St Albans Museums shortlisted for national award
St Albans Museums’ innovative work with volunteers for the Pickling Project exhibition has been shortlisted for a prestigious Museums + Heritage award.
The exhibition was displayed at St Albans Museum + Gallery between May and September 2019 and took over 6 months and 16 volunteers to research and prepare.
Volunteers worked with Conservator, Alison Foster, in ‘practical pickling’, restoring, rehydrating and conserving a newly discovered selection of animal and plant specimens.
This vital conservation work enabled specimens to be displayed for the first time in years and ensured that these collections were preserved to be enjoyed by future generations.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm for St Albans City and District Council, said:
It is wonderful to see our museum service and its engagement with the community being recognised. Thanks go to everyone involved.
The museum service is investigating how volunteers can best be engaged with and effectively supported in the future in what will be a rapidly changing financial environment that affects every aspect of local authority activity.'
Due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, both Verulamium and St Albans Museum + Gallery are currently closed.
The museums will reopen in phases over the next few weeks, with the café at St Albans Museum + Gallery reopening from Wednesday 15 July.
A number of exhibitions and displays, including Mechanical Marvels and 175 years of SAHAAS, will be physically displayed at St Albans Museum + Gallery in the weeks following reopening.
In the meantime, visitors can take part in activities and explore exhibitions and discover new collections items uploaded to the St Albans Museums website.
Images: Museums + Heritage Awards; Volunteers work in the Conservation Lab at St Albans Museums, © St Albans Museums
Notes to Editor:
- Visit www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/explore to read more on the Pickling Project exhibition, view online exhibitions, artefacts from the collections and download free activities and resources
Councillor Contact:
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm
Email: cllr.a.rowlands@stalbans.gov.uk; Tel: 07761 232064
Media contact:
Farhana Begum, Museums Business Manager, St Albans Museums
Email: farhana.begum@stalbans.gov.uk, Tel: 01727 814638
About St Albans Museum + Gallery
St Albans Museum + Gallery is the newest addition to the collection of cultural heritage sites managed by St Albans Museums. It joins Verulamium Museum, the Hypocaust, the medieval Clock Tower, Sopwell Ruins and the thousands of objects in the City’s collection in being cared for and shared with the world. Set to be a world-class centre for arts and culture at the heart of one of Britain’s most historic cities, St Albans Museum + Gallery is free to all visitors. It showcases over 2,000 years of priceless heritage and hosts cutting-edge art exhibitions, sharing local, national and world treasures with all.