News in brief | Funding, projects, moves and more - Museums Association

Conference 2024: The Joy of Museums booking open now – Book before 31 March 2024 for a 10% discount

Conference 2024: The Joy of Museums booking open now – Book before 31 March 2024 for a 10% discount

News in brief | Funding, projects, moves and more

Major appointments announced in London and Yorkshire, while two capital developments get funding boost
Moves News in Brief
Artists impression of the Central Hall Museum Square, part of the redvelopment at the National Railway Museum
Artists impression of the Central Hall Museum Square, part of the redvelopment at the National Railway Museum Feilden Fowles

Railway gallery sponsorship

The National Railway Museum has signed a £2.5m sponsorship agreement with the rail company Porterbrook to create a new Railway Futures Gallery. Planned to open in 2025 to coincide with the museum’s 50th birthday, the Railway Futures Gallery will be a key feature of Central Hall – the new building and welcome space that is being created between the museum’s Great Hall and Station Hall. The development is part of Vision 2025 - the museum’s masterplan to transform its offer to become the World’s Railway Museum.

Paisley Museum hits fundraising target

The fundraising campaign supporting the of redevelopment Paisley’s museum has passed a milestone after securing £1m in funding. The Paisley Museum Reimagined charity is raising the final money needed to complete the £45m transformation of the museum. The entire museum campus has been redesigned by architects AL_A in what is believed to be Scotland’s largest current heritage project.

The fundraising campaign is being led by the council, and is now switching focus towards donations from individuals and corporate organisations. The work will restore the A-listed museum buildings – including the Coats Observatory, the oldest public observatory in Scotland – while adding a new wing, accessible entrance and outdoor, terraced garden.

Advertisement

All change at Courtauld Institute

Mark Hallett has been appointed Märit Rausing director of the Courtauld Institute of Art. The new director will take over from Deborah Swallow who is stepping down after leading the Courtauld for 19 years. The ninth director since the founding of the Courtauld in 1932, Hallett’s appointment will take effect on 1 August 2023. From 1 April 2023, he will be Director-designate. Hallett is currently director of the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, part of Yale University and a partner to the Yale Centre for British Art.

New creative centre for Roundhouse

The London arts venue Roundhouse is to open a new creative centre, Roundhouse Works, which will be unveiled to the public next spring. Roundhouse provides creative opportunities, space and mentorship for young people to pursue a career in the creative industries. The launch of Roundhouse Works in 2023 will extend Roundhouse’s reach to a wider age bracket of young people – 11–30-year-olds – who continue to face challenges and barriers to entry to the sector, particularly following the impact of Covid. The new creative centre will help uncover new, diverse creative voices and empower the next generation of young creative entrepreneurs.

Bronte Society director appointed

The Brontë Society, which runs the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire, has appointed Rebecca Yorke as its director. Yorke first joined the Museum in early 2015 in a marketing and communications role and has been a member of the organisation’s senior management since 2016. She has held the post of interim director since June 2021. In her new role, Yorke will on the museum's participation in the Bradford City of Culture festival in 2025 and the celebration of the society's centenary in 2028.

She said: “I am thrilled to be appointed director of the Brontë Society and Brontë Parsonage Museum, to have this opportunity to build on all that has been achieved in recent years and fulfil our mission of bringing the Brontës to the world and the world to Yorkshire.”

Leave a comment

You must be to post a comment.

Discover

Advertisement