York Museums Trust Successful in Arts Council England Bid

27 June 2017

York Museums Trust has been successful in securing £4.9 million of Arts Council England funding over the next four years.

The Trust was rated strong in every area of its assessment except for Goal One, showing Excellence in Arts and Culture, which was rated as Outstanding.

The Trust will also receive £1.35 million over four years to continue as a Museum Development Sector Support Organisation, which offers expertise and advice for other museums in the region.

The National Portfolio Organisation funding will be for the period from 2018 until 2022.

Reyahn King, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said:

“We are delighted that the Arts Council has backed our vision for the Trust for the next four years. The guarantee of £1.23 million a year will allow the Trust to continue to effectively plan and deliver a wide range of high profile exhibitions, events and activities designed to engage with larger and more diverse audiences.

“The Arts Council described our current programme as outstanding and particularly highlighted the Shaping the Body exhibition at York Castle Museum and Flesh which was at York Art Gallery earlier this year. It is our aim to build on such successes as well as looking for new and exciting ways for visitors to experience our nationally designated collections, wonderful buildings and beautiful gardens.

“These include the proposed development of York Castle Museum and the city’s wider bid to transform the Castle Gateway. York Art Gallery will continue to enhance our collections by bringing the best art and exhibitions to York, such as Picasso ceramics this summer and Paul Nash and John Stezaker in October. The Yorkshire Museum’s Viking: Rediscover the Legend exhibition will be on show until November before going on tour around the country. Next year a major exhibition on Jurassic Yorkshire will showcase the museum’s significant natural science collections, while the Eboracum Roman Festival will return to York Museum Gardens after two successful years.

“These headline events will be supported by a rich programme of learning events for adults, children and families to enjoy and be inspired by the collections we look after.

“The Arts Council have also granted the Trust £1.3 million over four years to continue as a Museum Development Sector Support Organisation. This will enable us to work closely with other museums in the region to ensure they receive the advice and expertise needed to help them develop and thrive.”

The report praised the Trust for having “ambitious and high profile plans which centre on excellence in programming and collection development. Evidencing outstanding current exhibitions (Shaping the Body and Flesh) the Trust aims to revitalise their exhibitions and events programme.”

For Goal Two, which looks at ensuring arts are for everyone, the report said the Trust “demonstrate a strong audience focused approach with a commitment to broadening engagement.”

The Trust’s learning offer was also praised, saying “Their family offer is very successful, they show a commitment to partnership working and to reaching the least engaged.”

The Trust was also said to be a resilient organisation with a strong and focused financial forward plan; having a strong commitment to developing staff and a strong and established governance and management policy.