Appointments

The Ashmolean Museum has appointed Dr Frédérique Duyrat as Director of Collections and Keeper of the Heberden Coin Room. Beginning the role in September, Duyrat will be responsible for leading curatorial and collections strategy and providing line management for Keepers of all curatorial departments, the Head of Conservation and Head of Digital Collections. Duyrat is currently General Curator of Libraries and Director of the Department of Coins, Medals and Antiques at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Openings

In advance of the opening of the Young V&A in July, it has announced details of a free Summer Festival, taking place 8 and 9 July. Visitors are invited to explore the museum and enjoy performances from local young talent. It has also announced ‘Sound it Out’, a display of the V&A’s art, design, and performance collections. Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, and authors Valerie Bloom, Liz Brownlee, Bob Raczka and Michael Rosen have lent their literary talents to create a series of original works inspired by objects on display in Young V&A’s Play Gallery.

St Serf’s Church in East Scotland, a former parish church building, has reopened to visitors. Closed to the public after a water ingress and masonry conservation requirements, these repair works have now taken place. The building, which features medieval stone-carver’s art, is home to the Dupplin Cross, an extremely rare Pictish carving from the early 800s.

Exhibitions

Artist Jala Wahid’s first institutional solo exhibition in Scotland launches latest this month at Glaswegian contemporary arts venue Tramway. ‘Conflagration’ presents a new body of work exploring the relationship between Britain and Kurdistan, through the lens of oil. The exhibition, funded by Creative Scotland, runs from 23 June to 10 September 2023.

Visitors will become part of a new work of art at the National Gallery as part of new installations by Artist in Residence Céline Condorelli which explores the visitor’s experience of looking at art. The artist is putting the Gallery’s visitors and its various behind-the-scenes activities at the heart of a new exhibition. Visitors will be invited to recline to see a new 25 x 64 metre textile sculpture on the ceiling, and listen to field recordings and everyday voices of Trafalgar Square, connecting the inside of the Gallery with the world outside its front door. Runs 13 September 2023 – 7 January 2024.

Artist Jonathan Baldock is to create a completely new body of work for an upcoming exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Weston Gallery. ‘Touch Wood’ will feature textile sculpture and hangings, ceramic sculpture, and a soundscape created by musician Luke Barton. Inspired by nearby fifteenth-century hinged wooden seats and carved wooden figures, the work will “invite touch” and “offers space to reimagine queer and working people’s histories, explore hidden narratives and create alternative realities.” Runs 23 September 2023 – 14 April 2024.

A new exhibition in the freshly redecorated home of Sir Alfred Munnings will ask visitors to rethink their understanding of the artist’s work. Specially selected works spanning the artist’s career from early childhood include 50 oil paintings, drawings, sketchbooks and prints from across seven decades. ‘Munnings: Colour and Light’ runs until 22 October 2023 at The Munnings Art Museum at Castle House in Dedham.

A National Lottery Heritage funded project celebrating the rural heritage of Coquetdale in Northumberland has arrived at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick after its touring exhibition in the area. The exhibition, ‘OOT and Aboot – Talking Coquetdale’ is the culmination of the outreach work started in 2019 and is part of the volunteer led and run Bailiffgate Museum.

The British Motor Museum has opened a new exhibition run in collaboration with art retailer Historic Car Art, to spotlight the work of artists and sculptors, and their automotive-focussed art in acrylics, oil, watercolour, pen, and pastels. ‘The Gallery: Auto Art at the British Motor Museum’ features a collection of over 30 motoring-related pieces and runs until 30 June 2023.

Opening this weekend at the Central Hall of Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, a collection of Ukrainian artists have curated an exhibition of paintings which portray the stories and experiences of a war-torn country. Created in partnership with Northampton Town Council ‘This war painted: an exhibition by Ukranian artists’ runs 3 June – 18 June 2023.

Funding

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced that the upper limit of its grants for heritage projects will be doubled from £5m to £10m. The announcement has been made as the organisation said it acknowledged the former £5m grant threshold, which had been in place for over 20 years, was limiting opportunities for some larger initiatives.

National Lottery Heritage Fund doubles grant limit to £10m

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