Museum Collections, University of Dundee

It’s June already which means that our weekly summer openings of the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum begin tomorrow!

We’ll be open every Friday afternoon, 2-4.30pm throughout June, July and August - why not come and pay us a visit in the Carnelley Building, directly behind the University Tower Building.

Our monthly openings on the second Saturday of every month will also continue throughout this time.

We hope to see you there!

D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum Friday Openings Visit this hidden gem to discover an amazing menagerie of animals from around the world!

How might we experience museum artefacts and artworks beyond the power of sight?

To accompany the current exhibition Making Sense in the Tower Foyer Gallery, we're holding a special workshop on Wednesday 20 May at 5.30pm as part of Dundee Month of Design. It will allow you to experience museum objects and artworks through non-visual means – touch, sound and smell – and then create your own sensory descriptions in response.

There are still a few places left on this free workshop, but participants must book in advance via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-sense-a-sensory-museum-workshop-tickets-1986446741678

We’ve Been Recognised!

On International Museum Day we are delighted to announce that the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Collection managed by the University of Dundee Museums has been formally Recognised as a Collection of National Significance.

Recognition is a Scottish Government Scheme managed by Museums Galleries Scotland, which celebrates and promotes Nationally Significant Collections, beyond those held in Scotland’s national museums and galleries.

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee is one of the UK’s leading art schools and has been part of the University of Dundee since 1994. The Recognised Collection comprises over 8,000 artworks and artefacts and includes student artwork acquired from the annual Degree Shows, works by notable staff members (including painter James McIntosh Patrick and comics legend Dudley D Watkins), as well as bequests and donations made by both staff and alumni. As well as traditional media such as paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and textiles, the collection has particular strengths in other areas including artists’ books, comics art, animation and video art. It brings together not just DJCAD’s own collections but also related material from other parts of the University.

Artworks from the collection can currently be seen in our exhibitions Making Sense and Light Show, as well being displayed in DJCAD itself and other buildings across the University. The DJCAD Collection is one of several important collections held by the University of Dundee Museums which are accessible to the public as well as making significant contributions to teaching and research and forming part of the institution's collective memory.

You can help support the on-going development of this important collection by making a donation to our new Purchase Fund at https://www.dundee.ac.uk/campaigns/support-djcad-degree-show-purchase-fund.

We need your help to continue supporting graduating students by purchasing work from the Degree Show for the DJCAD Collection. Please consider making a donation to the DJCAD Degree Show Purchase Fund - https://www.dundee.ac.uk/campaigns/support-djcad-degree-show-purchase-fund

Our new exhibition opens in the Lamb Gallery on Tuesday, and it's bound to brighten your day! Light Show features art, design, science and nature, all exploring our understanding of light.

The presence of light is something we generally take for granted. The familiar flipping of a light switch or the constancy of the sun (especially here in Scotland’s sunniest city! 🌞) is part of our daily lives. Yet the natural phenomenon of light is essential to everything we see, know and experience. It has been harnessed, generated and studied by scientists and artists alike.

This multi-disciplinary exhibition brings together objects from across the University’s museum collections, including art and design, science, medicine and natural history, inviting visitors to consider how light inspires art, impacts nature and informs discovery.

The exhibition is open Monday-Friday until 24 July. Find out more at https://www.dundee.ac.uk/events/light-show
Image: Now Here (2) by Sandra Given, c.2000 from DJCAD Collection (copyright the artist)

One of our Msc Medical Art students, Brishti Sengupta, has created this fantastic infographic to accompany our squid and octopus specimens in the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum. It's now on display in the museum - open this afternoon until 4.30pm!

Our new exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery showcases the work of Design PhD student Jinyu 'Eevee' Han from DJCAD, who has been creating sensory aids to help blind and partially sighted visitors experience art exhibitions, working in collaboration with Dundee Contemporary Arts , Sight Support & Social Hub and
North East Sensory Services. The exhibition features artworks from our collections with tactile models and audio descriptions, as well as various sensory artworks that were made to be touched.
Come along and experience art in a multi-sensory way! More information and a detailed accessibility guide at

Making Sense – a multi-sensory approach to art | University of Dundee, UK An exhibition by PhD student Jinyu Han featuring tactile models and audio descriptions to help interpret art collections

Thanks to a couple of late cancellations we now have a few additional spaces available for Heather H Yeung's book launch and poetry reading event in the Artists' Book Collection on Tuesday 24 March at 5.30pm - book now before they get snapped up!

Hoy Sound Unscrolled – launch and reading with Heather H Yeung Join us for the Scottish mainland book launch of Hoy Sound Unscrolled by Heather H Yeung

For anyone who missed the Scotland & Medicine showcase event that we took part in, the recording is now available at

Scotland & Medicine Showcase Event Edited recording of a live online event on 10 March 2026, featuring short talks by members of the Scotland & Medicine network, introducing their collections ...

For anyone that missed our Museum Sounds broadcast as part of Dundee Radio Club's Listening Festival last month, here's a condensed (and noisier!) version...

Museum Sounds What does a museum collection sound like? This is a re-edited (and noisier!) visual version of an audio experience created for Dundee Radio Club's Listening ...