The Manchester Museum is reopening this weekend for the first time in nearly two years with a new extension and galleries.
The museum, part of the University of Manchester, closed for a £15 million transformation in August 2021. The UK’s largest university museum reopens on 18 March.
The neo-gothic building designed by Alfred Waterhouse now features a new modern two-storey extension with new exhibition spaces and a contemporary entrance.
“Beautiful new galleries and exhibitions will showcase the best of the museum’s historic collections, as well as addressing the urgencies of the present day and highlighting the complexities of our world,” said Esme Ward, the director of the Manchester Museum.
The South Asia Gallery, a partnership with the British Museum, is the UK’s first permanent space to explore the lives and experiences of South Asian diaspora communities.
Another new space, the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, was developed in partnership with the university’s Manchester China Institute.
The new Belonging Gallery is a place for visitors to consider what it means to belong. The gallery’s creation was led by the museum’s inaugural curator of Indigenous perspectives, Alexandra Alberda.
Speaking to blooloop last year, Ward said: “The role of arts, culture, and particularly museums, in really working with people, is hugely powerful.
Exploring South Asian culture
“I’m interested in how museums become the museums that they need to be for their context, and who shapes what that is.”
She added: “Museums – particularly museums like Manchester Museum, born of empire – have been telling the same stories for decades. What stories do we want to tell ourselves about ourselves as we move forward?”
During the renovation project, the Manchester Museum recycled and reused materials within the institution.
It is also working with local sustainable producers and suppliers to reduce its environmental impact.
Images: Manchester Museum
