It looks to be an exciting year ahead for the world of museums!

1. The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo

The Grand Egyptian Museum has been a long-awaited project. This museum has been planned for at least twenty years. Nevertheless, the museum now expects it to start welcoming visitors within the first half of 2023 because it is finally almost finished. The Grand Egyptian Museum is expected to welcome around 15,000 visitors per day, three times the number of people who visit the current museum daily. That will amount to more than 5 million visitors per year.

2. The Robot & AI Museum in Seoul

Turkish practice Melike Altınışık Architects (MAA) has won an international competition for the design of a Robot Science Museum in Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the competition called for a "world first" museum to support public education in robotics, and increase public interest in robots. The idea is to support public education in machine learning and robotic technologies, two areas that the South Korean economy has invested heavily in. 

3. The Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru

Designed by acclaimed Indian architectural firm, Mathew & Ghosh Architects, the new five-storey building, Museum Of Art And Photography, will officially open to the public in February 2023. The southern city of Bengaluru was chosen as the ideal location for a new visual art museum that would cover all sorts of visual media of the last thousand years or so from the sub-continent. All of South Asian art's many diverse styles will be represented at the new gallery, located on the busy Kasturba Road in the city. 

4. The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw

Slated for a public opening ceremony in May 2023, the Museum of Modern Art is already a well-established public institution in Poland. The authorities in the Polish capital decided that the museum's former home - a Soviet building that was never designed as a purpose-built gallery for modern works of art - should be updated. The four-story building will have a total area of ca. 20,000 sq m (ca. 213,000 sq ft), housing not only exhibition spaces but also educational areas for lectures and workshops, conservation and restoration workshops, a cinema, an auditorium, a café, and a museum shop. The space in front of the building is designed as a public forum: an area for cultural events and activities, a passageway connecting the Central Square and Świętokrzyski Park.

5. The International African American Museum in Charleston

One of the most anticipated new museums of recent years is due to open its doors to the public by late January. The International African American Museum aims "to honor the untold stories of the African American journey at one of our country's most sacred sites," according to the museum's website. Charleston in South Carolina was at the heart of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the United States for many years and most African Americans who came to North America during the 18th century are said to have passed through the infamous wharf. The museum will sit on the shoulders of 18 strong columns. On the ground level, the African Ancestors Memorial Garden will highlight the original shoreline-the exact spot where so many captive Africans first set foot in America. There will be gardens for quiet contemplation, as well as space for performances and programs. The museum's exhibitions will share untold stories using classic techniques as well as new approaches driven by innovation, technology and digital interactivity.

6. The Holocaust Museum in Toronto

Established by 35 Holocaust survivors in the mid-1980s as a place that would be dedicated to sharing stories with students, the Holocaust Museum of Toronto has been undergoing a significant refit in recent years. Thanks to a $12 million contribution from the Azrieli Foundation and other fundraising efforts, the museum will be updated to become a state-of-the-art facility for education and reflection. This state-of-the-art facility in the Sheff Family Building will inspire visitors to think deeply about the tragedies of the Shoah and to make connections between the Holocaust, world events, and contemporary Canadian life.

7. The Manchester Museum in Greater Manchester

Founded in 1867, the Manchester Museum has been devoted to the public education of archaeology, anthropology and natural history ever since it was first established. Officially part of the University of Manchester, the museum's collection has been housed in the neo-Gothic buildings that made up the city campus of the university when it was first built. However, a redevelopment programme ("hello future") was announced in August 2021 with a £15 million budget that would, it was hoped, bring the museum into the 21st century. The aim is to build better understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world. With much of the construction phase over, the new museum looks set to be open in February 2023.