News

Museum Moves 18 – 24 August 2023

The weekly feature rounds up the latest updates in museum appointments, openings, funding and new exhibitions from across the UK.

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

The Natural History Museum has appointed Shahpur Kabraji, a Partner at a global law firm, to the Board of Trustees, who will join the museum as its new Legal Trustee.

https://museumsandheritage.com/news/national-history-museum-appoints-new-legal-trustee/

The events arm of National Museums Liverpool has appointed a new Head of Events Operations and Events Manager to its growing team, following recent financial success.

https://museumsandheritage.com/news/senior-hires-at-national-museums-liverpools-growing-events-arm/

Openings

A museum at the site of the world’s first savings bank is to reopen next year after a transfer of ownership. The Savings Banks Museum in Ruthwell, Scotland was formerly owned by TSB, and recently transferred to Comlongon Estate. Comlongon Estate. Closed during the pandemic, it will reopen in 2024 after a restoration project, and will explore the work of Scottish minister Henry Duncan, the bank’s founder.

Exhibitions

58 portraits from 51 photographers will be displayed in a new exhibition as the National Portrait Gallery announces the Shortlist for Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2023. The annual exhibition returns to the newly renovated gallery for the first time since 2020. The shortlisted works will be displayed in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 exhibition as the show returns to the National Portrait Gallery, open from 9 November 2023 until 25 February 2024. (Pictured above)

Two rarely before seen ‘candlelight’ paintings by artist Joseph Wright have been unveiled at Derby Museum and Art Gallery this week. ‘A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder’ and ‘Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder’ are on long-term loan to the museum. The paintings, part of a private UK collection, have only been seen on four previous occasions.

A new photography exhibition ‘At Home in Hackney: a community photographed 1970-today’ is to open at Hackney Museum. A special launch event will kick-off the exhibition on Thursday 14 September. Co-curated by Hackney Museum and photographers Tom Hunter and Sue Andrews of the East London Photographers Collective, the exhibition explores 50 years of local life through photography, from 1970s activism to the current party scene. Runs until 24 February 2023.

A new single object display at Riverside Museum is hoped to spark memories in people living with dementia. The Talbot Avenger Estate, a car built in 1981, and one of the last to be built at the Peugeot Talbot car, is the focal point of the display called Car Sparks Memories. The car was donated by Angus Dougall with his wife Suzanne and daughter, STV presenter Rona Dougall. The museum worked with Alzheimer Scotland to place the Talbot Avenger car in the context of other key social and cultural stimuli from the early 1980s.

The Museum of London is asking the public to suggest popular city signage for its upcoming permanent installation ‘Hanging Out’.Signage from the likes of sports venues, cafes and pubs, shops, cinemas and theatres in the Greater London area are set to be featured in the installation, which will be part of the new London Museum when it opens in 2026.

https://museumsandheritage.com/news/museum-of-london-calls-out-for-city-signage-ahead-of-installation/

Funding

A new funding package to support the development of resilience in Scotland’s museums and galleries has been announced. The Capital Resilience Fund 2023 will make grants of between £5,000 and £60,000 available to non-National accredited museums and galleries in Scotland.

https://museumsandheritage.com/news/museums-galleries-scotland-announces-new-resilience-fund/