Latest news with #ArtFundMuseumoftheYear2025
Euronews
27-06-2025
- 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.
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Perth Museum in the running for prestigious prize
City centre visitor attraction is on shortlist for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. Perth's landmark museum - home of the Stone of Destiny – is once again in the running one of the most prestigious cultural prizes. It is one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, which is the world's largest museum prize. The popular visitor attraction, which opened at the end of March 2024, welcomed over 250,000 visitors in its first year - smashing its visitor target of 167,000 by 50 per cent. Since opening the £27m museum has received a clutch of awards and has been nominated for three Museum + Heritage Awards. Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout said: 'We are thrilled to be in the running as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, and honoured to be the only Scottish museum on the shortlist. 'This nomination belongs to the people of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and all our staff, volunteers, supporters, and contributors who have helped make Perth Museum a very special place since we opened just over a year ago. 'We are changing perspectives on what a small, regional museum can achieve. 'Regardless of who takes home the grand prize, we already feel like winners.' Perthshire North MSP and First Minister John Swinney said: 'This is a fantastic achievement that speaks to the quality of Perth Museum, and the significant impact it has had on the local area. 'I extend my sincere congratulations to all those involved in making Perth Museum such a memorable and engaging place to visit. 'Being shortlisted for such a prestigious prize is a testament to their hard work and ingenuity.' Art Fund, the national charity for museums and galleries, shortlists annually five outstanding museums for Museum of the Year. The 2025 prize recognises inspiring projects and activity from autumn 2023 through to winter 2024. In addition to looking at the overall achievements of the organisation, the judges are tasked with identifying impactful projects that spotlight the wide range of remarkable people, including museum staff and volunteers, who bring museums to life by engaging with communities, families and younger visitors, artists and creatives. Perth Museum tells the story of over 10,000 years of Scottish and world history through a local lens. Alongside the Stone of Destiny, the Museum displays Perth and Kinross's Recognised Collections of National Significance as well as iconic loans and exhibitions. The winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, announced on June 26, will receive £120,000 and £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists. The prize is funded by the generosity of Art Fund's members who buy a National Art Pass. During the shortlist celebration period (29 April to 26 June), Art Pass holders can enjoy free entry to the new Macbeth exhibition at Perth Museum, and 50% off all paid exhibitions at Perth Museum and Perth Art Gallery year-round. Art Fund director Jenny Waldman, speaking on behalf of the judges said: 'Congratulations to Perth Museum on being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. 'This year's finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best – deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas. 'Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone. Art Fund is proud to celebrate their work and support their ambition through Art Fund Museum of the Year. We hope people across the UK will be inspired to visit these remarkable places and museums in their local area to discover the powerful role they can play in our lives.' The Museum + Heritage awards ceremony will take place in London on May 15.
The Courier
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Perth Museum shortlisted for £120k Art Fund prize
Perth is in the running for the world's biggest museum prize. The £27 million home of the Stone of Destiny is one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. There's a £120,000 prize on offer for the winner and £15,000 for each of the runners-up. And Perth Museum is the only Scottish contender on the shortlist. Culture chiefs say the recognition belongs to the people of Perth and Kinross. It's the latest in a string of accolades to come the museum's way since it opened in the former Perth City Hall last March. And it comes a week after Culture Perth and Kinross confirmed visitor numbers have now topped 258,000. The organisation, which runs the 5-star attraction on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council, says there were more than 2 million additional visits to the city centre since the arrival of the museum. Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout said: 'This nomination belongs to the people of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and all our staff, volunteers, supporters, and contributors who have helped make Perth Museum a very special place since we opened just over a year ago.' She added: 'We are changing perspectives on what a small, regional museum can achieve. 'Regardless of who takes home the grand prize, we already feel like winners.' Art Fund is the national charity for museums and galleries. Judges consider overall achievements, impactful projects and the input of museum staff and volunteers. Perth Museum is up against Beamish, The Living Museum of the North in County Durham; Chapter in Cardiff; Compton Verney in Warwickshire and the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast. The shortlist announcement coincides with the launch of the latest paid-for exhibition at Perth Museum. Macbeth: An Exhibition considers Shakespeare's ill-starred hero, the real-life Macbeth, and their impact on Scotland and Perthshire in particular. The winning museum will be announced on June 26 in a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool. Between now and then, Art Pass holders can enjoy free entry to the Macbeth exhibition. Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director, said: 'This year's finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best – deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas.'
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The 'outstanding' £27 million Scottish museum vying to be the best in the UK
The museum opened in March last year Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A new museum telling the story of 10,000 years of Scottish history has been shortlisted for a £120,000 national prize. Perth Museum, home of the Stone of Destiny, is the only Scottish nomination for the Art Fund prize, alongside four other institutions from elsewhere in the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Perth Museum opened after a £27 million development. | David Levene The prize annually shortlists five outstanding museums for Museum of the Year, recognising inspiring projects and activity from autumn 2023 through to winter 2024. Opened a year ago after a £27 million development of a former City Hall building, the Perth Museum has since welcomed more than 250,000 visitors, smashing its annual visitor target of 167,000 by 50 per cent. The other shortlisted museums include Beamish, The Living Museum of the North in County Durham; Chapter in Cardiff; Compton Verney in Warwickshire and Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast. Helen Smout, chief executive officer at Culture Perth and Kinross, said: "We are thrilled to be in the running as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, and honoured to be the only Scottish museum on the shortlist. This nomination belongs to the people of Perth and Kinross, Scotland and all our staff, volunteers, supporters and contributors who have helped make Perth Museum a very special place since we opened just over a year ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are changing perspectives on what a small, regional museum can achieve. Regardless of who takes home the grand prize, we already feel like winners.' Perth Museum is holding an exhibition inviting visitors to explore the real medieval King Macbeth, and the Shakespearean play that made him a household name. The exhibition also includes a never-before-displayed 11th-century sword from the time of the real King Macbeth, a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, and first editions of the key historical texts that inspired the play. Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund, said: 'Congratulations to Perth Museum on being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. This year's finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best – deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The museum opened last year. | David Levene 'Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone.' She added: 'Art Fund is proud to celebrate their work and support their ambition through Art Fund Museum of the Year. We hope people across the UK will be inspired to visit these remarkable places and museums in their local area to discover the powerful role they can play in our lives.' Alongside the iconic stone, which is an ancient symbol of Scottish monarchy and was used in the coronation of King Charles, the museum displays Perth & Kinross's Recognised Collections of National Significance as well as iconic loans and exhibitions.
