6 museums share £315K with the Museum Development Fund

MGS has awarded £315,767 through the Museum Development Fund for a range of projects that will better connect audiences, increase the resilience of the organisations, and explore untold stories and local identities. The fund is supported by the Scottish Government. 

Projects include a partnership exhibition and programme between the Scottish Football Museum and the National Mining Museum Scotland, which will explore the strong links between football and mining in Scotland. Gairloch Museum will produce a new two-year cultural programme around heritage, art, Gaelic and the outdoors, which will celebrate the local identity of the region. The West Highland Museum will take history out of the museum, bringing it to the resident population in the area to help people be inspired by and connect to their heritage. 

Angus Robertson, Culture Secretary said:  

“Scotland’s museums showcase our past and present across a broad range of subjects to our local and international visitors, bringing economic benefits to their wider communities as well as safeguarding our cultural heritage.  

“The Scottish Government is therefore proud to support their ongoing development through this Museums Galleries Scotland funding, and we congratulate the six successful museums as they deliver important projects which celebrate our local identities and community connections.” 

Lucy Casot, CEO, Museums Galleries Scotland said: 

“We’re delighted to support these six museums to respond to their individual context and develop projects that connect to their local audience and area. These projects reflect the strong ambition within the sector to create museums that are not only financially sustainable and attractive to visitors but that also contribute to their community.” 

Carrie Gooch, Director, West Highland Museum said: 

“The West Highland Museum is delighted to be able to take forward our Beyond Our Walls project. We will employ a dedicated team to go out into our local communities and schools inspiring people with the history and heritage of this fascinating area of Lochaber, bringing groups of all ages through our doors into the museum, many of whom are coming for the first time. The West Highland Museum has a policy of free admission, so we are reliant on volunteers to stay open, this funding from Museums Galleries Scotland will enable us to further strengthen community ties and interest more people in caring for our collections for future generations.”

FUNDED MUSEUMS: 

Gairloch Museum- £57,942 

The museum will produce a new two-year cultural programme “Pushing the Boundaries” around heritage, art, Gaelic and the outdoors, which will celebrate the local identity of the region.  

Outer Hebrides Heritage Forum – Comann Dualchas Innse Gall- £57,400 

This project will highlight and improve awareness of the heritage venues of the Outer Hebrides. They will also be working to build audiences and skills in the volunteer workforce. 

Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow- £45,000 

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow will develop a multi-stranded project over the next two years, focused on maximising public knowledge of and engagement with their two world class double elephant folio size volumes of John James Audubon’s (1785-1851) ‘The Birds of America’. 

Scottish Football Museum and National Mining Museum Scotland- £51,914 

A partnership exhibition and programme between the Scottish Football Museum and the National Mining Museum Scotland, which will explore the strong links between football and mining in Scotland. 

Ullapool Museum- £59,998 

The museum will undergo a collection stores refurbishment to allow for greater access to their collection for the local community, researchers, staff and volunteers.  

West Highland Museum- £43,513 

The West Highland Museum will take history out of the museum, bringing it to the resident population in the area to help people be inspired by and connect to their heritage.