Manchester Museum will close after reaching the final phase of its ambitious transformation project to allow construction work to take place.
The iconic museum – which is part of the University of Manchester – first opened doors in 1890 and boasts a collection of about 4.5 million items from every continent, but for the past two years it’s been working towards an exciting new £13.5 million development.
Intended to become “more inclusive, imaginative and caring to the diverse communities it serves”, the hello future project involves a two-storey extension and several new galleries including a large Exhibition Hall, Belonging Gallery, the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, and the South Asia Gallery.
The South Asia Gallery will be the first ever permanent exhibition space in the UK dedicated to exploring the stories, experiences, and contributions of South Asian communities.
hello future will transform and develop the museum to become more inclusive, imaginative and caring / Credit: Chris Bull / Manchester Museum The South Asia Gallery will be the first ever permanent exhibition space in the UK dedicated contributions of South Asian communities / Credit: Chris Bull / Manchester Museum
Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, said: “hello future is a hugely important project that aims to build understanding between cultures and create a more sustainable world.
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“Once complete, visitors will experience exhibitions that tell new, powerful stories and engage with big ideas.
“We are excited to have reached the final stage of our transformation and I want to reassure our visitors that although our doors will temporarily close, we are still here for you [as] Manchester Museum exists beyond a building [and] throughout the closure, we will be holding pop-up events and outreach programmes, and our collections are all available to explore online.”
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She added: “We look forward to opening the doors to hello future in 2022 and welcoming visitors to a bigger, more imaginative and even more inclusive museum.”
As well as welcoming hello future, the £13.5 million transformation – which has been supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The University of Manchester, and the generosity of numerous philanthropic supporters – Manchester Museum will also gain an impressive new entrance, shop, café, and inclusive visitor facilities.
The museum will be closed to the public from 29 August until late 2022 – when it will emerge as “a museum for the 21st century”.
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The museum’s opening hours will be extended until 9pm on 26 and 27 August to give more people the chance to experience the collections before doors close, and there will also be some special performances to mark the occasion.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month
Emily Sergeant
A popular adults-only ‘after hours’ event is returning to Manchester later this month… and there’s some spooky surprises in store.
If you need an excuse to leave the little Mancs at home, or you just fancy releasing your inner child, then one of Manchester’s most visited museums might have just what you’re looking for, as the Science and Industry Museum has announced that its popular After Hours event especially for adults is returning for one night only at the end of the month.
The museum will become your playground once it’s closed for the day as you settle in for a unique evening of live music, giant interactive games, and spooky surprises for Halloween.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month / Credit: Science Museum Group
The Museum’s permanent galleries and displays will be open after hours, so you can get hands-on with science in Experiment, meet mighty machines in the Textiles Gallery, and discover Manchester‘s rich legacy of industrial innovations, creativity, and world-changing ideas in Revolution Manchester.
You’ll also get free access to the popular Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos exhibition, which just opened earlier this year, and get to indulge your playful side in Power Up – with more than 150 consoles to choose from in the ultimate gaming extravaganza.
Especially for spooky season, you can look forward to some very special one-off events too, like stellar performances from Manchester drag royalty, Anna Phylactic, a cosmic cabaret with live vocals, and a monster mash-up soundtrack guaranteed to get you into the Halloween spirit.
There’ll also be a chance to meet Albert Slime-stein – a larger-than-life monster popping up the museum as part of Halloween in the City’s iconic Manchester Monsters trail.
And as this is an adults-only event, the museum’s events bar will be open on the night, serving up a wide range of wines, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks to wet your whistle while you’re looking around, with some delicious food to accompany too.
Museum After Hours is happening on Thursday 29 October from 7pm-10pm, with tickets setting you back £12 each or £6 for concessions.
Beloved Manchester artist Stanley Chow slams Conservative Party for using his artwork
Daisy Jackson
Celebrated local artist Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party.
The illustrator, who is famed for his cartoon portraits of famous faces, has discovered that the political party have been using his Andy Burnham illustration at their party conference.
Publicly addressing the usage, Stanley said he would be ‘seeking legal advice’.
He shared a photo of his Andy Burnham portrait that has been placed onto a water bottle with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’.
The label also says: “0% strength. Bottled under pressure from Badenoch.”
In another photo, Stanley Chow revealed that the Tory party conference has used his Andy Burnham portrait on pots of sweets, too.
This time, they say: “Andy Panders’ people pleaser pick n mix. Free sweets for everyone, it will only cost you higher taxes.”
Stanley wrote: “It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party…
“Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”
Backing him up in the comments are a number of other local artists, including Mancsy, who said: “As well as the copyright infringement, I expect more of political parties than making gags at the expense of the opposition. It’s alarming on multiple levels.”
Someone else wrote: “Imagine calling a prime minister a people pleaser like it’s an insult… when it’s their job.”
Another person said: “How does that even happen?! Layers of people signing off who go, ‘Sure, let’s not worry about copyright’ (people who’ve presumably never step foot in MCR and seen your artwork, like EVERYWHERE). Drag em, babe. Copyright and reputation, surely.”
The Manc -
10th August 2021 
