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STANLEY SPENCER GALLERY AWARDED LOTTERY GRANT
(16 December 2005)
The
unique
The
total cost of the project is expected to be just under £1 million, and the
remainder of the funding will be provided by the Gallery's Friends, and
other private contributors. It is expected that the works will start in September
2006 and take 6-8 months to complete.
The
Gallery, a former Methodist Chapel, was founded in 1962 as a memorial
to the artist It now houses perhaps the most important
collection of Spencer’s works in a building where he worshipped with his
mother as a boy. This is
particularly appropriate as the artist is known for his depiction of
religious scenes, many of them set in the village, and it was his ambition
to have them displayed in a church. Since
opening, the collection has grown by bequests, gifts and purchases to over
100 paintings and drawings. It
will continue to mount changing exhibitions devoted to aspects of
Spencer’s work, with paintings borrowed to complement those in the
permanent collection. An
expanded programme of free education is planned for participating schools
and colleges.
The
works will involve some physical alteration to the building to create
increased exhibition space as well as a small area for improved research
facilities for students. Improved
provision for disabled visitors, including a permanent wheelchair ramp,
will be installed. It is also
intended to provide computerised access to the Gallery’s collection and
records of the work of Sir Stanley Spencer RA, one of the most important
English artists of the 20th Century.
Storage and environmental control equipment will be upgraded, which
will greatly improve conservation of the collection for future generations
to enjoy.
“This
is a great
project that will provide much needed improvements to the Gallery, creating
a fully functional exhibition area and improving the display of this
fantastic collection.
The
development of learning
programmes will really enhance the Gallery’s facilities and
open up its fantastic collections to the widest possible audience.
We wish the Stanley Spencer Charitable Trust every success in
taking this forward.”
Managed
and staffed by volunteers from the local community the Gallery, which
attracts some 14,000 visitors a year, receives no revenue from either
central or local government. .The
project will assure Trustees and the HLF that the heritage associated with
Spencer’s work is preserved, as well as maximising public access to it.
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View from Cookham Bridge 1936 recently donated to the Gallery |
For further details contact:
Dick Hurley(Chairman of Spencer Gallery Trustees) tel 01628-523484
Stuart Conlin(Chairman of Gallery Management Committee)tel.01628-531976
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