Birmingham Museums Trust
| Formation | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable trust |
| Purpose | Museum management |
| Location | |
Director | Ellen McAdam |
Chairman | Steve Freer[1] |
Parent organization | Birmingham City Council |
| Website |
www |
Birmingham Museums Trust is the largest independent charitable trust of museums in the United Kingdom.[2] It runs nine museum sites across the city of Birmingham, including Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) and Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum,[3] with a total of more than 1.1 million visits per year.[4]
The Trust was founded in April 2012 through the merger of the Birmingham City Council-owned Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery and the Thinktank charitable trust.[2] The underlying buildings and collections remain the property of the City Council, who have the final decision on admission charges.[4] Admission to BMAG is free of charge, but there is an admission charge for Thinktank.[4]
As well as the central museum and art gallery, BMAG includes the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre and the distributed museums of Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Weoley Castle. Thinktank was created from the collection of the City Council's Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham.[5]
On 24 January 2012 the new trust announced it had received funding from the Arts Council for three years.[6]
The first director of the trust was Ann Sumner, who joined the trust from the University of Birmingham's Barber Institute of Fine Arts, where she had been Director since 2007.[7] She left after only seven months in January 2013[8] and was replaced by interim director Simon Cane.[9] In July 2013 Ellen McAdam was appointed as the new director.[10]
Locations
| Photo | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Aston Hall | Located in Aston, built 1618 - 1635. |
 | Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery | |
.jpg) | Blakesley Hall | Located in Yardley, a Tudor house |
| Museum of the Jewellery Quarter | Located in Hockley | |
 | Sarehole Mill | Located in Hall Green, a water mill |
 | Soho House | Located in Handsworth, home of Matthew Boulton with exhibitions on the Lunar Society |
 | Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum | a science and industry museum |
 | Weoley Castle | Gives its name to the surrounding Weoley Castle district |
 | Birmingham Museum Collection Centre | Located in Nechells, holds 80 per cent of the trust's stored collections under one roof. The 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) site, close to Duddeston Station, holds hundreds of thousands of objects. The centre is open to the public on special open days or by appointment. |
References
- ↑ "About Birmingham Museums". Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
- 1 2 "Birmingham Museums Trust (Birmingham City Council and Thinktank)". Arts Council England. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
- ↑ "West Mids accountants appointed by largest independent museums trust". Commercial News Media. 2013-07-22. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
- 1 2 3 "Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Thinktank to merge to save money". Birmingham Post. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ "Birmingham Museums Trust appoints first director". DirectBirminghamMuseums.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ "Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery". Bmag.org.uk. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ Coleman, Geoff (2012-02-15). "Birmingham Museums Trust appoints first director". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ↑ "Ann Sumner resigns as director of Birmingham Museums Trust". Museums Association. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ↑ "Eyes on a golden era for museums". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ↑ "Ellen McAdam appointed director of Birmingham Museums Trust". Museums Association. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birmingham Museums Trust. |