Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum has announced it is to receive a grant of £1,049,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money will go towards the museum’s new VERVE project, to begin in November of this year, The funding will be put towards a wide ranging programme of public events and workshops focused around the importance of design and craft skills in society and culture.
The VERVE project is the third phase of a redevelopment programme which started five years ago. Extension work in 2007 was followed in 2009 by work on the entrance to the museum, which was also funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund of just under £1million.
VERVE is intended to work with the newly developed facilities at the museum to fund redisplay of cases currently screened off, as well as a wide ranging programme of public events and workshops focussed around the importance of design and craft skills in society and culture. Contemporary craft-makers will educate visitors about the techniques and customs involved in the making of the artefacts they are looking at.
Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said “By redisplaying 1,800 objects, conserving existing collections and introducing an exciting range of events and activities, the Pitt Rivers museum will continue to be a great addition to Oxford’s tourist offering.”
The Museum has seen visitor numbers continue to rise steadily in recent years, with 376,638 people coming to admire its collection in 2011-12, an increase of almost six percent on the previous year’s footfall.
The museum houses the archaeology and anthropology collections of the University of Oxford, and was founded in 1884 after General Pitt Rivers donated his collection of 20,000 artefacts to the University. Today it is home to more than 600,000 artefacts, and takes an active part in both teaching and research for the University.
It has become famous for its unique character and the unusual contents of the collections. It has won several awards in recent years including the Guardian’s ‘Family Friendly Museum 2005’ award, surely a novelty for a collection which famously houses shrunken human heads.
Kate White, Head of Public Relations for the museum, said, “It is a very significant sum allowing us to do work that would otherwise be very difficult to achieve on our core funding alone. The purpose of the project is not to increase numbers but to improve visitor experience and encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of the collections.”
One student from Magdalen College, Hyunjip Kim, said on hearing of the grant, “I am delighted. Not only is the museum an important part of the University, but it is highly accessible for members of the public of all ages. It is a great place to visit and to learn.”
