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£4 Million Boost For Museums Across England - Polar Bears, Dinosaurs, Historic Dogs And Rare Violins To Benefit

99/07

Forty-three museums and galleries in England will benefit from grants totalling £4 million, Culture Minister Margaret Hodge announced today.  Provided jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation, the grants will help improve the quality of museum displays and the visitor experience.

This year’s grants go to an imaginative array of projects aimed to improve access and understanding of our cultural heritage, including:

  • A room makeover for Leicester’s dinosaurs
  • Improved access to internationally significant collection including eighty-eight stuffed domestic dogs, which illustrate the impact of selective breeding -  Natural History Museum at Tring
  • Redisplay of the rare Amati violin – Cumbria
  • Conservation and rehanging of 18th century “mobile” Chinese wallpaper lost for 150 years – Harewood House
  • Refurbishment of the Tank Museum – Bovington
  • A new Buddhist Sculpture in Asia gallery – Victoria and Albert Museum, London
  • A new double storey, 3D Bio Wall dedicated to the natural world – the Great North Museum project, Tyne & Wear
  • Creation of a major new exhibition of London’s history from 1950 to present,  Londoners – Museum of London
  • Re-display of the popular Foreign Mammals Gallery – including the Norfolk Polar Bear – Norwich Castle
  • An improved entrance for the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, in their 75th anniversary year
  • Innovative new signage system at the British Museum using images of iconic objects in the collection at key points in the galleries.

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said:

“Once again the DCMS Wolfson Fund is providing support for museums and galleries from all regions of England.  This year’s grants go to an imaginative array of projects in national institutions, university collections and well-loved local museums and galleries. This funding will give visitors the best possible experience of some wonderful collections

Paul Ramsbottom, Executive Secretary of the Wolfson Foundation said:

"The Trustees of the Wolfson Foundation are pleased that the fund again attracted a large number of high quality applications. This investment continues to be appreciated by museums and galleries, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with DCMS to the benefit of so many important cultural institutions."

This is the sixth year of the current DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund, which has awarded a total of £20 million to institutions around the country since it was set up in 2002.

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Notes to Editors

Press enquiries to  Fiona Cameron  020 7211  6266  fiona.cameron@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Out of hours telephone pager  07699 751153
Public enquiries  020 7211  6000
www.culture.gov.uk

The DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund allocates £4 million annually to capital projects in national and regional museums and galleries.
Museums and galleries eligible to bid from the fund include institutions sponsored by DCMS, designated collections in museums or universities, and museums with non-designated collections in regional hubs.

A summary of the successful institutions and projects is avaliable online. PDF (67kb)


 

Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6052/6277
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200

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