HRH The Prince of Wales is kicking off this year's Museums and Galleries Month. Image courtesy of The Daily Post, North Wales.
HRH The Prince of Wales will launch this year's Museums and Galleries Month in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
Every May, museums and galleries up and down the country get a chance to celebrate themselves and encourage members of the public to do the same throughout the month.
This year the event will be kicked off by HRH Prince Charles at a national launch on April 27 in the rather splendid surroundings of The Queen’s Gallery, home to some of the greatest treasures from one of the finest art collections in the world.
The venue for this invite only bash is a particularly appropriate one as the MGM theme for 2005 is Objects of Desire: The Art of Collecting.
"Collecting has been a British pastime and something of an obsession for centuries," explained Loyd Grossman, Chairman of the Campaign for Museums.
"British museums and galleries are home to wonderful collections, and artworks from around the world and Museums and Galleries Month is a great opportunity to encourage new visitors to explore these treasures, open to all."
Over 1,200 museums and galleries will be taking part and more than 1,000 events have already been organised. As well as activities, exhibitions and workshops based around Objects of Desire, museums are also linking up to the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the SeaBritain 2005 celebrations.
24 Hour Museum Chairman and co-chair of Museums and Galleries Month, Loyd Grossman launching last year's event. © 24 Hour Museum.
Events get under way on Saturday April 30 and continue throughout May, taking in the announcement of the winner of the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year on May 26.
On Saturday April 30 there’ll be a series of nine Fabulous Finds Days taking place in museums across England. Members of the public will be able to show off their everyday treasures or unusual items and experts will be on hand to examine them, explain their use and discuss their importance.
But it’s not just a UK thing with European-wide celebrations, led by the French Government, taking place on Saturday May 14.
Nuit des Musees, or Museums at Night as they say over here, encourages institutions to stay open into the hours of darkness, hold special events – even sleepovers – and offer visitors a new experience of their local.
The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace - a fitting launch pad for Museums and Galleries Month 2005. Courtesy The Royal Collection 2005 © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Some museums and galleries in the UK are also taking part. Tate Modern, Handel House Museum, the Roman Baths in Bath and Senhouse Roman Museum in Cumbria are all joining in with nocturnal events.
Event details can be found right here on the 24 Hour Museum, so to find out the lowdown on activities in your area just have a quick search on our new What’s On page.
