Since 2012, we’ve undertaken projects of all shapes and sizes. To deliver this program, we’ve collaborated with a huge variety of organisations – from the University, local area and further afield. Find out more about our past ventures here: 

Annual Reviews
Giving an overview of our work in each year, you can read our annual reviews online.
2021-2022 Year in Numbers
2020-2021 A year like no other
2018-2019 Highlights

Operation Survival and Cambridge Codebreakers: The Last Secret
We partnered with Fire Hazard Games to deliver two high-octane digital adventure games across a number of our museums. Imagine head-scratching puzzles and a madcap rush between venues (not in the galleries!). Find out more on our Collections in Action blog:
Operation Survival
Cambridge Codebreakers: turning museum visitors into players
Cambridge Codebreakers: developing a codebreaking adventure across four museums
2017-2019

India Unboxed
To mark the UK-India Year of Culture 2017, we celebrated a shared season on the theme of India - a programme of exhibitions, events, digital encounters, discussions, installations and more within the museums and the city of Cambridge.
Rooted in our collections, the programme explored themes of identity and connectivity for audiences in both the UK and India, with support from Arts Council England. Read the India Unboxed Evaluation Report
2017-18

The Museum as Method
This conference, run in collaboration with the University's Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CRASSH), brought together scholars from disciplines interested in material culture and curators from across the arts and sciences, to reflect on both questions of methodology and public policy.
2016 

Curating Cambridge
Curating Cambridge: our city, our stories, our stuff was a collaborative arts and cultural season which took place over October and November 2014. Read the Curating Cambridge Evaluation Report
2014

Artist in Residence, North West Cambridge Development
The Artist in Residence programme at the North West Cambridge Development ran throughout the development of the site, with three artists being appointed each year. 
2014-2016

Discoveries: Art, Science and Exploration
In 2014, Discoveries, the first major show to bring together the fascinating collections from all eight University of Cambridge Museums, took place at London's Two Temple Place and the Fitzwilliam Museum.
2014

House Guests
From March to July 2013 specimens, objects and artworks from the University of Cambridge Museums and collections took up residence at Kettle's Yard. The 'guests', from butterflies to Inuit carving, invited visitors to see Kettle's Yard in a new light and to discover more about the University of Cambridge Museums.
2013

Thresholds
In 2012 Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy invited ten of the best UK poets writing today to take part in a series of residencies at the University of Cambridge Museums. Each poet spent time in their host museum or collection, exploring the collection and working with young people, helping them to develop their critical thinking skills as well as their writing.
2012-13

What's On

Kettle's Yard
08 Dec 2023
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Museum of Zoology
29 Nov 2023
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Join us on You Tube as we broadcast LIVE from the Museum. 

Museum of Zoology
02 Dec 2023
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Join us for a day of FREE hands-on activities in the Museum

The Polar Museum
26 Nov 2023
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Kettle's Yard
01 Dec 2023
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Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
05 Aug 2024

New opening date: 15 July - Join us in celebrating women Earth scientists in this temporary display, co-curated by two Earth Sciences students.

 

The Polar Museum
29 Nov 2023
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Explore the hidden histories of the Polar Museum in this new label display. 

Kettle's Yard
06 Feb 2024
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Museum of Classical Archaeology
18 Jan 2024
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A guided touch tour of the Museum of Classical Archaeology for visitors who are blind or visually impaired.

Kettle's Yard
01 Feb 2024
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A guided audio-tour of Kettle's Yard for visitors who are blind or visually impaired.

The Polar Museum
22 Jan 2024
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Discover some of the fascinating themes in the museum with our tea and talk programme for adults. 

The Polar Museum
12 Feb 2024
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Join us for our museum wellbeing and making workshops for adults at the Polar Museum! 

The Polar Museum
22 Apr 2024
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Join us for our museum wellbeing and making workshops for adults at the Polar Museum!

Kettle's Yard
02 Mar 2024
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Kettle's Yard
22 Jun 2024
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Kettle's Yard
22 Oct 2024
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Kettle's Yard
16 Feb 2024
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A guided audio-tour of Kettle's Yard for visitors who are blind or partially sighted

Kettle's Yard

 

 

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
06 Jan 2024
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Spend some time looking at plants from the Botanic Garden collection and make a vibrant print to take home with you.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
03 Feb 2024
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Come along to this family session where we will be pressing leaves into air dry clay to make special dishes to take home and treasure.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
02 Mar 2024
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At this workshop we will be making our own magnets inspired by the shapes and colours of the flowers, leaves and fruit growing in the tropical glasshouse range.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
06 Apr 2024
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The Botanic Garden is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. Come along to make your own cherry blossom collage using paper and prints.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
04 May 2024
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Bring your imagination along to this session where we will be making, boggarts, pixies and all kinds of magical creatures out of sticks, clay and leaves.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
01 Jun 2024
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Come along and join us at this event as part of National Children’s Gardening week where we will be decorating planters to grow our own herbs.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
06 Jul 2024
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Come along to find out all about these mysterious creatures and make a moth mobile. Speak to the Botanic Garden moth trapping team and find out if they have caught anything in their trap.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
03 Aug 2024
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Join us to make a scented lavender bag and other lavender crafts to make your home smell wonderful all summer long.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
07 Sep 2024
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Help wildlife find somewhere to shelter over the winter by making a lovely minibeast hotel that you can put out in your garden or leave in the Schools Garden at the Botanic Garden.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
05 Oct 2024
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Use colourful autumn leaves to make a fabulous pumpkin artwork for your home.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
01 Nov 2024
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Find out about different kinds of mushrooms and make fungi art.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
07 Dec 2024
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Make Christmas decorations using natural materials from the Botanic Garden.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
11 Jan 2024
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Join us for a fantastic whodunit mystery this winter and track down who's been stealing seeds from pinecones. 

Museum of Zoology
12 Jan 2024
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Calling all 2-5 year olds! Join us for a look around the Museum followed by some storytelling. 

The Polar Museum
11 Mar 2024
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Join the Polar Museum team for a Touch Tour and explore a range of objects from different Arctic cultures.

St Neots Museum
21 Feb 2024
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Get hands on at St Neots Museum this half term

St Neots Museum
23 Feb 2024
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Get hands-on at St Neots Museum at half term

Cambridge University Botanic Garden 
06 Feb 2024
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Join our Assistant Curator, Dr Ángela Cano, on this two-day introduction to tropical botany.

Museum of Zoology
03 Feb 2024
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Join us as our volunteer guides share their personal selection of fascinating stories about gender and sex in the animal world at the Museum of Zoology.

Museum of Zoology
09 Feb 2024
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Calling all 2-5 year olds! Join us for stories and play at the Museum.