Moving Objects: stories from behind the scenes at the museum

EXHIBITION

28 March 2026 - 20 December 2026

Li Ka Shing Gallery, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Free entry

About the exhibition

Have you ever wanted to explore behind the scenes at the museum?

Moving Objects is an exciting new exhibition sharing stories about the objects we care for at the Museum, from the different people who have worked with them over the years.

Moving Objects: stories from behind the scenes at the museum is inspired by our Stores Move Project (2020 – 2025). Over five years, we moved 320,000 objects across Cambridge from our old store in Shorts Brothers World War II aircraft factory, to the Centre for Material Culture (CMC), a converted Cold War Bunker. All of the objects on display in this exhibition were moved as part of this project.

During the course of the Stores Move more than 40 people were involved in carefully checking, documenting, packing, and moving around 40% of the collections cared for by the Museum. Everything was photographed and added to the Museum's online catalogue. This exhibition celebrates not only the achievements of the team involved in the project, but all those who have worked with the collections at 'Shorts' since 2000 and the staff currently based at the Centre for Material Culture - from Curators and Collections staff to Conservation and Workshop. It also looks to the future and the opportunities the Centre for Material Culture offers through the collections stored there, which have tremendous cultural significance to communities locally and around the world

This exhibition conveys the experiences and emotions we encounter when engaging with collections: joy, sadness, surprise, fascination, connection, and reflection.

These are things that moved us. We invite you to be moved by them too. 