Latest news with #ArtFund
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the museum of the year: a history of the north-east in 3m objects
'Real museums are places where time is transformed into space,' Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel laureate, writes in his 2008 novel The Museum of Innocence. Pamuk created a small museum of everyday objects based on the novel in celebration of his home city of Istanbul. A long way from the Bosphorous, this is what Beamish, the Living Museum of the North sets out to do, recreating the 19th- and 20th-century working-class history of north-east England over 350 acres in County Durham. Last week it won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award. The shortlist included museums from the UK's four nations: Perth Museum, which opened last year; Chapter, a multi-arts space in Cardiff; Golden Thread, a contemporary arts hub in Belfast; and Compton Verney, an 18th-century Warwickshire mansion, whose sculpture park is home to Louise Bourgeois's Spider. Inspired by the open-air museums in Scandinavia, Beamish was founded by Frank Atkinson, who became its curator in 1970. At the time, his vision of rebuilding a slag heap really did mean taking coals to Newcastle, but he recognised that the region's industries, and with them its identity, was in danger of disappearing. The people of north-east England 'tended to have a chip on their shoulder about their past, proud of it and yet feeling that it was undervalued', he said. 'The museum was for them. Tourism didn't exist up there when we first planned it.' Where many museums have struggled to return to pre-pandemic figures, last year Beamish welcomed 839,000 visitors – the highest number in its 55 years. As part of a £20m development project, a 1950s village has been added to its Edwardian town, with miners' cottages and a farm. Buildings from the surrounding area have been transported brick by brick and many of the 3m objects have been donated from people's attics. From teapots to trolleybuses, this is the ephemera of ordinary lives. More than 800 local volunteers and staff in period costumes bring the past alive. There are no glass walls, velvet ropes or wall captions. You can buy bread from the Victorian bakery, pat pit ponies and get a 50s bouffant blow‑dry at the hairdressers. This is clearly a sanitised version of the past, where you can go down a pit without getting your hands dirty. The cultural historian Robert Hewison included Beamish in what he identified as a Thatcherite phenomenon of ersatz nostalgia and commercialisation: 'Instead of manufacturing goods, we are manufacturing heritage,' he wrote in his 1987 polemic The Heritage Industry. In a region where the waiting list for social housing has increased dramatically in the last five years, an idyllic 'model' village might have been expected to cause resentment. Instead, research shows that it is a source of pride. Local museums tell local stories. They also employ local people and bring in visitors. In its first year, Perth Museum exceeded its visitor target by 50%, while city-centre footfall also increased. For many, museums are as much a part of the British summer as music festivals and sporting events. They are certainly a lot cheaper. With the world's treasures in our pockets, and limitless information at our fingertips, today's museums must offer something more, especially for children. Long before mobile phones, Beamish was one of the first immersive museum experiences. Here the past is not a foreign country – you can get there on a tram.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Beamish: Unique open-air attraction named UK's Museum of the Year
A unique open-air museum located in County Durham, UK, has won the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 award. Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, was founded in 1970 by Dr Frank Atkinson CBE, a British museum director and curator. Inspired by Scandinavian folk museums he'd visited in the early '50s, Atkinson wanted to document the vibrant (and fast-declining) industrial communities of North East England. Having received a record number of visitors during 2019 to 2020, the museum managed to survive the impact of its COVID-19 closures by launching online activities and other educational local initiatives. Displaying various replicas from the area's past and brought to life by costumed staff, it's an immersive portal of nostalgia that cradles its community's stories. One of its most impressive and innovative projects is 'Remaking Beamish', which saw tens of thousands of locals assist in recreating a 1950s parade of establishments, including a cinema, toy shop and record store. Awarded £120,000 (€140,676) at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool on Thursday, the Art Fund's judges described Beamish as 'a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community.' Jenny Waldman, director at Art Fund, added: "The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers. "With three quarters of adults in the North East of England saying museums make them proud of where they live, Beamish is a shining example of how museums enrich and celebrate local communities." The other four finalists will each receive £15,000 (€17,580), and include Chapter in Cardiff, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast, Perth Museum in Perth & Kinross, and Compton Verney in Warwickshire. Rebranded to the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2013, it is one of the world's largest (and most lauded) museum prizes, recognising creative excellence while supporting the sectors' integral contributions to community engagement. Previous winners include London's Horniman Museum in 2022, Glasgow's Burrell Collection in 2023 and the Young V&A in 2024. In response to this year's winner, UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the award "recognises the extraordinary contribution that Beamish has made to celebrate the heritage of the North East'. Despite funding cuts significantly impacting museums everywhere, they continue to be sacred spaces for preserving education, cultural identity and social connection. In 2024, independent museums generated an estimated £497 million in direct spending in the UK, according to a report. For International Museum Day on 18 May, the Euronews Culture team selected some of our favourite, lesser-known museums across Europe. It's a reminder of the endlessly creative spirit at the heart of curated attractions - and that if you can't visit Beamish any time soon, there's always the Icelandic Phallological Museum instead... Check out our list here.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North wins Museum Of The Year award
