Culture Perth and Kinross has secured funding from Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) to introduce innovative and interactive digital engagement opportunities using accessible and fun online platforms.
The grant of £59,924 will allow the local cultural charity to work in partnership with a team of cutting edge practitioners at Abertay University in Dundee to develop a digital resource to connect a diverse range of audiences with the collections. These include natural history, archaeology and fine art and together they are recognised by the Scottish Government as a Nationally Significant Collection.
The project will focus on objects that are destined for display in Perth City Hall museum, as well as a collection including photographs and memorabilia crowdsourced as part of the Perth City Hall Engagement programme; a series of community participation events connected to the new cultural and heritage attraction that is due to open in 2022.
The funding will allow Culture Perth and Kinross to work alongside volunteers and create opportunities for individuals, families, schools, community groups and researchers to engage with the collections in interactive and innovative ways. The new online search portal will make highlighted collections easy to find and easy to view; the development of the new mymuseum platform will allow users to save their favourite items from the digitised collections and share them with other people via their own personally designed online museum.
An interactive digital exhibition of Perth City Hall memories will tour Perth and Kinross from next year until the new museum opens. This touring exhibition will have the option to add new material at any time during the two year exhibition period.
Culture Perth and Kinross received a further boost with the news that following a review, the charity has retained full museum Accreditation status for Perth Museum and Art Gallery, The Fergusson Gallery and Alyth Museum. The Accreditation Scheme in Scotland is administered by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of Arts Council England and is the UK industry standard for museums and galleries. It tells everyone involved with a museum that they’re doing the right things to help people to engage with collections and protect them for the future. The Museum Accreditation scheme does this by making sure museums manage their collections properly, engage with visitors, and are governed appropriately.
Gillian Findlay, Interim Head of Museums and Collections said, “This funding from Museums Galleries Scotland enables the mymuseum project to become a reality, and allows Culture Perth and Kinross a wonderful opportunity to open up the collection to a wider audience by taking a very creative approach. The project will use technology to create a series of engaging heritage experiences, allowing online visitors the chance to experience Perth and Kinross’s distinctive culture and heritage with cutting edge digital expertise. We’re also delighted that Perth Museum and Art Gallery, The Fergusson Gallery and Alyth Museum have retained their full museum accreditation as the museums and the collections they hold are of national significance”.
As part of the City Hall Project, it is hoped that the Stone of Destiny also known as the Stone of Scone will be relocated to Perth and take centre stage within of the new cultural and heritage attraction, as part of the transformation of the City Hall. Perth & Kinross Council’s request to house the Stone in a new museum in Perth is being considered by the Commissioners for the Regalia and the Scottish Government is now hosting an engagement exercise to gauge public opinion on the location of the Stone.