AN historic Kendal museum which is subject to an extensive renovation programme has received funding to create a new collections gallery.

Abbot Hall, which is managed by Lakeland Arts, has received a grant of £40,500 and will use this to create a new flexible collections gallery space exploring landscape, ecology, climate change, and identity, and to review its environmental controls for collections to reduce energy use. 

The cash boost will go to 33 museums, 26 of which are outside London, from the joint Department for Culture, Media(DCMS), and Sport/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. 

Both DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation contributed £2 million to this round of the fund, which has benefited more than 400 projects in its 20-year history.

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The fund aims to help museums and galleries make their collections as accessible to the public as possible, whether that be through building accessible ramps and facilities, improving collection storage to protect them for the future, or getting more of their collections out on display.

At Abbot Hall, 'Testing Ground' will be a new interactive, responsive collection engagement space created with a focus on landscape, ecology, and identity. 

It will be furnished and equipped as a welcoming and interchangeable space that allows for rotating displays that respond to urgent debate, community dialogue and research. 

Digital infrastructure will enable the inclusion of a broad variety of voices and content locally, nationally, and globally. This new collection space will launch in 2024. 

Rhian Harris, Chief Executive of Lakeland Arts said: "We are delighted to receive this support from DCMS/Wolfson arts funding. 

"It means we can create an exciting space that sparks curiosity, and invites conversations exploring our collection, sense of identity and climate issues.

"By enabling greater connection to the collection, through new and radical exhibitions, access, and interpretation strategies we are deploying our collection in a fresh way to inspire, inform and resonate with our communities.  

"We look forward to connecting with residents in South Lakeland when we reopen in 2023 and making this a place for the community and visitors from elsewhere that ignites creativity, where people can experience art that matters."