Internet is to go on display at Museum (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Internet is to go on display at Museum

8:40pm Tuesday 26th August 2008

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Bradford’s National Media Museum will receive a slice of a £4million Government grant to create the country’s first gallery exploring how the internet has changed the way we live.

It aims to capture, record and interpret the internet phenomenon in an Interactive Foyer with screens displaying “live” information put in by visitors.

The National Media Museum will receive £150,000 for the project, the Government’s culture minister Margaret Hodge announced yesterday.

Museum director Colin Philpott said: “The National Media Museum has a long-standing ambition to create the only UK gallery exploring the internet and we are delighted to have secured this funding to assist with our fundraising activities.

“We hope to make further announcements about the project early next year.”

The money is being provided from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Wolfson Foundation, a charitable trust which provides grants for the arts.

It is specifically for projects aimed at improving access to and understanding of Britain’s cultural heritage.

The National Media Museum is one of 31 museums and galleries across the country to receive the funds to help improve the quality of museum displays and enhance the experience for visitors, a spokesman for the Department for Culture said.

It is the seventh year of the current DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, which has awarded a total of £24 million since it was set up.

Paul Ramsbottom, executive secretary of the Wolfson Foundation said: “The partnership has become an excellent example of what can be achieved when public funds are matched with private philanthropy. The awards are a testimony to the quality and diversity of the country’s museums and galleries.

“The Wolfson Foundation is delighted to be associated with these excellent projects.”

This year’s grants also include £50,000 to keep a display of ancient Egyptian coffins at Ipswich Museum, £97,000 for a new gallery at Manchester Museum dedicated to environmental issues and £300,000 to Birmingham Museum and Art gallery for a permanent exhibition telling the city’s history.

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