£100k lifeline for two of Gloucester's iconic cultural venues
The Guildhall and Gloucester Museum will receive the funding in a joint grant from Arts Council of England the Government's Culture Recovery Fund
Gloucester’s key cultural venues have been awarded a joint grant of £100,000 from Arts Council of England as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).
The grant will enable the venues to face the challenges of the pandemic and to develop a number of exciting new opportunities for the future.
The announcement of the money follows an application by Gloucester City Council to the national scheme, after both venues were forced to close for six months by the pandemic.
The funding will be used to help the Museum of Gloucester to develop an attractive and exciting exhibition programme and to allow the development of work with local education providers to reimagine how its exhibitions are delivered.
It will also enable the museum to explore the viability of a ‘Friends Of’ scheme and develop a donations strategy as well as opening up opportunities for hiring out the museum, and for the museum to loan exhibitions from other cultural institutions.
In addition, the grant will allow Gloucester Guildhall to devise and programme new intimate live experiences, develop its digital content and support artists and technicians back to work.
Councillor Steve Morgan, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said:
“Both the Museum of Gloucester and the Gloucester Guildhall are important to both the people of Gloucester and to those across the region. It is vital that these venues will still be here in future to support audiences, so we are very grateful to the Arts Council of England for this much-needed support.
“We are lucky to have a very passionate and committed team who are working hard to ensure that our flagship venues can now stay open and provide a high-quality offer for everyone this winter. I must encourage everyone to continue to support your venues so they can survive and thrive in the months and years ahead.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, said:
“This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back. Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time. Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations.
“These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”