A Kendal art gallery has received a grant of £40,500 to create a new exhibition space.
Abbot Hall is one of 33 museums and galleries across England to receive a share of £4 million in funding today from the joint Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund which aims to improve displays, protect collections and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors.
The Kendal art gallery, which is also a grade one listed building, is managed by Lakeland Arts, who will launch the new exhibition space named ‘Testing Ground’ in 2024.
It will be a flexible, interactive collection space exploring landscape, ecology, climate change and identity, to review its environmental controls for collections to reduce energy use.
Rhian Harris, chief executive of Lakeland Arts said: “We are delighted to receive this support from DCMS/Wolfson arts funding. It means we can create an exciting space that sparks curiosity, and invites conversations exploring our collection, sense of identity and climate issues. By enabling greater connection to the collection, through new and radical exhibitions, access and interpretation strategies we are deploying our collection in a fresh way to inspire, inform and resonate with our communities.
“We look forward to connecting with residents in South Lakeland when we reopen in 2023 and making this a place for the community and visitors from elsewhere that ignites creativity, where people can experience art that matters.”
The exhibition space will also be furnished and equipped as an interchangeable gallery that allows for rotating displays that respond to urgent debate, community dialogue and research. New digital infrastructure in the space will add a variety of voices and content locally, nationally and globally.
Both DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation contributed £2 million to this round of the fund, which has benefited more than 400 projects in its 20-year history.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “The DCMS/Wolfson Fund aims to make sure more people can access our brilliant museums and galleries right across the country.
“Thanks to this combination of public funding and private philanthropy, these awards will help people who may have previously found visiting museums and galleries difficult and make sure everyone can enjoy and engage with the wonderful collections and exhibitions they offer.
“With 80 percent of the money going to museums outside the capital, this funding is further evidence of the Government’s commitment to levelling up and widening access to culture.”
Across the country, the fund also aims to help museums and galleries build accessible ramps and facilities and improve collection storage to protect art for the future.
Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation said: “We’re delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with DCMS, which has now awarded over £50 million to outstanding museums and galleries over the past two decades.’
‘While the projects funded are many and varied, they will all improve access to the treasures of our museums and galleries – allowing more people to enjoy and learn from these impressive collections, as well as safeguarding them for the future.”
