News
Monday, 31 October 2011
Oxford City Council – Investing in Oxford’s future, building a world-class city for everyone
Future Plans for the Museum of Oxford and Oxford Town Hall
The Vision
The vision is for an integrated Town Hall and Museum that improves access to this iconic Victorian Grade II* listed building and the Museum of Oxford’s displays. This will enable the local community and tourists to learn about Oxford’s cultural heritage and to see and hear the story of Oxford City.
The Plan
The “small-scale development” of the Museum and Town Hall has progressed since the last update in May. The link door between the temporary gallery space and the café that was opened in time for Alice's Day in July and proved a success to those families visiting. The new heritage retail space in the Town Hall is in the final stages of development and opens at the end of October. The new supplier for the cafe has been appointed and will be shortly announced along with the new branding proposal which when re opened will offer a new invigorated place to visit. The café will be closed from 7th November for refurbishment, aiming to re open in time for Christmas Light Night and the museum in its current form and location will close to the public on 29th October, hailing the start of the development of the new galleries. The museum’s new enhanced learning centre is due to be open in January 2012 with the permanent galleries following in the Spring.
The Funding
The applications to both WREN (£48,628) and HLF (£43,600) were both successful. WREN grant will contribute to the physical components of the new Museum galleries in the Town Hall and will enable us to have more interactives, for example. HLF grant will contribute to the specification of the museum display and through community working groups ensure that the museum appeals to a broader audience.
A new cultural venue opens its doors
The Old Fire Station opens to the public on 5th November after a long period of refurbishment. This Oxford City Council-supported project is being run in partnership by Arts at the Old Fire Station and Crisis and will offer a social enterprise café, excellent arts facilities including a new shop, gallery, theatre and dance studio and a programme of training and creative opportunities for homeless people being run by Crisis Skylight. Do take the opportunity to call in and view this unique and remarkable space. For details of how to get involved, contact the Director of Arts at the Old Fire Station, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Oxford City Poet
Oxford City Council has appointed its first City Poet – Kate Clanchy.
Kate was appointed after Councillors voted at Full Council to have a City Poet and the benefits it would bring to the city. Oxford City Council and Oxford Brookes University are now working together to help Kate bring poetry to people in our community and inspire them to realise their own potential to compose poetry.
Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council, says: “I am delighted that Kate has accepted this post and I look forward to seeing the benefits of her work within the community.”
Kate adds: “I’m honoured and excited to be Oxford’s first City Poet. I’m not going to be a Laureate working on my own paeans of praise to the dreaming spires: instead, I aim to encourage other people to write about life in our multi-cultural city.”
Kate aims to visit all schools across the city and to establish partnerships and projects with community groups and other events such as Oxford’s Literature Festival, the Story Museum and links with libraries for specific poetry focused activities, a community group for adult writers.
For more information, visit the Oxford City Council website.
