Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has confirmed the next phase of the venue’s reopening following essential maintenance work.

Birmingham Museums Trust says several gallery spaces are set to reopen to the public on Thu 24 Oct, just in time for autumn half-term. The galleries that are set to reopen include the Round Room Gallery, Industrial Gallery, Bridge Gallery and Edwardian Teamrooms.

New spaces to be revealed include Wild City, a new area dedicated to children and families that tells stories about nature in the city, and the Pixel Studio, a fresh digital gallery and activity space which will host screenings of digital work created by artists and produces from across the region.

The museum’s famous Round Room will be a focal point in the reopening, hosting new and familiar artworks that will surround Jacob Epstein’s Lucifer sculpture.

A new Made in Birmingham display, which celebrates the city of a thousand trades, will take over the Industry Gallery, while the Victorian Radicals collection will remain in The Gas Hall until at least Christmas due to demand.

Also part of the reopening programme will be Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta, Modern Muse by Arpita Shah and Osman Yousefzada’s Deviance & Difference.

The Tearooms and Shop will reopen, complete with a new food and drink menu, as well as unique selections and collaborations with local artists and makers.

Speaking about the reopening, Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, Co-CEOs at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We know this is news that a lot of people have been waiting for and we are so happy to be able to open more of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. We can’t wait to welcome visitors again in time for October half-term. It’s such an important institution for the people of Birmingham and we’ve made those people central to the new displays that you will all be able to see.

“When we re-opened the museum with ‘pop-up’ displays during the Commonwealth Games in 2022, visitors told us they loved the refresh and seeing and feeling the stories of all Birmingham people front and centre. We heard that, as well as the message that people wanted to see more of the collection, understand more about our history and needed more for families and children.”

The gallery spaces due to reopen in October have had extensive and sensitive flooring and roof restoration, and the museum says visitors will now be able to see their favourite artworks in a whole new light.

You can read more about Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s reopening here.

Featured image credit: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Thu 24 Oct, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery,
Chamberlain Sq, Birmingham B3 3DH
Words:
Bradley Lengden
Published on:
Mon 21 Oct 2024