galleries. There was increased promotion, thanks to sponsorship from Eurostar, and greatly increased media coverage. Web coverage on the 24 Hour Museum (www.24hourmuseum.org.uk) was also hugely important. The full report of MGM2004 is now on the website www.mgm.org.uk.

Museums and Galleries Month receives funding from MLA (Museums Libraries and Archives Council), Arts Council England and others.