Museum Moves is supported by D J Willrich Ltd
D J Willrich Ltd (DJW) have nearly 40 years’ experience in helping Museums, Theme Parks, FEC’s and Visitor Centres tell their story using appropriate Technology. Based in the New Forest, on the South coast of England, and having started from the Audio-Visual Department at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, we have now developed our portfolio and are internationally recognised.
Appointments
John Procter has been reappointed as Chair of Royal Armouries by DCMS. The Royal Armouries collection is split across three sites: the Tower, the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, and Fort Nelson near Portsmouth. Proctor, a former cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Sport and former Leeds City Councillor, was first appointed in 2019. Procter said: “I look forward to working with my fellow Trustees and the Executive Board at the Royal Armouries to deliver the Masterplan for all sites that will increase visitor numbers and transform the experience for audiences.”
Openings
The National Galleries of Scotland will open its new Scottish galleries this Saturday, concluding a £38.6m project which began in 2018.
£38.6m Scottish galleries at the National to open this weekend
A brewery museum is set to be built as part of a regeneration project in Burton Upon Trent at the site of the National Brewery Centre, a museum which closed in October. Its collection is set to be housed on the ground floor of the Old Bass House once the project is complete, alongside a beer hall.
The Shoemakers Museum, an upcoming Somerset museum detailing the story of shoe brand Clarks, has received planning permission. Late last year exhibition designers Nissen Richards Studio said the first phase of the new museum is due to open in 2025.
Exhibitions
Towner Eastbourne in East Sussex has today opened an exhibition of work by the four artists nominated for the Turner Prize 2023: Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker. The winner will be announced on 5 December 2023 at an award ceremony in Eastbourne’s Winter Garden. Runs 28 September 2023 – 14 April 2024
Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery will host a display of works by artist Nahem Shoa in “an intervention encouraging visitors to look at iconic works from the Walker’s collection with fresh eyes. ‘Into the Light’ displays six of Nahem Shoa’s paintings displayed beside famous artworks from the Walker’s permanent collections – including artists such as Joseph Wright of Derby, David Hockney, Lucien Freud and James Tissot. The gallery said the display will ask “uncomfortable questions related to Transatlantic slavery, Liverpool’s cotton industry and the objectification of women in art”. Runs 6 October 2023 – 31 March 2024.
The British Library has this week opened an exhibition exploring the fantasy genre in literature, film and TV. ‘Fantasy: Realms of Imagination’ features more than 100 objects including works from authors J.R.R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin alongside props from film, TV and musicals including Wicked, The Dark Crystal and The Lord of the Rings Runs until 25 February 2024.
Staying on Tolkein, an exhibition dedicated to the work of the author opens in Barnsley this weekend, after displays at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and The Novium Museum. ‘The Magic of Middle-Earth’ will open at Experience Barnsley Museum, situated in Barnsley Town Hall, and will display more than 200 rare objects and artworks including a rare first edition copy of ‘The Hobbit’ from 1937. Runs 30 September 2023 – 6 April 2024.
Haynes Motor Museum has announced an exhibition telling the story of British motorcycling from its origins to the modern day.‘Life on Two Wheels: The British Motorcycling Story’ is the first exhibition since the Museum gained full Arts Council England Accreditation. It will explore the social history of the motorbike and the impact bikes have on society, technology, and the economy. On display will be historically significant bikes, alongside interactive and hands-on STEM activity stations. Opens 21st October 20223.
The visual history of architecture is to be explored at The National Galleries of Scotland’s newest exhibition, Making Space: Photographs of Architecture. The exhibition is the fourth instalment in a series of free exhibitions which use a central theme in the history of photography to explore the national collection. Runs 7 October 2023 – 3 March 2024.
Funding
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has announced receipt of £770,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a three-year programme to improve the country’s access to culture. ‘Delivering Change’ has been designed to address “systemic exclusion within the sector – where systems (economic, social, political and cultural) intentionally disadvantage groups of people based on their identity, while advantaging members of the dominant group”.
Museums Galleries Scotland programme to improve country’s participation in culture
Image: Work by Jesse Darling at the Turner Prize 2023 exhibition (Angus Mill Photographer)
