Thursday, April 10, 2008
Five projects, specially designed to increase access to museum and gallery collections have been awarded a collective £199,431 of funding under the Recognition Scheme.
The Recognition Scheme ensures the nations important collections are identified, cared for, protected and promoted to a wider audience. Custodians of Recognised Collections can apply for a grant up to a value of £40,000.
Aberdeen City Council has been awarded £40,000 for a project to create an enhanced web site. The project will improve their existing searchable database with an additional 9000 records and 'user-friendly' descriptions of the objects. The project will result in a much improved profile for their Recognised Collection of National Significance.
Dundee City Council will use their £40,000 funding award to conserve and re-frame items from their Fine Art Collection which, along with their Whaling Collection, was recognised as being significant to the nation last January.
An award of £39,931 will allow Dundee Heritage Trust to display a large part of the Jute collection located at Verdant Works never previously seen. Interactive displays will utilise photographs, archives, maps and film from the collections and will improve the visitor experience by offering something fun and educational. Interactive displays on Indian jute production will add an additional cultural element to visitor’s understanding of Indian/Bangladeshi life. The funding will also be used to employ a museum-trained assistant and an ex jute worker to catalogue, research and re-store the jute photographic collection. Dundee Heritage Trust’s funding will also be used to create an additional showcase at Discovery Point which houses their other Recognised Collection, the RRS Discovery and her associated polar collection, to display items on a rotating basis. These will include a Singer sewing machine taken on board Discovery and a ‘Housewife’, an elaborate sewing kit used by Antarctic explorers – examples of the necessity of ‘make do and mend’ when so far from civilisation.
The entire collection cared for by Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, which was one of the first collections in the country to receive Recognition status last summer, have been awarded £39,500. Their funding will be used to develop a printed and online guide to their collection and to redevelop their website accordingly.
The University of St Andrews, whose Chemistry, Heritage and Historic Scientific Instruments Collections received Recognition status earlier this year has successfully bid for £40,000 of funding. They will create display cases for two key items from the Historic Scientific Instrument collection (the Great Astrolabe which dates back to 1575, and a reflecting telescope from 1736) to create a modern interpretation of a cabinet of curiosities drawing on items from the Recognised Collections and to create two interactive displays.
Joanne Orr, CEO of the Museums Galleries Scotland said:
“Projects such as these really demonstrate how a modest amount of funding can have a huge and lasting impact on the continuing the care of and improving the access to museum and gallery collections. Visitors to these Recognised Collections of National Significance can look forward to exploring, interpreting and enjoying them in new ways.”
Douglas Connell, Chair of the Recognition Committee, which oversees the Recognition of collections of national significance, said:
“To achieve Recognition status, the applicants had to demonstrate the uniqueness, authenticity, comprehensiveness, and national value of their collection. It is wonderful to be able to now fund their aspirations to undertake projects such as increasing accessibility to their collections and improving how they are cared for.”
- ENDS -
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS
PRESS CONTACT:
For further information or images contact:
Eithne Ní Chonghaile
Communications Manager (PR & Events),
Museums Galleries Scotland
E: eithnenc@museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk
T: 0131 550 4123
