The office of the Museum Council will be closed for summer vacation from Wednesday, July 1st, to August 4th. If your matter is urgent, you can reach Thóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director of the Museum Council, at 820-5450. We would like to remind travelers that museums can be visited anywhere in the country, and a map showing their locations can be found on our website.
The National Gallery of Iceland received the Icelandic Museum Award 2026. On May 18, International Museum Day, the Icelandic Museum Award was presented at a festive ceremony. The Icelandic National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Association of Icelandic Museums and Museum Professionals (FÍSOS) jointly present the awards, which are given every two years to an Icelandic museum for outstanding work. President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir presented the awards at Kjarvalsstaðir and …
Museums as a Unifying Force in a Fragmented World: Our Shared History and a Future for All. In a time characterized by global tension, social change, and environmental uncertainty, museums are increasingly looked to as a platform for open dialogue and greater understanding between people. The ICOM Nord Spring Conference 2026 brings together museum professionals from the Nordic countries and the Baltic states to …
International Museum Day, May 18 – this year's theme is: Museums as Unifying Forces in a Fractured World. As a platform for education and knowledge, museums play an important role in promoting peaceful relations and mutual respect. In celebration of International Museum Day in May 2026, you are invited to help shine a light on this year's theme: Museums...
The Minister of Culture has allocated funds from the main distribution of the Museum Fund for 2026. The Museum Council's distribution ceremony took place in the Picture Gallery of the National Museum of Iceland during a festive event attended by distinguished guests on Thursday, April 16. Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir, Director of the Office of Culture and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education, addressed the guests and awarded 131 grants, totaling 182,700,000 krónur from the museum fund to 51 recipients. Grants for one …
Main Allocation 2026. The Council's allocation ceremony will be held in the Picture Gallery of the National Museum on Thursday, April 16, at 4:00 PM. Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir, Director of the Office of Culture and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education, will award grants from the main allocation of the Museum Fund at a ceremonial event. The awards ceremony is immediately following the spring meeting of the National Collections and the Council for the National Collections at the National Museum of Iceland. At the Council for the National Collections meeting last December, …
Accredited museums must submit a copy of their response plan to the Museum Council by Friday, March 27. The Collections Council has been hosting webinars on creating response plans, in which all accredited museums have been offered the opportunity to participate in collaboration with conservator Nathalie Jacqueminet. The last webinar concluded last February, by which time all accredited museums should have had the opportunity to attend the course and receive …
The Minister of Culture has allocated from the main distribution of the Museum Fund 2026. From the main distribution of the Museum Fund 2026 on January 22, 2026, 182,700,000 krónur were awarded. One-year grants numbered 123, totaling 154,700,000 kr. to 51 grant recipients. Eight 2026-2028 flagship grants to accredited museums were awarded, as follows: 28,000,000 kr. for the year 2026, 29,000,000 kr. for the year 2027, and 16,000,000 kr. for the year 2028. Total amount of the Core Grants …
The Icelandic Chapter of ICOM invites members, museum professionals, scholars, and stakeholders to a special meeting with Dr. Sally Yerkovich, who has led the revision of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums in recent years. The meeting will take place at the premises of the National Museum Council on Thursday, March 5, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, at Austurstræti 5, 4th floor. Hólmar Hólm, chairman of ICOM Iceland, will open the meeting and introduce the day's speaker. Then, Dr. …
Forms for reports on the use of grants from the Collections Fund are now available, and the annual deadline is March 1, 2026. We encourage those who have received an extension or still need to submit older reports to do so as soon as possible, and we remind you that it is the grantee's responsibility to submit reports on time. If reports …