Media release: 2 January 2024
Plus – last chance to see Paint the Streets exhibition
- New opening hours sees Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum open Sundays for the first time, from Sunday 7 January 2024
- Last chance to see Paint the Streets exhibition which closes on Sunday 7 January.
- Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is now open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sunday 10am – 3pm.
Anyone looking to jolly-up their Sundays from now on can visit Worcester’s Art Gallery & Museum, which is open on Sundays for the first time, from this Sunday, 7 January. Little Al’s Kitchen at the Balcony Café will also be open on Sundays, 10am – 2.30pm.
The Sunday opening gives an ideal opportunity to see the exhibition Paint the Streets which closes this Sunday 7 January 2024.
Exploring the story of street art in partnership with Worcester Paint Festival, Paint the Streets features work by pivotal artists from the US and UK including Shepard Fairey (Obey), Banksy, Goldie and Inkie, alongside a selection of current street artists who have featured in Worcester Paint Festival.
The Paint the Streets exhibition has been hugely successful, with more than 17,000 visitors having enjoyed it since opening in September. Visitors have commented: “Enlightening and fascinating, great selection of art”, and one visitor commented on TripAdvisor: “Your displays were superb – the large items from Bridlington were quite staggering. No less interesting were the more modest examples from Banksy. Also the video showing how a piece of street art was painstakingly and systematically produced – this was spellbinding …. imaginative and stimulating presentation.”
The changes to the opening hours of Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and The Commandery were agreed by Worcester City Council back in November to give greater access to residents at the times they wish to visit, and to attract more tourists to Worcester. The two museums are key destinations for visitors to the city, attracting a combined 80,000 visitors each year. The museums help to raise the profile of Worcester as a heritage destination and contribute significantly to the local economy – the spend by museum visitors in other local businesses each year is around £2.4m.
Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is the largest and most visited museum in Worcestershire. It houses important displays of the city’s history including artefacts relating to Worcestershire Sauce and Worcester’s gloving industry, as well as bringing great art to the city through exhibitions featuring renowned artworks and artists such as Matisse, JMW Turner and Canaletto. Dame Laura Knight is the next major artist to be featured, with an exhibition of her work opening on Saturday 13 January.
Paint the Streets is free to visit and is open until Sunday 7 January. For more information on what’s on in 2024 and to see the new opening times please visit www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Worcester City Council operates two museums in Worcester, The Commandery and Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. These are managed by a joint museums service (Museums Worcestershire) shared with Worcestershire County Council.
Press contact:
For further information contact: Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk
Exhibition Details:
Paint the Streets
Saturday 16 September 2023 – Sunday 7 January 2024 | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm. Sunday 10am –3pm.
FREE entry
Exploring the story of street art in partnership with Worcester Paint Festival, Paint the Streets features work by pivotal artists from the US and UK including Shepard Fairey (Obey), Banksy, Goldie and Inkie, alongside a selection of current street artists who have been part of Worcester Paint Festival.
New opening hours for Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and The Commandery:
Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm
Sunday 10am – 3pm.
The Commandery reopens on 1 February.
About Museums Worcestershire
Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, the Commandery in Worcester and The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.
The collections and exhibitions at our sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.
www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk