Museum to close for major expansion project

AWARD-winning St Andrews University museum is to close for 18 months for a major expansion.

The £1.6 million redevelopment and extension will create new exhibition space to allow important artworks from prestigious collections to go on display in the town for the first time.

A closing party will be held at the building on The Scores on Saturday, reflecting on the museum’s achievements over the last decade and looking forward to the reopening.

Activities for the whole family will be on offer between 1-5pm, when there will be a “ceremonial locking” of the museum by a local school pupil.

Helen Rawson, co-director of the museum collection’s unit at St Andrews University, said: “The extension presents a wonderful opportunity to increase the range of material on display through a programme of changing, temporary exhibitions, many developed in partnership with academic colleagues and the community.

“This will allow us to showcase dynamic university research and highlight material in the university’s museum and special collections as well as extraordinary loans.”

She added: “During the closure, the permanent displays will also be redeveloped and we look forward to reopening in 2019 and welcoming new and existing users to the wonderful new facilities.”

While MUSA is closed, the learning and access team will take objects into schools and community venues and visitors are still welcome to the university’s Bell Pettigrew Museum in the Bute Medical Building on Tuesday and Friday afternoons in July and August.