£40k grant to help centre reopen after the lockdown
experience.
ArtFundisanationalfundraising charity for art, providing millions of pounds every yeartohelpmuseumsacquire works of art, further the development of curators, and inspire more people to visit their public programmes.
The Art Fund’s Respond and Reimagine programme provides funding designed to meet challenges connected to the COVID-19 crisis and reimagine future ways of working.
Keith Merrin, chief executive of Sunderland Culture, said: “The COVID-enforced closure has been over our busiesttimeofyear,including three school holidays, and obviously has had a financial impact.We’reincrediblygrateful to Art Fund for this generous grant which will make a real difference to us.
“It will help us to prepare for a safe reopening, giving staff and guests peace of mind to feel comfortable in returning to National Glass Centre. It will support us to reimagine and adapt to safely deliver glassmaking demonstrations and participatory experiences, such as bauble blowing.
"It will also help us to explore new income generation opportunities, in particular in-venue contactless donations and an online shop selling glassware created in our Hot Glass Studio.
“We will trial new ideas for glassmaking activities with specific audiences.
"We will develop new family activity kits, adapt our schools’ offer for outreach or digital delivery and trial a digital learning offer for adult courses and workshops.”
The grant will help pay for new social distancing and hygiene measures, including deep cleaning, screens, hand sanitiser stations and wayfinding signs. It will also help improve the visitor ‘welcome’ at both the Centre’s main and riverside entrances and help pay for PPE for Centre staff.
"We’ll also be able to deliver a marketing campaign that willhelpreturnNationalGlass Centre to a buzzing, popular cultural venue and visitor attraction,” added Keith.