Be Part of the Extraordinary: Support the Horniman Museum
Posted on 26th October 2017 at 15:00
The Horniman is an award-winning, family-friendly Museum and Gardens in south London’s Forest Hill. Established in Victorian times when tea trader and philanthropist Frederick Horniman first opened his house and collection of objects to visitors, the Museum is currently undergoing a major three-year development of its gallery spaces.
As part of this project, the Horniman’s world-renowned Anthropology collection will be redisplayed to create the World Gallery: A special space designed to encourage a wide appreciation, curiosity and celebration of the world, its people, places and cultures.
In order to make this happen, the museum is crowdfunding until October 31st.
The Horniman’s Charlotte Stanley talks to the Music Workshop Company about the significance of the new gallery…
But first, check out this video which tells you all about the project:
About the Horniman
“Since the museum first opened, our collection has grown significantly. It includes internationally important Designated collections of anthropology and musical instruments, as well as an acclaimed aquarium, natural history collection and 16.5 acres of beautiful gardens.
Over 1,300 musical instruments from the Horniman’s collection can be seen in the Music Gallery. Its display spans a wide range of instruments from around the world, making up the largest number on show in the UK.
The Horniman’s high quality collections, buildings and gardens allow us to draw together, in innovative ways, issues and stories relating to peoples, cultures and environments at a local, national and international level.
The Museum actively seeks to attract users of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. It has an exceptional record of educational achievement and encourages participation from as wide a range of people as possible.
We currently attract over 914,000 visits per year to our site. We have a loyal and high repeat audience, and visitor satisfaction is high at 98%.
The World Gallery
The Horniman is creating a new, free, World Gallery, which will celebrate what it means to be human. The World Gallery will reveal the strength and depth of the Horniman’s internationally important Anthropology Collection and be a place of inspiration for visitors of all ages. It will include more than 3,000 extraordinary objects from around the world, works of art and fun things to touch, play with and even smell.
This major project includes creating the World Gallery, Learning and Engagement activities and the conservation of architectural heritage.
Features of the World Gallery:
Visitors will be welcomed into the new gallery with an introduction to the emotional role that objects play in our daily lives. Digital displays will present local people talking about their personal treasures, and visitors will be encouraged to reconsider the significance of objects on display elsewhere, questioning which we place value on and why.
At the heart of the gallery are a series of encounters presenting life from the Americas, Africa, Oceania, Europe and Asia. The objects that visitors will encounter will celebrate human creativity, imagination and adaptability from the past to the present-day.
Beyond these encounters, different perspectives on our collections will explore the many ways that people understand and describe the world. Highlighting universal categories and ideas, objects will be displayed in different groups to pose questions about how people classify the material world around them.
Frederick Horniman’s founding vision for the Horniman Museum and Gardens will be explored with objects from Surrey House, the forerunner of the present Museum. Horniman gave his museum and its collections to the people of London to help them discover the world – a legacy that lives on in the World Gallery.
The gallery space is completed with kites and banners hanging from the newly renovated ceiling vault. Collected and commissioned from Guatemala, China, London and beyond, these emblems signify the global instinct to come together in celebration, play or protest.
Learning and Engagement
For the last 50 years we’ve been renowned for our unique handling collection, offering the opportunity to touch objects from our collections such as a shark’s jaw or a piece of an Ancient Egyptian coffin. With a new learning programme we are developing new ways to engage with local people, community groups and school children.
We will encourage a wider appreciation of our collection, examining its history, connections and relevance to people today by creating lessons for schools and resources for teachers and families, alongside resources and information in the gallery.
Conservation of architectural heritage
There have been vital architectural and infrastructure improvements in the gallery space. Some much-needed TLC and structural changes have re-introduced daylight to the space, enhancing the visitor experience and recapturing the spirit of the original building. The refurbishment and repair works will enable us to preserve both our internationally significant collection and our historic buildings.
Our Grade II* listed museum was designed in 1896 in the Arts and Crafts style by Charles Harrison Townsend. Our much-loved Clocktower and original buildings were chosen by the people of Lewisham as their iconic building for the 2012 Olympics celebrations.
Please help us bring the World Gallery to the Horniman
The Horniman is crowdfunding for the World Gallery up to 31 October 2017. This is your opportunity to be part of this amazing project!
From personalised poems by the Horniman walrus to private tours of the new gallery, a range of rewards are available at crowdfunder.co.uk/worldgallery.
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