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North has won the Art Fund Museum Of The Year prize for 2025. The open-air museum, in Country Durham, bring north-east England's Georgian, Edwardian and 1940s and 1950s history to life through immersive exhibits. The £120,000 prize was presented to Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of Beamish, by comedian and prize judge Phil Wang, at a ceremony held at the Museum Of Liverpool. Wang, 35, said: 'Beamish is a worthy winner of this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Our visit was one of the most fun days I've had in years. 'An unbelievable level of commitment from staff, and a jaw-dropping amount of detail ran through everything. They had to drag me kicking and screaming out of there!' Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund and chairwoman of the judges for Art Fund Museum Of The Year, added: 'Beamish is a museum brought to life by people – a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community. 'The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers.' In the past year Beamish has completed its Remaking Beamish project, which has seen the recreation of a 1950s town and 1950s farm. In 2024 they opened a 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, as well as a Georgian tavern. The museum, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, was in a list of finalists that comprised Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross. Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the prize and the 2025 edition recognises activities that took place from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. The judges were tasked with identifying impactful projects and looking at the overall achievements of the organisations.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North wins Museum Of The Year award
The £120,000 prize was presented to Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of Beamish, by comedian and prize judge Phil Wang, at a ceremony held at the Museum Of Liverpool. Beamish offers immersive exhibits (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) Wang, 35, said: 'Beamish is a worthy winner of this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Our visit was one of the most fun days I've had in years. 'An unbelievable level of commitment from staff, and a jaw-dropping amount of detail ran through everything. They had to drag me kicking and screaming out of there!' Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund and chairwoman of the judges for Art Fund Museum Of The Year, added: 'Beamish is a museum brought to life by people – a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community. 'The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers.' In the past year Beamish has completed its Remaking Beamish project, which has seen the recreation of a 1950s town and 1950s farm. Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North, is an open-air museum in County Durham (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) In 2024 they opened a 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, as well as a Georgian tavern. The museum, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, was in a list of finalists that comprised Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross. Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the prize and the 2025 edition recognises activities that took place from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. The judges were tasked with identifying impactful projects and looking at the overall achievements of the organisations.
Western Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North wins Museum Of The Year award
The open-air museum, in Country Durham, bring north-east England's Georgian, Edwardian and 1940s and 1950s history to life through immersive exhibits. The £120,000 prize was presented to Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of Beamish, by comedian and prize judge Phil Wang, at a ceremony held at the Museum Of Liverpool. Beamish offers immersive exhibits (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) Wang, 35, said: 'Beamish is a worthy winner of this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Our visit was one of the most fun days I've had in years. 'An unbelievable level of commitment from staff, and a jaw-dropping amount of detail ran through everything. They had to drag me kicking and screaming out of there!' Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund and chairwoman of the judges for Art Fund Museum Of The Year, added: 'Beamish is a museum brought to life by people – a joyous, immersive and unique place shaped by the stories and experiences of its community. 'The judges were blown away by the remarkable attention to detail of its exhibits across a 350-acre site and by the passion of its staff and volunteers.' In the past year Beamish has completed its Remaking Beamish project, which has seen the recreation of a 1950s town and 1950s farm. Beamish, The Living Museum Of The North, is an open-air museum in County Durham (David Levene/Art Fund/PA) In 2024 they opened a 1950s cinema, toy shop and electrical shop, as well as a Georgian tavern. The museum, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, was in a list of finalists that comprised Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross. Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the prize and the 2025 edition recognises activities that took place from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. The judges were tasked with identifying impactful projects and looking at the overall achievements of the organisations.
