A new-look Museum of St Albans is opening its doors to visitors again from 6 October following the refurbishment of its exhibition space.
The museum has been closed for a month, while it has been remodelled and redecorated to accommodate the University of Hertfordshire’s Margaret Harvey Gallery, currently housed in a neighbouring building on Hatfield Road. It will move into the ground floor of the museum in December.
The Margaret Harvey Gallery is one of the only dedicated modern art galleries in the region and its exhibitions will enable the museum to cater for a wider audience.
The two organisations working together under one roof will help create a vibrant cultural destination for local residents and visitors to St Albans that will ensure their long-term viability. To celebrate the partnership, UH Galleries’ Open Exhibition, showcasing the work of Hertfordshire-based artists, will be held at the Margaret Harvey Gallery and the Museum of St Albans from 8th December- 23 December 2010.
Cllr Sheila Burton, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Heritage at St Albans City and District Council, said: “This is an exciting time for the Museum of St Albans. Not only has it had a facelift, but the partnership with The Margaret Harvey Gallery will mean that exhibitions are held at the venue that will appeal to a broader range of people in the District. The museum’s new look will reinforce its position as a key destination for arts and culture in St Albans. Along with the Alban Arena and the Maltings Arts Theatre and the Old Town Hall, the museum will help promote St Albans as a regional cultural hub.”
When the museum re-opens in October, it will play host to two new exhibitions: ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ which opens on 6 October and focuses on those who lived and worked at the former asylum, Hill End Hospital in St Albans and ‘Lost Rails’, which opens on 15 October and looks at how the railways changed the way that people lived and worked in Hertfordshire, and how the invention of the car gradually led to their closure.