report from birmingham museums

HELLO FROM BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS!

Rachel Cockett, Director of Development

Happy New Year from everyone at Birmingham Museums.

I am delighted to share the news that Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will partially reopen on Thursday 28 April 2022 in time for the Commonwealth Games. Whilst much of the Museum & Art Gallery remains closed for essential electrical work, we have used this unique opportunity to collaborate with some of Birmingham’s most exciting creatives including Birmingham Music Archive, Fierce, Flatpack Projects and Kalaboration Arts. Visitors will be encouraged to explore and contribute to the many different stories that make Birmingham the fantastic city that it is. Read more about what you will see and experience on pages 14-15.

Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, our Co-CEOs, embarked on their journey leading Birmingham Museums a little over a year ago. The pandemic has been a huge challenge for Birmingham Museums and our visitors, as it has for the whole of society, but it has also provided an opportunity to take stock and reconsider what a museum in the 21st century can be. We’ll be sharing more about our exciting future plans in 2022 and look forward to inviting you to join us on our journey ahead.

Thank you to everyone who donated to our public fundraising campaign to support the conservation of two of Birmingham’s star treasures - ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ and ‘The Holy Grail Tapestries’. I am delighted to share that we have raised over £10,000 from public donations to date which, with generous support from The Pilgrim Trust, The Friends of Birmingham Museums and Tru-Vue, means we are able to start ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ conservation work. We will share the details of this exciting and somewhat nervewracking project as it happens. We are continuing to fundraise for the conservation of ‘The Holy Grail Tapestries’. To ensure these magnificent tapestries can be displayed in 2024 please donate here: justgiving.com/campaign/BurneJones. Thank you. n