Birmingham Museums Trust has secured £183,000 in funding to support the reopening of gallery space at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, as part of wider efforts to improve access to its collections.
The grant, awarded through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, will be used to deliver essential upgrades to two galleries, enabling them to reopen and accommodate a broader range of exhibitions.
The refurbished spaces will focus on increasing public access to the city’s global majority and contemporary art collections, while also providing greater flexibility for future programming.
It forms part of a longer-term strategy to enhance visitor experience and modernise the museum’s estate, ensuring it can respond to changing audience needs.
It also represents another phase in the gradual reopening of the museum, which closed in 2020 for major repairs and began a phased return in late 2024.
Significant parts of the building remain closed as the trust continues to develop plans and secure funding for a wider redevelopment programme. This includes further restoration work to the Grade II* listed building, alongside improvements to accessibility and exhibition spaces.
Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive this significant investment from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.
“The funding will enable us to reopen two galleries at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, creating flexible, high-quality spaces that allow us to share more of our diverse collections with the public, in line with the recommendations made by our citizens’ jury.
“Crucially, it will help us tell a broader range of stories, ensuring that voices and perspectives that have been historically underrepresented are better reflected in our displays.
“This is a further step forward in making our museum more inclusive of and responsive to the communities we serve.”