This refreshing new look at Medieval art conveys a very real sense of the impact of art on everyday life in Europe from 1000 to 1500. It examines the importance of art in the expression and spread of knowledge and ideas, including notions of the heroism and justice of war, and the dominant view of Christianity.
Taking its starting point from issues of contemporary relevance, such as the environment, the identity of the artist, and the position of women, the book also highlights the attitudes and events specific to the sophisticated visual culture of the Middle Ages, and goes on to link...

A dramatic increase in interest, world wide, in the educational role of galleries and museums has occurred in the past decade. This results in part from a rekindling of the debate about their purpose and effectiveness - whether as public institutions founded with educational intentions, or as private foundations with an educational interest. While diverse informal learning opportunities and more structured education programmes have multiplied as a consequence, and networks have been established for sharing ideas, the need for a more substantial and sustained approach to research-informed...

This book traces the relationship between the museum and the micro-cultures of the countryside over the last 50 years. The period is one of extraordinary tensions and change for the countryside, as it has experienced widespread agricultural mechanisation, rural depopulation and changing demographics, the growth of environmental activism, and the development of the heritage industry. Global issues such as the political and social imperatives to tackle population growth and climate change have led to an increasing sense of a distributed responsibility for the world's welfare with strong local...