Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has announced that the DCMS/Wolfson Improvement Fund will provide £4 million to help improve more than 30 museums and galleries.
The fund, financed equally by government and the Wolfson Foundation, is available for museums and galleries to improve existing displays, increase access and enhance public spaces.
This is the first of two rounds - each one awarding £4 million - with the second bidding round to be held in 2013-14.
The grants include:
• £17,400 to redisplay the work of Enid Marx, one of the most important designers of the 20th Century and creator of the striking geometric designs of 1937 for the upholstery of London Underground.
• £140,000 for an extensive renovation and a complete redisplay of The Manchester Museum’s historic Birds & Insects gallery.
• £100,000 for a new gallery at the London Transport Museum that will showcase some of the 5,000 printed posters and nearly 1,000 original artworks which form a uniquely comprehensive record of a century of British graphic design.
• £150,000 towards a new permanent display of some of the most important collections of Baroque art, furniture, state beds and wall paintings in the country at Hampton Court Palace.
• £50,000 towards the reconstruction of a labourer’s cottage Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
A full spreadsheet of the projects and level of funding received can be found here, while an interactive map of the locations can be found here.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be working in such a productive and exciting partnership with government.
“The quality of projects funded demonstrates once again the sheer range and richness of the country’s heritage collections. Each project will help to improve the experience of visitors.”
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