Fierce competition for capital funding

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Museums Galleries Scotland, which represents over 350 museums and galleries, has today announced 13 museum and gallery projects awarded a share of £750,000 of capital funding.

This investment is specially targeted at capital projects which are designed to improve the visitor experiences to Scotland’s Recognised Collections of National Significance.

Joanne Orr, Chief Executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, said:
“We received unprecedented interest for a share of this capital funding. This is what we expect from an industry for which funding is a constant challenge.”

“Museums Galleries Scotland continues to work on behalf of Scotland’s museums and galleries sector to secure the investment required to care for our most important collections for future generations.”

“The museums and galleries that hold the Recognised Collections are located all over Scotland. They deliver benefits to tourism, education, community regeneration and engagement. This value to the people of Scotland supports our need for continued investment in Scotland’s museums and galleries.”

To mark the announcement, Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop visited St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow. Museums Galleries Scotland awarded Glasgow Museums £110,000 for a project that will unite their textile collection for the first time at the state of the art storage facility at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

Fiona Hyslop said:
“Right across Scotland, museums and galleries play a tremendously important role in supporting tourism, the economy and local communities.
“The Recognition Scheme ensures there are additional resources available for some of the most important collections in Scotland.
“The awards announced today demonstrate the rich diversity of collections held across the country and I look forward to visiting some of the successful projects to see the impact this support is having.”

A new gallery space in the very heart of the University of Aberdeen’s main campus is the focus of one project. The new gallery will allow visitors to enjoy the University’s Recognised Collections which currently has limited areas to display the collections while the Marischal Museum galleries are closed.

Dundee Heritage Trust can now undertake important conservation work on the RRS Discovery, the ship which was built to take Captain Scott on his first expedition to Antarctica. An award of £50,415 will help to safeguard the historically important vessel’s long term future.

Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Museum will install solar controlled blinds with their award of £51,921. The blinds will improve environmental conditions for displaying sensitive works of art including influential drawings and water colours by Mackintosh. Importantly the blinds will be sympathetic to the architectural detail within the Category A-listed building.

Not all artefacts within our museums are on display to the public at any one time. The technicalities of object storage rarely troubles visitors but it is something which is naturally of great importance to museums. Innovative advances means that items in storage may still be accessed easily by visitors and staff alike. Awards to Dundee City Council, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses will bring storage facilities for their Recognised Collections to a standard suitable for the country’s most important artefacts.

Museums Galleries Scotland are awarding this capital funding to museums and galleries with Recognised Collections of National Significance on behalf of the Scottish Government. There are currently 36 Recognised Collections of National Significance across Scotland.

Museums Galleries Scotland represent an industry that welcomes an estimated 25.3 million visitors per year, generating £800+ million to the economy.

For more information on the Recognised Collections see“our website”:/the-programmes/recognition/

Published
27th Mar 2010

Region
Aberdeen and Grampian
Angus and Dundee City
Argyll and Bute
Ayrshire
Dumfries and Galloway
Edinburgh and Lothians
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Greater Glasgow
Highland
Perth and Kinross
National

Publisher
MGS