Mayor of Swindon Cllr Imtiyaz Shaikh today wielded the ceremonial scissors to open Museum & Art Swindon.
He was watched by a roster of councillors including borough council leader Cllr Jim Robbins, Cabinet Member for Heritage, Art and Culture Cllr Marina Strinkovsky, South Swindon Parish Councillor and chair of the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Linda Kasmaty, Swindon Museums Manager Frances Yeo, and people from the local arts and culture scene.
The ceremony came ahead of the opening of the new venue, based on the upper floor of the Civic Offices, tomorrow - Tuesday 9 July.
Museum & Art Swindon has moved from Apsley House in Bath Road, Old Town, to the Civic Offices to make the council’s incredible collection of artwork and artefacts more accessible to more people, and has been .
The former location did not reopen following the pandemic due to a need for major repairs and concerns over accessibility. Since then, a council team has been working to prepare the new location.
The Mayor said: "It's been a long wait but finally it's here and I'm amazed and happy to see such a large turnout." He added that he was looking forward to everybody in the town coming to view the collection.
Cllr Robbins said: "It's really nice for the borough council to be introducing something really positive today.
"The opening of the museum is something we have been waiting to do. It's really important that we have a great launch and show off the great collection that Swindon has."
Cllr Strinkovsky said: "Obviously it's a huge achievement - it's been a challenge and an adventure . I'm just excited - very, very excited - for us to have a museum and very excited for people to see the great museum the team have put together."
Highlighting a planned programme of special art and museum exhibitions, Cllr Strinkovsky added: "There's always going to be something to come back for."
Swindon Museums Manager Frances Yeo said: "Everybody has been waiting for this and I'm just delighted that we've been able to get it over the line."
The official opening, like a number of council events, could not take place earlier because of General Election protocols.
The museum tells the story of the Swindon area, beginning many millions of years ago when the ancestors of modern life forms were primitive ocean-dwelling creatures and continuing well into the modern era. More recent artefacts include, for example, empty vials from the covid vaccination centre at Steam.
Opening exhibitions include:
- Elisabeth Frink: A View from Within – produced using the Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding through Wessex Museums
- Double Take - explores inspiration and creativity using artworks from the Museum & Art Swindon collections alongside works produced by 200 Swindon school children
- Pieces of Me - an exploration of identity through art, co-curated with young people from Swindon
- Origins - an exhibition showcasing some of the diverse material collected by Museum & Art Swindon since its inception
- The History of Swindon - galleries telling the history of Swindon from the Jurassic period up to today
During its opening week, the museum will be open from Tuesday to Sunday (10.30am to 4.30pm) with family activities also being planned for that weekend.
On Saturday 13 July, this will include family Art Lab sessions, where participants can try a bite-size costume design session, create a costume collage or try paper weaving.
The following day, there will be History Detectives sessions, where visitors will be delving into the world of Saxon Treasure and have the opportunity to design their own Saxon brooch or sword.
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